Okay, the Blockbuster stores have closed in my city (and also the surrounding cities). While we didn’t use Blockbuster much, it was nice to walk through it every now and then looking for family videos that my wife and I watched growing up and that we thought our kids would enjoy.
So there are now three options That I will list below, and then tell what I think of newest option, RedBox.
Three Replacement Options for BlockBuster:
- Library – This is what we usually use, they are a little slow on getting new videos, but free! Always a big plus for frugal folk like my wife and I!!!
- Netflix – Great service! I subscribed to this a few years ago, and enjoyed it. We cancelled because we didn’t watch that many movies.
- RedBox – Another great service that only costs a $1 per day to rent a video.
RedBox Review:
RedBox is a very competitive option among the three listed above. It’s a great deal deal at $1.00 per day. They also have a great selection of newer videos. Another plus is that the machine is very easy and straight forward to use. Think of a candy or pop vending machine except with a broad selection of newer popular movies in a DVD format.
So do I see any problem(s) with their model?
Yes, first, to return a movie, you have to stand in the same line that you need to stand in to purchase a video. This is a real turn off, and an excellent reason that we are considering going back to Netflix again. I think the RedBox company should consider having 2 interfaces per box. One for purchases, and another for returns. This would make a big different, and might make me reconsider using them more in the future. After all, as their model gets more popular, the wait time in line will also increase. This inconvenience factor will eventually cap RedBox’s growth.
RedBox only has limited selections. This is not a huge negative though, because the majority of people only rent the new of videos anyway. But if you have kids like me, this make Netflix a bit more attractive than Redbox.
So it’s obvious that RedBox is really aimed at a certain niche, and I’m sure they will realize that having only one entry point to the box for both purchases and returns will limit their grow as they grow more popular. I think in the short term, their popularity will continue to grow to a point, but then tapper off and perhaps decrease. As we all get better with technology, Netflix will prove to be the real winner in the decline of Blockbustor videos!
UPDATE: I forgot to mention that you can return a redbox video to any Redbox machine!!! Not just the one you got the video from! That’s a nice feature! I’ve haven’t try it from an outside state, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that flies too!
Honestly, we actually are still only using 2 of the 3 options above! Since we have a Redbox literally less than 1 mile away from use, we find that we go to than when we are in the mood for a family night video.
If you have any experience with RedBox, please voice your opinion!
-MR
There are three other options:
1. Blockbuster Express kiosk (same as Rebox)
2. Blockbuster By Mail (same as Netflix, but without streaming and inclusice Blue ray and new releases)
3. Blockbuster On Demand (1$ cheaper than cable provider)
@wussel
Thanks for the info! It’s nice to know that Blockbuster isn’t totally rolling over and dying!
I know nothing about Red Box but I LOVE my netflix. My whole family has spent some fabulous time watching older movies that we may not have come across at Blockbuster. (Our local video store, Mammoth Video also closed.)
Some of the great films we have watched recently are: Casablanca, Rear Window, and the Godfather. (Just my oldest son and I watched the Godfather.)
@Everyday Tips
For the best bang for your buck, I agree with you, Netflix seems to the way to go! Especially with the unlimited downloadable movies – I so have to try this feature some day!!!
We LOVE RedBox. My husband works part time in the grocery store, so it is easy for him to return the video (he would be there anyway).
We never encounter a line….so not an issue for us.
We get the kids a video every few weeks for just a dollar. Of course, as we are running out of selections, it is a bummer. But for a buck, you really can’t go wrong.
Only problem we have is that every single DVD has a flaw or scratch, and it gets stuck. Usually we can get it going again and only miss a few seconds of the movie. But it is a pain.
@Mysti
Using library videos, we get a lot of videos that have scratches and smudges too. Mostly it’s the smudges that cause our DVD play to behave the way you speak.
I usually soap up the playing side of the DVD, by rubbing from the inside straight out to the outerside in straight lines, then rinse throughly. that usually takes care of any problems that we encounter.
It’s good to hear your experience with Red Box is decent! We’ve only rented video’s twice, and both time it took longer than I expected. I’ll give it another shot though!
This is the first time I have been on this blog and this a great topic. I ‘ve used all three options. I have to say nothing beats Netflix. I love the fact that you can browse a menu of movie options and research storylines. Often time I would stand at a Blockbuster and have no idea what movie to pick.
Redbox is a nice option also. My wife and I have used it a few times from when we were at a local Meijer’s grocery store. Limited selection but nice to get your groceries and pick a movie 5 feet away from the check out line. Returning the movie however requires a separate scheduled trip.
Our local library has a limited but decent selection of classic Alfred Hitchcock movies.
All and all nothing beats Netflix.
Has anyone tried Netflix streamed movies through there TV with the Netflix ready device?
@Find and share referral rewards
Thanks for giving such a well thoughtout explanation!
I’m lucky in that I go to the library everyday to work in some capacity on this site, and I like to turn Lemons into Lemonade, so I pick up videos while I’m there. We’re lucky, I use the intralibrary borrowing process to get videos that my library may not have.
Although I don’t have Netflix, I’m seriously thinking about getting it (perhaps as a trial basis again), just to see how well that steaming movies works. I’d imagine that it downloads locally to flash drive attached to a blueray or computer then plays back afterwards, but I’m not sure… It sounds like a pretty great deal either way!!!
@Bucksome Boomer
We are in the same boat. I don’t like to watch many movies and but my wife does. So I’ll get a few movies per month from the library.
Unfortunately, for kids movies, the library I go to don’t get many in, so Red Box is your new source for those. But we rarely get them…
Thanks for the comment! Red Box sounds like it definitely has it’s place in the video rental area! 🙂
I like redbox, its a cheap way to rent movies. There’s a machine in my supermarket and if there’s no one using it i’ll often check to see what’s available on my way out the door. But yea, it’s a pain waiting in line just to return a dvd.
@Saving Money Today
We’ll keep using it. But we’ll figure out the optimal time to go. The 2 times we went, were busier times of the day…
Red Box definitely has it’s niche!
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i always get donwloadable movies from emule and some forum sites have direct links too`”~
I most definitely prefer netflix.It is the ultimate winner when compared to Red Box
My first time I rented at red box I had a problem with Red Box accessing my acct. and charging me three times when I only rented one movie and I returned the movie the next day! So this is what exactly happened…I rented one movie, brought the movie back that next evening, I checked my acct the next day and I noticed they charged me twice. I called costomer service they said they charged me a second time because I brought the movie back the next day but it was after 10pm so they charge us for a other day. I asked where is the guideline info posted they said there were not sure but they would reinburst me my $1.09 because I didn’t know the guidlines plus it was my first time using red box. So instead of reinbursting me, they accessed my acct a third time and charged me again!! So now they are at $3.27 for one movie. Don’t trust RED BOX!!!
RedBox has lost a customer. I had 2 coupons for free rentals from them. When I used them, I was charged for the rentals because I checked out the DVDs *3 minutes* before midnight and returned them after 9pm the next day. I have called them several times to enquire about a refund–their customer service reps are always rude and snappy with me. The one with whom I spoke this evening refused to let me speak with a manager. Never again!