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