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IowaCowboy
Lost in the Supermarket
Premium Member
join:2010-10-16
Springfield, MA

IowaCowboy

Premium Member

Xfinity OnDemand is my video store

It's technology like Video On Demand that killed video rental stores. Why wait at a bus stop in the cold and take two buses in each direction to go rent a DVD or Blu-ray with generous late fees for being a couple of minutes late when I can use my Comcast remote to watch a movie using the On Demand feature. They are also competing with public libraries that have a large collection of movies, books and other media that is paid for by local property taxes.
Kearnstd
Space Elf
Premium Member
join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ

Kearnstd

Premium Member

This was the first thing that killed rentals for us. Though no bus was needed, but still why drive to the store when one can hit the on demand button.

market wise, VOD and then Netflix DVD built the coffins and drove the nails. the dirt was shoveled back into the hole by Redbox.
silbaco
Premium Member
join:2009-08-03
USA

silbaco

Premium Member

I would say ebay also contributed. Prior to ebay and similar sale websites, getting a movie that was out for several years and not available anymore at your big box stores required going to your overpriced local movie specialty store or movie rental store. Then ebay came out and made buying used movies almost as cheap as renting.
rahvin112
join:2002-05-24
Sandy, UT

rahvin112 to Kearnstd

Member

to Kearnstd
Using your same analogy, if VOD and Neflix built the coffin and drove the nails, blockbusters own late fees were the ones that dug the grave.

I'm not alone in that I stopped using Blockbuster the second there was an alternative that didn't charge exorbitant late fees that were typically 3-4 times the per day rental price. Netflix and Redbox put Blockbuster in the grave but it was their own policies that opened the door for it to happen and I'm not alone in believing it was a well deserved result of a terrible company that deserved to be destroyed by a competitor or two that understood customers. Netflix was the first to capitalize on customer dissent (even though it was arguably more difficult to arrange movies in advance through the mail), RedBox came along and killed the remainder of the business with more convenient locations and reasonable late fees.
kamin
join:2003-03-30
Puyallup, WA

kamin to silbaco

Member

to silbaco
Suncoast! I remember going there, and spending way way too much for some movies that couldn't be bought anywhere else locally. Sure don't miss the prices that laserdiscs were.