Blockbuster Considering Return to Store Option?

Greg participated in a Blockbuster Online survey, and noticed that they are considering a return to store option:

BLOCKBUSTER Online is exploring the possibility of adding a new feature to your existing subscription to provide more convenience to you. With this new feature, you would have the added option to return your online rentals to your local Blockbuster store.

Upon return to the store, these online video rentals would be automatically cleared out from the “Shipped Movies” section in your BLOCKBUSTER Online Queue and the next movies in your Queue will be shipped to you. With this feature, your waiting time for the next movie would be reduced.

Comments

[gir]

Now they just need in-store pick-up. Drop off your movie(s), get the next movie(s) in your queue in minutes.

Anybody else think BlockBuster must be hemorrhaging money?

[danb]

I think it's a decent idea, especially since they give you free in-store rentals. This means that every time you have an in-store rental you can assure that you get your next movie faster as well. For some people the local Blockbuster might be very convenient, in those cases it might make a lot of sense to do this.

Might it be a way to prevent throttling? If Blockbuster saves on shipping this way then they could hypothetically send up to twice as many DVDs for the same amount of money.

If you add that to the suggestion that gir made about in-store pickup (the feasibility of which - and his seriousness in suggesting it - I'm unsure of, but it's possible) then you have a lot of options as to how you use their service. I like options. Little things like that can make or break a service for a lot of people.

[hall]

This would be an inventory NIGHTMARE.

[domc]

I think it's a great idea. They can use the stores as distribution centers. Why not, there already on every street corner.
Of course, logistics would have to be figured out but in the long run it may save money somewhere down the line.
Blockbuster has it's problems (I've had them for two months and no throttling) but I think they are poised to give netflix a run for it's money if they don't go out of business first. They need to make the right business choices.

[BoB]

Since all my area stores are franchised and don't do shipping (plus still charge late fees, etc). I wonder if they would allow the returns?

[einbebop]

I game Blockbuster a try. Everything ships to me from Las Vegas... I'm in Central California! No DC in the LA area??

Guess I'm spoiled by Netflix, but NO THANK YOU to a 2-4 day turnaround time.

[Hunter McDaniel]

I'm just not convinced that adding local stores to the distribution system for online rentals makes any sense. The handling costs have got to be a LOT more than what NF/BBO achieve in their highly-automated distribution centers. And for what purpose? Most customers are already within a 1-day USPS delivery zone from the big DCs.

[bobemmerich]

My first question when I read the first paragraph was answered with the second paragraph - instant acknowledgement of receipt as opposed to the store sending it to a DC which actaully makes it worth while for the customer to make the drive. This makes sense to me, not in their saving money on the return envelope, but in the obvious hope you spend money while you're there, ie. the HUGE display of used DVDs for sale in your face when you walk in.
And obviously the "pick up your rental while your there" had to be a joke, the logistics of dropping off a movie already in your possession is not the same as the store even having what you want and you/they having to go look for it. No chance.
If they enact drop off with a cuncurrent sign in I'ld sign back up.

[smgpugfaw]

I thought much of the point of Netflix was the 'convenience' of not having to visit the local video store. You know, stuff just shows up at your house and you drop it back in the mailbox to return it.

What BB is doing sounds a lot like...ummm...well...going to the video store.

Isn't the reason I joined a DVD-by-mail service to avoid this in the first place?

[CJ]

I have the two free in-store rentals per month option instead of the one free in-store rental per week option. Why? Because then I only have to go a Blockbuster store once a month...

[corey3rd]

I thought much of the point of Netflix was the 'convenience' of not having to visit the local video store.
_____________
But you don't have to visit the video store by a certain time. So if you're out doing your grocery shopping and you can drop them off whenever.

The only problem I see with this set up is that it blows the turnover numbers if too many people take up the offer. You get credited for the return that day, but it takes a day or so for the DVD to get back to the DC. If you're on a 3 plan, you'll be tying up 6 titles for a day or so.

[Harrie]

There are already over 1000 stores across the country that ship and receive DVDs every day for the blockbuster online service. They ship mostly older movies so that the DCs can focus on New Releases. You'd be surprised which stores you visit already are capable of doing this, It's just not something that want to happen yet. I think it'd be a good thing to be able to drop your movies off there. However, picking them up there wouldn't be a good thing. For one, Most stores are out of new releases on weekends, and for the first week or so after release. You'd barely be able to get any New Releases. I personally have had no problems getting movies like King Kong, Derailed, and Dreamer the week of release. Second, They already have a program in store where you drop off and pick up your next movies same day. It's called the Blockbuster Movie Pass, and it costs $10 more for 1 movie less out at a time. If you're so interested in doing this, I'd suggest giving the program a try. You can make 3 trips a day if you want to. It's up to you.

[Eric]

I like the idea, no one is being forced to return the movies to the store, its YOUR CHOICE! If you never want to go to the store then don't, just use the mail. But like me where my bank and supermarket is right next to my Blockbuster, why not return the DVD there, have them scan it in and get my next disk 1-2 days faster! Hopefully we will be able to drop the DVD off in the outside drop so it will only take a second to drop it off!

[smgpugfaw]

"But like me where my bank and supermarket is right next to my Blockbuster, why not return the DVD there, have them scan it in and get my next disk 1-2 days faster!"
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Yeah, but you're already at the video store. Why not just leave with another that day? No wait. Instant gratification. Why wait to receive movies by mail if your at the video store and could just take one off the shelves?

To me, it's two totally different creatures. You're either cool with the idea of trips to the video store and the subsequent instant gratification of walking out with a movie that instant or you wish to avoid the physical stores for whatever reason and in trade accept a slight delay in gratification in exchange for the convenience of not having to leave the house for a DVD.

Blockbuster is offering a DVD-by-mail service then finding every way they can to get you back into their stores. It seems so contradictory. Wasn't the point of joining the by-mail service to avoid going to the store?

[Stratosphere]

At my store when a customer comes in to get the free rentals from the online program we tell them that they have the option of dropping their online rentals with us or mailing them back in. If they choose to leave them with us it will cut down on the time it takes to get your next rentals. If you drop them in the morning you usually will get your next set of movies the following day.

[mwalsh]

No way I want to go to the store. Online rental services provide relatively convenient access to a good number of films at a price I can afford.

Heck, if my cable provider were to do flat fee video on demand, I would probably do that instead. That would be the whole package (except for the fact that they get movies after every other type of outlet) - instant rentals, at a flat fee, without even having to get up off the couch! :-)

[NetflixShill]

"I have the two free in-store rentals per month option instead of the one free in-store rental per week option. Why? Because then I only have to go a Blockbuster store once a month..."

You also get only 40-50% as many rentals. I prefer getting what I can locally and using online for the things I can't get locally. There area also quite a few titles that the stores have and online doesn't. If you want a special edition, for example, they're much more likely to have it in the stores. And some out-of-print titles can also be found in stores.

[NetflixShill]

"If you drop them in the morning you usually will get your next set of movies the following day."

You can usually get discs sent the next day anyway, if you drop them before the last mail pick up. So, what's point if they won't send new discs the same day? You should also be able to get a DVD from the store. Instant gratification.

Ideally the services should be integrated so you could them interchangeably or exclusively. If you return three and take out one from the store, they would send your next two online rentals. And their coupons should be linked with your card, so you do not have to waste resources printing them.

[NetflixShill]

"No way I want to go to the store. Online rental services provide relatively convenient access to a good number of films at a price I can afford."

I've found a number of titles in the stores that I wouldn't have known about with Netflix. Like: "The Stratosphere Girl." Netflix doesn't even have that title. Blockbuster does, online and in store. When you look at the box close up, things jump out that would never see on Netflix's site. Blockbuster has more indie titles than Netflix. They had "Fear and Trembling" months before NF. Netflix brags of vast selection, but their catalog is full of holes.

[radboater]

Blockbuster has been allowing Return-To-Store option at ALL blockbusters stores that participate in mailing online rentals. In addition- Most Blockbuster stores recieve online rentals into inventory around 10am-11am everday. Blockbuster Online ships movies out between 2pm-5pm(User's time zone). Only recently has Blockbuster been dicussing return-to-store option at ALL Blockbuster corporate locations (not just the stores that mail online rentals).