Don’t gasp at the title of this post—we’re not announcing the demise of our favorite DVD rental kiosks. We’re just wondering aloud (at least as loudly as you can over the Internet) what the DVD rental world would be like today if Redbox had never come along.
Before Redbox, your DVD rental choices were limited to the sparse rentals at the local 7-11 or grocery store, the mom-and-pop video store on the corner, then-king of the hill Blockbuster or a relative newcomer called Netflix. Then, slowly at first, red boxes advertising DVD rentals for $1 per night began popping up at McDonald’s restaurants. Once the $1 DVD fad caught on, it seemed like everybody was Redboxing.
Now imagine that Redbox never existed. What would your rental habits be like today? What would the home entertainment industry be like?
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Would Blockbuster still be the arrogant, non-customer friendly giant that it once was, instead of the whimpering, soon-to-be bankrupt husk that it is now? Would Netflix be even bigger? Would consumers still have switched from a “gotta own it” mentality to the preference for rentals that Hollywood so despises these days?
Take a moment to visit the comments and give us your take on what a world without Redbox would be like. Then grab a code from this site and pop down to the nearest Redbox, grateful that this post was just an exercise in what could have been.
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If redbox kiosks were not conveniently located, and great sites like insideredbox did not exist, I would be renting more titles from netflix and to a lesser extent Blockbuster.
Since redbox vending machines started appearing along my commuting path, I have yet to pay for a single redbox rental [now approaching 100 titles total]. I want to thank Michael, Shane and all others who have contributed at the insideredbox website for identifying some interesting DVD titles I would have never considered renting and saving me a few entertainment dollars in the process as well.
I hope that both will continue.
How do you get so many free movies? You must have alot of credit cards or know a secret we all don’t know. 100 free movies??? Please fill us on fellow inside.redboxer :-)
@THHSCR33
There is no secret.
You got part of the reason: I have many charge and credit card accounts. At one time I had about thirty, but because of consolidation [mostly ‘pump-and-dump’ offers], I am down to about a dozen.
Secondly, for many, many, months the wonderful Insideredbox website has posted weekly then monthly free promo codes. Alas, the free promo codes are now few and far between. As an example, the ‘Thanks a Billion’ campaign ends on September 30, 2010. So the number of freebies will drop to next to nothing.
As a tip, if you visit a redbox kiosk while it’s unavailable during servicing, ask the techie for a promo code card for a free night’s rental.
And most importantly, visit this website as frequently as possible, because you never know when a valid promo code will be available and posted.
The VBG conferences would have higher attendance, Netflix’s revenue per user would be higher, Blockbuster would go bankrupt next year instead of this month, JS would be happier, studios would make about the same as they do now and this wonderful site would be dark.
Well, I assume video stores would still be around. BB would still be doing decently. It really is interesting to think about…
No Redbox? Consumers would still be paying too much for movie rentals.
Don’t get me Redbox can be conveinent, but when you have to run from one Redbox to another to get the movie you want, can be a hassle. And yes I don’t miss Block(buster) for many reasons, the rude and dumb high school kids that were managers and the $5 dollar fee per night for a movie to rent! In the statement a comment was made that Blockbuster was arrogant, well it seems to me that REDBOX THEMSELVES ARE BECOMING ARROGANT AS WELL! So tone it down REDBOXIES!!!! Your movies are in worse condition than Blockbusters!!! Double check your quality, REDBOX!!!! YOUR TO NEW TO BE SLOUCHING ALREADY!!! ANOTHER
ANOTHER QUESTION IS ALL THE REDBOX MACHINES FRANCHISED OR ALL CORPRATE OWENED HOW DOES IT WORK? DO THE BUSINESSES IN WHICH A REDBOX IS LOCATED COLLECT $$$ AS WELL???? IF SO THEY SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR KEEPING THEM CLEAN OF GUM SPIT BOOGERS AND OTHER DISGUSTING BODILY FLUIDS OR WHAT MAY BE OFF THEM I MYSELF SPRAY THE SCREEN WITH SANITIZER BEFORE TOUCHING IT!!! CLEAN IT UP REDBOX LIKE I SAID YOUR TO NEW TO BE AS COCKEY AS YOU ARE!!
I’d probably be renting more from Family Video. I’d probably never have tried out Netflix since I believe it was this site where I saw the 2-week free trial advertisement. I stopped going to BB in ’08 after their rentals went up to $5 a night.
If Redbox did not exist, I would not be watching as many movies, HOWEVER, I agree that Redbox movies have a quality problem. I often have to start over, do a scene skip, and take other actions to get through a movie (roughy 1 in 4 rentals have trouble).
I quit BB due to prices, and I quit Netflix due to continuous pressure to keep my list updated and returns flowing.
I wish there was a large volume location (like a BB store) with large selection, and a lower price (like !.50 or so).
Redbox can improve by going to three and four machine locations to up the selection.
Without redbox the nice couple that had the corner dvd rental store would probably stayed open. They were wonderful people and always gave to the community. They were small but had a big heart. The 5 people that worked there (neighbors and friends of mine) would still have jobs and be able to spend money in other stores in the community. The store was in the gulf coast area and was already having trouble because of the oil spill. The store was in a strip mall and then for some reason the property owner allowed the winn dixie to put a redbox inside their store. That was it. There are no more independent store in our city and my kids will never know how cool it was to visit the video store.
I haven’t ‘redboxed” and kinda can’t see myself standing in line with a bunch of sweaty, dirty, CHEAP dregs of society waiting for my chance to pick from 5 or 6 titles that most likely will skip or freeze. And don’t get me started on those dirty, seldom working machines. This is supposed to be better?
And the oscar goes to…
You had me until ‘…CHEAP dregs of society…’
The customer is always right. Ever hear of that?
“The customer is always right. Ever hear of that?”
I’ve heard of that. It is wrong. Just thought you should know.
Sure you can have that one. Some rules are made to be broken. Customers arent right all the time, just most of the time. No one forcing consumers to patronize redbox so those that do must prefer it.
I noted that miss video store is right in-line with your thinking.
Hmnn,…so you’re the little missus :-) Oh yes, you and J.S. make the perfect couple! Two of a kind! Two peas in a pod! One in the same!
Sorry RB and FirtsLaw- I’m no relation to JS. I’ve read some of your posts and you guys seem obsessed with JS. I’m entitled to my opinion and I do think that society has declined since we have embraced a faceless, anonymous system that discourages people from interacting with each other. A lot of people consider big box stores and kiosk business’ as community killers but they aren’t. The people that choose to spend their money at a big box store are the community killers. Gone is the tight knit society of independent hardware stores, garden shops, appliance centers and such. These stores offered high quality merchandise and knowledgable people to sell and service them. Other than supplying cheap , inferior quality junk made in china (not usa’s friend) and encouraging people to live beyond their means, what have these big box stores and kiosk based business’ done to improve society? I’m sure this is all wasted on Firstlaw and rb and some of the other ‘lurkers’ on this site. You guys seem content to sit around and get free or $1 movies and give no thought about the consequences. You have no sense of giving back to society. In the grand scheme of the dumbing down of america, redbox means nothing but losing the knowledgable people, smiling faces and the flavor of a community do.
I know it sounds like I’m on a soapbox but this is my opinion.
Speaking of soapboxes, half the people I see standing in line for their $1 movie or waiting in line to return something while granny clampett tries to make a choice from one of the 20 or so titles could sure stand to use some. I have an idea about creating a kiosk that dispences Purelle and put them beside every redbox.
Oh missus, I prefer your little octagonal green face to your purple spiked look. Maybe if you kept it ‘real’ and ‘honest’ –you know, just stick to the ‘facts’–you wouldn’t have so many different face changes :-) I for one am not obsessed with anyone, or anything–except I do get annoyed when I sniff out something/someone that’s not being real or honest. Don’t know if a little Purelle will take care of that for you! Enough said.
How I do love stirring up the trolls and lurkers. It’s good because you guys probably need something to do besides making far fetched assumptions. Why do you goofs automatically think that I’m a girl? You trolls are knee jerk in response when someone refuses to see things your highly suspect way. These boards aren’t your personal posting board and I have the right to express my opinion. Also, when someone (me) makes a completely true, ambiguous statement you guys circle the wagons and make personal attacks. And what is up with you a John Smalls? You guys should get his number and ask him out on a date because you abviously fear and want to be him at the same time.
You guys are the exact example of what I was talking about in my original post. You guys are the result of a faceless, anonymous society that stunts your ability to interact with real people. Kiosks are blah and attract a particularly shallow, vapid, unwashed, impatient, elitist class of people. I will patronize any small local business that I can because it’s what real people do.
I have a few other things to say about this “Man or Woman or Man/Woman”. You are calling other people trolls and lurkers, but you’ve commented what like twice and you think you know all these people. So either you are a “Lurker” yourself where you have just been reading and reading quietly waiting for a day to comment, or you really are John Small’s “Man or Woman or Man/Woman lover” or Laurie Piechur. So just because people use Redbox automatically makes them cheap? No, it doesn’t. Wealthy people can be smart with money, just because you have it doesn’t mean you have to blow it. They have kiosks is the Pentagon. Whens the last time you heard of a bunch of broke people hanging out in the Pentagon? Oh wait, some of the richest most powerful people in the country are in there, so thats really up to par with the childish generalizations you are making (acutally it’s not, that was my sarscasm in case you are too thick headed to notice). If the machines near you are “dirty and crappy” it’s probably because you live in a garbage area, and you are probably no prize pig yourself. Furthermore you say “I have the right to express my opinion” which is completely true and I’ll give you that. Then you say, “when someone (me) makes a completely true, ambiguous statement” I didn’t see that minus where you said you are entitled to your opinion. John you are being a little too obvious, and you can and should do better! Real people, are smart with their money, and that’s the bottom line, of course I patronize my local businesses, but when a business takes advantage of a consumer, a real person would take their business elsewhere.
Wikipedia definition of online troll: “Someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous messages with primary intent of provoking other users…” Per Miss Video Stores , “How I do love stirring up the trolls & lurkers.”…this said after Miss Video made numerous anti-redbox, provoking, inflammatory comments on insideredbox.com–basically a pro redbox kiosk site. DNFTT!!! And I don’t know why MISS Video thinks all are goofs for ASSUMING someone who gives their blog name/identity as MISS should be assumed to be girl–unless maybe that that blogger changes identities so often that one should not assume/trust/believe/give credence/to anything that blogger states… Once a person loses credibility, it’s almost impossible for them to get it back…. Hmnn, so they have Redbox kiosks at The Pentagon–learn something new every day!!! :-)
Wow- another one peeks up from the darkness of mom’s basement. OK professor- did you ever think the name Miss Video Stores implies that I ‘MISS VIDEO STORES’? Sherlock, you need to get a clue. You trolls obsess on john smalls and when you think that a real girl would dare post on your small minded (probably small other parts too ;-) site. Stop attacking and simply accept that I have a valid opinion. I respect you troubling fetish with the el cheapo redbox, can’t you accept the fact that I miss the independent video store experience? Any other normal person casually perusing this site could have read my post and been reminded of a pleasant experience with their family renting a dvd. That being said, you trolls feel that any opinion that doesn’t match yours needs to be attacked. It makes you all look quite foolish and exposes your apparent lack of grasp on reality. And i still stand by my observation that the average redbox user looks like an extra used in an episode of cops or the guess your weight guy at a county fair. Try getting out and taking a walk :-)
Doesn’t take Sherlock, just intelligence, to understand the elementary rules of English grammar. If you want ‘miss’ to be clearly understood as a verb, then use it as a verb: “I” miss video stores–where ‘miss’ denotes action. If you want ‘Miss’ to be understood as an ‘adjective’ then use it to modify a noun, as in ‘Miss’ Video Stores –where it modifies the noun Video Stores. I understood it to be an adjective, like Miss, Mr. Mrs, because you clearly used it as an adjective to modify a noun :-) That being said, well, I’ll just let you keep trolling,… Time for me to return my dvds to my local Redbox kiosk because I just love Redbox and can’t imagine a world without Redbox! :-)
Awww- did someone have a big late fee and have to cash in their 401k to pay it? Those 16 year old video store employees can be so brutal. Try taking your flicks back on time :P
Sounds like someone needs a tampon…..
Yes you do need one- only if it’s big enough to fit your entire mouth. You trolls need a life. You are completely obsessed with John Small (he must have really burned your butts with his logical approach to things) and redbox. I am not john smalls and I am entitled to my opinion just like you are entitled to yours. in this case my opinion is based on a personal observation and you narrow minded, basement dwelling rubes have to immediatly attack me. Get a life, go outside and stretch, tell your mom that you really need to move out of her basement and maybe try asking a person of the opposite sex out for a date. Only weenies like you guys can get so worked up talking about dvd kiosks :-p Pitiful..
ps- I apologize to you john smalls but these loser/lurkers seem to be obsessed with you. What does a person have to do to post their opinion without getting attacked and how do you keep your cool with these water headd?
I really like Redbox. I do use Netflix too. I like Redbox, that if I need a movie in a pinch or I’m on the road I can stop by and get a movie for one night. I didn’t like Blockbuster or Hollywood Video that forced you to pay $6+ for a weeks rental and never gave you a credit (free movie) for returning it early. I never needed to keep a movie more than one or two nights. I also had problems with Blockbuster not checking my movie back in properly and having to fight over late fees…
hey rb/dnftt- standard troll tactics. I should have mentioned at least one post earlier that attacking semantics or spelling would be a true troll tactic. Trolling 101- when you can’t attack logic, attack the lack of spellcheck. You have no grounds to be arguing with me about my opinion. I do not attack your opinion that what little bit of a life you have involves standing around in a line with a bunch of other cheap sheep (hey i made a rhyme) waiting to get a replacement for the scratched up dvd you got. Hey, if you’re a guy you can at least get a chance to talk to a real live female at the redbox customer service desk (probably the closest you’ve been to that in a while ;-)
Anyhoo- I don’t deserve to be attacked because of my opinion and I wish you guys would recognize that. Now excuse me- I have to get back to designing an aerlion part that hopefully the gang at the pentagon will be buying from my company (that’s if they’re not too busy ‘redboxing’).
Miss Video Stores, I’m not one for attacking grammar/semantics. I don’t get any enjoyment out of it. You have to look high and low for a post where I attacked someone’s grammar. ( Okay, maybe once, twice at the most– but it’s usually only if someone uses poor grammar WHILE attacking another person’s poor grammar–as is in this instance. I find the irony and usually speak up.) You ‘attacked’ our inability to understand grammar/semantics by suggesting anyone who misunderstood you to be a Miss, Mr., or Mrs, etc. was a ‘goofball’. Guess by your own definition that makes you a ‘troll’. I merely explained ‘how’ one could ‘misunderstand’ due to your use of ‘Miss’ taking the adjective form. Also, if you consider ‘logic’ stating that everyone who uses Redbox needs a bath,… Well, you’re right then: it’s hard to ‘attack’ or even respond to that type of ‘logic’ in a ‘logical’ way. I am wise and understand I can not reason with a person who is being unreasonable. Therefore, excuse me if I seem to ignore your ‘logic’ from here on out. Back to commenting/giving opinions on the ‘posts’ of this website, as intended. :-)
If you could only stick to commenting and giving opinions. Face it- you can’t be objective. You cannot accept that someone else has a different opinion. You proved it by attacking me with no provacation. I have no problem with you ignoring me and will gladly ignore you. I will also accept your opinion and not attack you even though that idea is obviously foreign to you and the other lurkers on this site. I do enjoy keeping up with the redbox saga no matter how difficult and juvenile you guys try to make the experience.
‘I haven’t ‘redboxed” and kinda can’t see myself standing in line with a bunch of sweaty, dirty, CHEAP dregs of society waiting for my chance to pick from 5 or 6 titles that most likely will skip or freeze.’
‘You guys seem content to sit around and get free or $1 movies and give no thought about the consequences. You have no sense of giving back to society’
Get off you high horse man. Would you call this objective? Would the folks patronizing redbox and saving money do better by making sure the local vid store is profitable by paying more?
This part is downright comical…
‘You guys should get his number and ask him out on a date because you abviously fear and want to be him at the same time.’
Fear? LOL. Are you afraid of posters in chat rooms?
I get it. The VBG needs an enemy to blame for the pressure on the indies. Redbox is an easy target. That dynamic invites all sorts of angry business owners to a site like this. That’s fine. It’s all part of how America works. Just don’t pretend that you are being objective because while it’s easy to spot a fan of redbox it’s even easier to spot someone that is angry as hell about their lunch being eaten by someone else.
You guys need to clean your glasses. This whole thread started with me making a simple statement about what i prefer. It’s my opinion. It’s gone this far because narrow minded buffoons like yourself attacked me for simply stating my opinion, attacked me because of some john smalls conspiracy, attacked me because I’m not a female, attacked me because all trolls know that semantics and spelling are the most important thing about posting to message boards like this. Get a life, get involved in the world around you, become aware that others don’t see things the way you do. Jeez- just grow up. I can see what a world without redbox would be like for you goofs and it’s not a pretty picture ;-P If you guys weren’t so hilarious I would think that you’re pathetic. Picking fights because you don’t like someone’s opinion…
Lets be honest, your thread was fine until you generalized the population of Redbox users. You are whining about how we won’t let you have your opinion. Do you really need a bunch of strangers in a chat room to reassure that you can have an opinion? Of course you are entitled to your opinion, thats one of the beautiful things about this country. Now my opinion, is that your opinion is shit. (Are you going to complain about this, because if so you are a hippocrite, because I’m entitled to my opinion aren’t I?) You haven’t used the machine, but you are saying the discs are in poor shape? How would you know? You haven’t used the service, but you go on a fan based site to start trolling around. Why don’t you call the company and complain, none of us can do anything about what you are arguing about. While your at it, call Apple, and tell them they are jerk-offs for being the reason all of these great local music stores have closed their doors. Call Chipotle, and whine about how they ruined local mexican eateries. The world evolves, thats the way it is. Thats why we aren’t all still “Drinking at saloons and driving cars from the 20’s while doing the charlston”. Furthermore, why don’t you blame Blockbuster, do you have any idea how many local businesses they have run out of town? You sound like you are a problem identifier, maybe your life would be more useful if you were a solution finder huh? 5 comments today from you, you’ve become the troll you claim everyone else to be. “Picking fights because you don’t like someone’s opinion”, but in reality thats exactly why you showed up here, because you don’t like the opinion of people who are pro-redbox. So you went out of your way to start crap. I would imagine you are more pleasant the other 3 weeks of the month…..
To be totally fair, I have noticed plenty often that RB is willing to give anyone credit for having a valid opinion, even if it is different than his/her own. Good for you rb!!!
Why thanks The Situation.. And what do you mean people aren’t still drinking at saloons, driving cars from the 20’s, and doing the charlston? Today I learned happy information that there are Redbox kiosks at The Pentagon,… and now I have to learn dismal information that I might be the only one still drinking at Joe’s Saloon down the road, cranking up my car from the 20’s to get to work, and taking charlston dancing lessons on the side…. What a world, what a world,….
Now now situation- no need to curse at total strangers. That’s the the way some dirty, uneducated, cheap…well there you go. I did see you standing in line to return your disc 8-D Feel free to rant and rave all you want. Take the blinders off. You guys sure are a bunch of elitist snobs to be so cheap. I simply posted my opinion and then you all attacked. I’m in agreement with you on one point. There is no stopping technology. Ask the newspaper industry, ask the stock market. Yes, faster, stronger and cheaper might be a better business model but my opinion wasn’t about business, it was about my own preference. Just because it differs from yours is no reason to attack.
Oh, and just to prove I’m not a troll, I won’t say anything about the way you spelled hypocrite.
Where did I say I was a perfect, flawless being, oh wait, I didn’t. Who kares if I make misstakes? Your opinion attacked all redbox users as a whole did it not? You made a generalization, and you knew damn well your audience was a part of the generalization you were making. What the **** did you expect? The attack was towards my opinion of choosing to use the redbox service, which you immediately threw out on your very first post. I guess I am honored to be having a direct argument with Laurie Piechur, now I understand your late fee comment, you were hiding your insecurities….
YOU ARE SO FUNNY 8-D!!! Who is Laurie Pilcheur? is this more of the john smalls thing? Whatever. Anyway, I simply posted my opinion and it must have struck close to home for some of you goofs. And the more you attack me, the more you validate my claims regarding the type of folks who frequent the redbox. And yes you are right, nobody is perfect.
Yeah but you don’t use the redbox, and you are acting the same way. So in reality you are saying that you are the same type of person who uses a redbox. That’s according to your own definition. It likely struck home for you more than anyone.
What do you say Sitch? Can we agree to disagree? I’ll always miss video stores and will respect your need for instant $1 gratification and your incredible patience :-D
I can agree with you, it’s ok, that you miss video stores. I can understand where you are coming from saying kids won’t get to visit video stores. I never said I ONLY use redbox, I regular video stores too, and I love picking up very inexpensive used dvds from them (as at the redbox machine, I’m one of those people who likes to have the original case). I’m just saying the redbox service has been a fantastic innovation to the dvd rental society. It has saved people money who quite frankly, really need to save. The main part I’ll disagree with you on, is your stereotype of the redbox user. P.S. only John Small has called me “Sitch” so you kinda blew your cover bud……
man you are relentless- I promise you I am not john small and only call you sitch after the jersey shore guy. And whats this about lotion of the month that I see posted about john smalls? And I do think they should include a purelle dispenser at each location…
That lotions thing is all FLON, I never really got that. You seem very interested with John’s small………perhaps you two should get a room. (Just kidding don’t be so serious all the time).
This is what I look like when I play paint ball…
http://www.videobuyersgroup.com/
I mean, don’t get me wrong, I care about redbox and such, at least enough to post on this site, but I don’t have the time to devote my life to it like you do flon.
Yeah but I bet you have plenty of time to stuff your fat face at chipotle :) JK you’re alright as long as you keep dropping money into the redbox machines.
I can take a joke, but seriously I clicked on your link. Why haven’t you told anyone that you are the real santa claus? That picture of you can prove you would have gone to chipotle way more than me or anyone else who comments here? (Again with the jokes, ha ha).
Sitch,
You are alright in my book. Btw that picture isn’t me but I bet JS looks something like that.
Redbox, “The Thanks a Billion Giveaway!” says NO PURCHASE OR RENTAL NECESSARY. A PURCHASE OR RENTAL WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING, but on the Promo it says, “The more you rent, the more DVD codes you can use to increase your chances at winning a Golden Code Prize or the grand prize.” Can someone explain this I’m confuse. thanks.