http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Debt-changing-media-habits-apf-1049608580.html?x=0

I don't think is surprising with OnDemand, and other easier services to access movies.

yeah...been thinking this for a couple years now...video/rental stores are soon to go the way of the dinosaur.

overhead costs are too high when you can just download, dial-up, DVR, or vend DVD's through a retailer. Cost to own continues to go down as well.

I'm surprised they were able to avoid bankruptcy as long as they did.

I knew they'd been in trouble but I didn't think that it was that dire of a situation

It was only a matter of time. Every where I look a Movie Gallery or Hollywood Video is being closed down. I was wondering when Blockbuster would follow suit.

Yeah but they did have a big advantage on Redbox and Netflix for me. They had the newest movies WAY faster.. like a month. So its going to hurt us in the long run. I really enjoyed getting new releases without waiting a month longer than im going to have to now.

Don't get me wrong, netflix for streaming is incredible.. but there was real value in those $1 blockbuster kiosks shelling out the new releases that Redbox didn't have.

Maybe not..

Dear BLOCKBUSTER Express® Customer,
I hope that you're enjoying our combination of convenience, value and choice in helping you to make any night YOUR movie night. You may have heard today that the company, Blockbuster, Inc. has announced plans to enter into bankruptcy protection to restructure their finances. We wish them great success in that process. You should know, however, that the BLOCKBUSTER Express business is 100% owned and operated by NCR Corporation, a rock-solid public company that has pioneered breakthrough consumer experiences for more than 125 years. We look forward to serving up those great experiences for another 125 years and more.

Meanwhile, I want to assure you that we are working hard every day to make your movie-rental experience with BLOCKBUSTER Express even better in a number of ways, including:

* Opening new locations nearby that make it more convenient to rent and return movies
* Adding more copies of more movies to rent at your local BLOCKBUSTER Express kiosks
* Preserving value, with most titles available to rent for only $1 per night

In addition, to thank you for being a great customer, we are starting our weekend promotion today, 1 day early. Rent any two movies and get the third one on us, just use code THXBBX. So, go ahead… make tonight a movie night, and enjoy!

water is wet. I've been hearing about this forever. Movie Gallery and Blockbuster were both horribly managed. It took them waaaaaaay too long to adjust to the current environment (i.e. nobody wants to rent a movie for 4 nights. Nobody wants to $5 to rent a movie, nobody wants to make the trip to the store to get the movie)

They've been planning bankruptcy for awhile now. I agree that they pretty much dug their own grave. Nobody wants to pay $6 to rent a movie.

I'd rather pay $3 at the local place and keep it for a day than drive to Blockbuster and shell out twice that.

Good riddance, as far as I'm concerned.

regardless, I haven't rented a movie in years.

Remember when there were all those mom and pop rental places and you could even rent a movie from the Convienient or some place and get some crazy deal like rent 3 movies for a buck or something like that? I remember when Meijer's even had a video rental place.

Of course, like everthing the world changes. As others have noted the technology has made the video rental store as obsolete as the horse and buggy.

If you not stealing it or getting in on demand/ online, you got to go with Family Video. Blockbuster has been over priced for years now. Maybe it will be a wake up call for them and realize no one wants to pay 5 bucks for a movie they can get for 3 at family video.

Blockbuster is declaring bankruptcy?

Let me show you my surprise face.....

[video=youtube;HqVBKO_QM3o][/video]

Little Danny;494794 wrote:Remember when there were all those mom and pop rental places and you could even rent a movie from the Convienient or some place and get some crazy deal like rent 3 movies for a buck or something like that? I remember when Meijer's even had a video rental place.

Of course, like everthing the world changes. As others have noted the technology has made the video rental store as obsolete as the horse and buggy.

My dad owned on of those a few years ago in Centerburg, Ohio. Nice place, couldn't compete.

Netflix for me, if not netflix, then OnDemand, if not there...then I may hit up Family Video. I haven't set foot in a blockbuster in years.

They do have a Kiosk at the Speedway on Shrock and Cleveland, and I have been tempted to check that out. Are those kiosk's part of Blockbuster Express?

Yeah Blockbuster Express will continue to exist and the kiosks are awesome. They have the $1 DVDs and the brand new releases like you get at Blockbuster or Family Video. So when everyone is bragging about their Netflix, you actually get to watch the movie..

Netflix guy "Dude, Netflix and Redbox are superior to Blockbuster. Blockbuster sucks!!"

Me "Cool, Well I just saw Prince of Persia from the Blockbuster box for $1"

Netflix guy, "Dude you got ripped off, Netflix will be able to stream that in a year! Why would you do that? Also, in 30 days I could get in by mail order from Netflix, and after 30 days I can get it from Red box! You are so stupid man"

Me "Yeah, you are right.. that sounds superior to me"


Look, im not a big old release guy, I Like to see the stuff coming from the movies ASAP .. I don't know why you hate a company that delivers that.

rydawg5;495331 wrote:Yeah Blockbuster Express will continue to exist and the kiosks are awesome. They have the $1 DVDs and the brand new releases like you get at Blockbuster or Family Video. So when everyone is bragging about their Netflix, you actually get to watch the movie..

Netflix guy "Dude, Netflix and Redbox are superior to Blockbuster. Blockbuster sucks!!"

Me "Cool, Well I just saw Prince of Persia from the Blockbuster box for $1"

Netflix guy, "Dude you got ripped off, Netflix will be able to stream that in a year! Why would you do that? Also, in 30 days I could get in by mail order from Netflix, and after 30 days I can get it from Red box! You are so stupid man"

Me "Yeah, you are right.. that sounds superior to me"


Look, im not a big old release guy, I Like to see the stuff coming from the movies ASAP .. I don't know why you hate a company that delivers that.

I agree and I have never been fond of the way that netflix just sends you 3 of your selected movies at a time.

The one criticism I have of RedBox and the like is that you can't get older movies. Sometimes I enjoyed renting something like Pulp Fiction or something of that era. In addition, for those of us with kids, Blockbusters has a much better selection of kids movies--- particularly the classics. There definitely is a niche.

^^^agree with this, although the older it gets, typically the cheaper it becomes to own...

example: the wife is telling the daughter how cool "Dirty Dancing" is...
(now me...I saw it once, maybe, Jennifer Grey might have been ok before she got the nose job...)

they bought it at Meijer's for like $7.99....
now they own it, no need for rental...

(i just have to go into the other room to watch MNF now...)

You know what these places should do more of? Offering promotions to eliminate your late fees. I think one time I had like $50 in late fees to a local Family Video and was basically planning on never going there again. But one day in the mail, in one of their last-ditch efforts to starve off dieing, they gave me a coupon to eliminate that debt. So, I presented the coupon, and started renting movies again. We've all slipped up and forgot to take a movie/game back on time, and next thing you know we owe a nice little bundle in late fees. I don't know about you, but I'm more likely to explore other options than ever pay a huge fee to them. They might as well cut their losses and get people back in the stores again, because let's face it they probably won't ever see that money again if they don't.

^^ I don't know if they are still doing it, but Blockbuster offered like a 7 day grace period on their rentals a while back. That means in additon to like the first three days, you got like 10 days to watch a movie. If you can't be courteous enough to return a movie after a week and a half, you deserve whatever fee they give you.

It was only a matter of time. Netflix and Ondemand services killed video rental stores.

They're not dead, just restructuring. This will likely mean store closings but they should have done that long ago.

Blockbuster was just too slow in focusing on their by mail and on demand services for it to really help. They tried to cling to their old model too long like many companies seem to do. (I'm looking at you record lables and movie studios. You too American car manufacturers).

if blockbuster happens to close will they still have that deal with movie companies that gives them the movies first(before netflix and so on), since blockbuster express seems to be a seperate company.