Blockbuster Online Testing Store Drop-off

Susan tipped me off to a test of a new Blockbuster Online in-store DVD program where you will be able to exchange your Blockbuster Online movies at a local store for new movies. The program is called the "Same Day Movie Guarantee" and is being tested exclusively in Colorado Springs.

Here's the details of the program from the Blockbuster e-mail:

Here's how it works. Bring your current BLOCKBUSTER Online DVDs -- sealed in their return envelopes -- to a local participating BLOCKBUSTER store. Keep your DVDs with you until you're ready to check out. You'll receive one free in-store movie rental when you redeem a BLOCKBUSTER Online DVD sealed in its return mailer. We'll even mail back your BLOCKBUSTER Online DVDs for you. Sounds pretty good, right?

Be sure to keep the following details in mind:

Please keep your DVDs from BLOCKBUSTER Online with you until you're ready to check out. The drop-box outside is for in-store rentals only.

Your DVDs from BLOCKBUSTER Online should be sealed in their return mailers.

DVD redemption is good for movie rentals only.

In-store movie rentals are subject to regular store rental terms and conditions. A separate, complimentary, in-store membership is required. See store for complete rental terms.

Movies rented in-store will not be removed from your online Queue. To get more of the movies you love, be sure to remove titles rented in-store from your Queue.

Redeem your free in-store movie rentals on the same visit in which you return your DVDs from BLOCKBUSTER Online.

These free in-store movie rentals are in addition to the number of DVDs allowed out at a time by your BLOCKBUSTER Online plan.

Enjoy your in-store movie. Please allow up to two extra business days to receive your next set of DVDs from BLOCKBUSTER Online.

You can still use your free movie rental coupons from BLOCKBUSTER Online.

Free in-store rentals must be returned to the store where they were originally rented. See your receipt for store location and due dates.

This offer is exclusively for BLOCKBUSTER Online members.

You can learn more about the program by reading the Blockbuster Same Day Movie Guarantee FAQ. This program is available for all subscription plans.

Comments

[usermonster]

I've been hoping for something like this. I hope it takes. Bit it looks like it might be a little too complicated (and possibly confusing to some) to work well. Clearly, the stores' systems aren't being integrated with the online system.

[Scott]

Good god, the entire point of online DVD rental was that you DIDN'T have to drive to the store. Blockbuster is run by a bunch of morons.

[corey3rd]

So this is just another way that non-corporate BBs are going to get shafted since they'll be losing another hot DVD at less than normal rental price?

[corey3rd]

oh wait, they're just going to get stuck with the burden of doing corporate's "check in" and get stuck mailing out the DVDs.

[CJ]

I agree with Scott's comment above - I avoid going to the BB store. I'm still on the 2 free coupon a month option, rather than the 1 free coupon per week option, just so I only have to go that store once a month.

Besides the inconvenience of "driving to the store", I also find most BB stores distasteful - poor layout for browsing, minimum wage type/movie ignorant employees, long lines to check out, and, most importantly, a limited catalog of mainly Hollywood blockbusters.

No thanks - I'll just use the USPS. The free DVD isn't enough to entice this DVD renter.

[NetflixShill]

You are missing out on a lot of titles that Netflix doesn't get by refusing to go to the stores, Scott and CJ. I can name dozens of them. I have a list of the titles I've tried to find at Netflix and they didn't have, but Blockbuster or some store did. Netflix makes NO effort to get "every DVD ever made", so I would hesitate before relying on them for all my movie needs. There are new releases they haven't got, like Stratosphere Girl.

As for Blockbuster's new deal, it sounds too good to be true. You get a free movie rental for every online disc you return. That seems like it would cost a lot of money if you hit them up for 3+ DVDs a week. I take my movies to the post office or a corner box any way, so I'll just drop them off at Blockbuster at the same time I use my coupon. Save a trip. Hopefully this will go national soon.

[NetflixShill]

"I also find most BB stores distasteful - poor layout for browsing, minimum wage type/movie ignorant employees, long lines to check out, and, most importantly, a limited catalog of mainly Hollywood blockbusters."

I couldn't care less about how ignorant the employees are, but they aren't at my store. The guy I check out with usually knows most of the movies I am renting and why they are special. For instance, he knew that Russian Ark was shot in one take. He has seen Brick and liked it... I can research movies on my own. I don't need to ask any questions most of the time. I use stores as much as I can, and only use online for movies I can't get.

There are many movies you can't get online, esp from Netflix. They arbitrarily deny you access to certain titles and editions. NFLX doesn't have the restored 2-disc Casablanca. I got that from BB Online several months ago and it looked 10 times better than the lame version that Netflix carries, with scratches all over the place, sound glitches, and dull image quality. Long live the stores, and BB! They're fulfilling a demand Netflix ignores.

[corey3rd]

Shill,
What do you care what Netflix carries since you haven't been a member for months?

Have you called TLA Releasing to get a reason why Stratosphere Girl isn't being carried by Netflix? it's not like long distance costs extra anymore.

And why does Netflix need to upgrade their DVDs of titles already in stock? Sure the new Casablanca looks better, but in a few months, they'll have to buy the HD version of Casablanca. How many videostores go out of their way to keep up with the latest special edition of an older title?

Netflix is a business and not the Lending Library of Congress.

[danb]

Everyone so far has ignored this:

"Enjoy your in-store movie. Please allow up to two extra business days to receive your next set of DVDs from BLOCKBUSTER Online."

Is it just me or is this saying that they will throttle your next shipment whenever you do this?

Anyway, why is anyone bashing this? You guys are completely missing the point: Choice. This is an advantage that BB can offer over Netflix and it may also help them keep stores open. This would allow me to go to the store and get my next movie if I wanted, but I don't have to do it that way. I can mail my movie back. I have choice.

I have to say, I'm still quite happy with Netflix. I like their service. I have too many unpleasant memories of standing in long lines to be "helped" by rude CSRs for too high of a cost per rental at BB to use their current service. If they implement more options and give me more choices then I'll definitely reconsider their service.

I'd like it if they gave you the movie in a return envelope so that you could either drop it in the slot or mail it back. It would also be nice if they had plans with a single unlimited in-store rental slot.

[BoB]

Shill,

What kind of BB stores do you have?! My 3 (franchised) stores only carry basic Hollywood Blockbusters. There is no depth there. There are no TV shows, no classics, just same old cr*p. After the last fiasco with BBO, I won't have anything to do with them anymore.

They shipped me a disc not even in my queue and said "oh well, just send it back". No replacment for the lost time - NOTHING. Then for 11 days they shipped NOTHING out. I had 3 open slots with available movies but nothing was sent. When I complained I received an email that they would not ship me movies if they were not available at my local DC - even if they said available. Thier reply was to put more movies in my queue and "hope" that they were at my local DC. No Thanks! I was pulling for them to give NF some competition but they can kiss my "you know what" now!

[Super-Bat-Man]

sounds like a good idea. more options is definitely better.

but I'm stickin with netflix. I already have my queue filled movies rated, a bunch of my friend reviews are on there. and the most important thing... I'm just too lazy to switch and go to the store. I'm getting plenty of movies as it is, I don't need more.

[corey3rd]

I'm really confused by the graphic explaining this new return policy. If I read it right, I will be able to go to BB, drop off my online DVD envelope, exchange it for a title on the shelf, BB will send it back to the online store and then I receive the next title in my queue.

If I follow the arrows, I'm supposed to be able to get 2 rentals from returning 1 to the store. Is the deal that I have to return the one I get from the store in 2 days - which explains why I have to wait 2 days to get my next online selection sent?

[thecrow]

"Enjoy your in-store movie. Please allow up to two extra business days to receive your next set of DVDs from BLOCKBUSTER Online."

Is it just me or is this saying that they will throttle your next shipment whenever you do this? posted by danb

YEP!

[CJ]

NetflixShill somewhat gets my comments misinterpreted. I subscribe to BB primarily for titles Netflix doesn't carry, or to get those "long wait" titles in my queue at Netflix a little quicker. The BB mail rent service is actually a secondary supplement to my primary Netflix service.

I've seldom, if ever, found a title on a BB store shelf I couldn't rent by mail from BB or Netflix. So I don't believe I'm missing any titles at all by avoiding the "drive to BB store" fire drill.

As for BB CSRs, I find my knowledge base is light years ahead of theirs - I frequently end up telling them about the movie I'm renting, if they are interested. In all fairness, some of the CSRs are interested.

[vio]

"Good god, the entire point of online DVD rental was that you DIDN'T have to drive to the store. Blockbuster is run by a bunch of morons."

Perhaps that's what it was originally conceived for, but that's not necessarily the reason people use it these days. A lot of people rent online because it's cheaper and there's a lot of movies and tv shows available to rent that aren't available in any video store.

Though I've gotta say that driving out to a video store is less pratical than ever before thanks to the soaring gas prices. But that still hasn't stopped all the Joe Sixpacks from making 10 mile drives in their gas guzzling SUVs to their closest Blockbuster store.

People are so careless with their money..

[Scribe1964]

"Good god, the entire point of online DVD rental was that you DIDN'T have to drive to the store. Blockbuster is run by a bunch of morons."

I agree. I hate the whole experience of going to ANY of my local Blockbusters. And as for what they carried, the only thing I've EVER seen there that Netflix doesn't carry are straight-to-video horror crap that I wouldn't watch if it were free!

[gir]

It's as easy as 1, 2, 3, ...4, ...a, ...um?

[Jamieva]

Yup they are going to throttle the people that do this because if you get 3 in the mail a week you could get 3 a week at the store. You really think they want to rent 10-12 free a month at their store? No way.

So they will take their sweet time getting that one from the store back to the DC so your next one will go out..at some time in the future. If they wanted to do this right they would have a way at the brick and mortar to scan in the one you return right then and there so the next one in your queue goes out.

[noe638]

"If they wanted to do this right they would have a way at the brick and mortar to scan in the one you return right then and there so the next one in your queue goes out."

I totally agree Jamieva.

I guess I had greater expectations for blockbuster. It seems to me they have thousands of little distribution centers around the country.

If this program worked, they would be able to do fulfillment from their stores and customers could reserve titles in the store, pick it up and have it that same day.

The library does it with inter-library loan and a pretty outdated database. You check in a title and it tells you where to send the dvd (or book) and it prints out a label for the next library. It doesn't go back to a centralized warehouse! BB could do the same. This would shave off the postage expense of the drop-off and speed times when people would receive their next title.

Blockbuster has the worst technology (you still have to create a store account when you go to the store, you can't request a title in the store, you can't see if the title is available in the store) and they don't appear to be making any improvements.

[ajpresto]

I think you all are missing a couple of things here:

1) Waiting 2 days is not throttling. That allows 1 day for BB to ship your movie back and 1 day for your movie to come to you. That is the typical wait time for either Netflix or BB.

2) You get an extra movie each time you do this. It doesn't count against you at all. There's a huge loss here, considering they're giving you a free movie and still keeping your queue going.

Sure it's less convenient but you have the potential of doubling the number of movies you have for one membership price, plus the coupons... This has the potential to be huge!

(I'm a loyal Netflix lover but BB is starting to woo me away with all the freebies. I don't think they can last if they open this up nationwide.)

Also, it's not very confusing. You get your movies in the mail. When you're ready to return them, you take them to the store all sealed up. You exchange the movies to be mailed back for a movie at the store. What's so complicated?

[NetflixShill]

"And why does Netflix need to upgrade their DVDs of titles already in stock? Sure the new Casablanca looks better, but in a few months, they'll have to buy the HD version of Casablanca."

Why does Netflix need to upgrade their DVDs with HD-DVD and BluRay? I'd rather they get special editions instead of some lame format that will be dead in a few years any way. I

"How many videostores go out of their way to keep up with the latest special edition of an older title?"

Blockbuster does and so do many other stores in my neighborhood. I'm glad they do, so I'd say there is a demand for this and we may be willing to pay extra for it. I would rather see Fast Times in DTS 5.1 than mono. That's just me, though. I'm sure no other Netflix members have good home theater setups. They only cater to the people watching DVDs on a 27" Trinitron, I guess.