STEADY LEAK: REDBOX CRIES POVERTY

Just was reading this over at the HUFFPO....

Not sure what to make of it. I have neglected to send back my NETFLIX discs for like over a month now, and have been REDBOXING when I could be NETFLIXING. Going by my own experience, I'd have assumed they were doing better than ever (I've had like 20 dollars worth of RED BOX rentals in the past two weeks)

The new REDBOX website was a big step backwards IMHO (flashier, but less clearly laid out), but it seems like they've ditched it in favor for a return to the old one. Even the constant outages that used to plague the service are few and far between these days

I love RED BOX, and bitterly resent the way the studios scheme to keep the hottest titles away from the crimson kiosk for weeks and weeks after their official street date

Get well soon, RED BOX. This film fan needs you! : (

It seems like RedBox was specifically made so that I only need to spend a dollar if I ever need to see something like Salt. As long as they keep to lowest common denominator new movies, there's gotta be a way for them to remain in the market, right?

Also, if you tell them a DVD doesn't work and call in, they give you codes for like five free rentals or something, it's pretty cool.

I got SALT out too. You can't indict RED BOX for that though. I wanted to see it because the high way stuff was filmed in Albany NY, and it had Liev Schreiber  and Chiwetel Ejiofor. For the record, it was much more terrible than I imagined. But that cool castle like building by the highway in Albany does show up for a few seconds as part of "downtown DC" so I'll call it a draw

As far as the RED BOX collection goes, Nick, I think maybe you just live in an area with bad taste? My RED BOX stocks all the cool indie flicks as soon as they come out. I think the RED BOXERS attempt to fill the box according to what people in a given local generally prefer to watch

The one thing I frakking hate about Red Box though is the other customers. Why is there no separate return slot? Too many times have I been trapped behind a bunch of know nothings in line as they struggle to comprehend touch screen technology, browsing through the entire collection title by title reading the descriptions of each and every film while smearing the screen with their grease stained fingers. I am not even sure why REDBOX needs to be a touch screen. This is one case where regular buttons would work just fine IMHO

Maybe it's because I'm a classy cineast, but IMHO the least you can do is check online before you get to the store and know what you want ahead of time. Slooooowly browsing while I wait to pick up the film I've reserved ahead of time drives me up the flipping wall

Scheme. Ok.

Gabe has the right idea here. I've actually never used a Redbox (like I need another method of film delivery in Twenty Goddamned Eleven) but it's catering to a different clientele than something like Videodrome. And it's certainly no threat to Greatflix, the best thing to happen to film fans since Criterion.

EDITED TO ADD: Holy fuck Princess Kate's last post.

The only time I've been annoyed at people at the machine is when I arrive with a few minutes to spare to return something. Sure, it's just a dollar, but I really don't need the Expendables for another day. Either way, it's just poor planning on my part.

I'm a fan, but that's mostly due to A) living in the boonies and B) all the local brick and mortar shops dying out. I love Netflix instant, but between that and Hulu my new(on video) movie itch isn't quite scratched. Plus, hey, a buck. I tend to purchase the movies I'm really interested in, and over time redbox has managed to surprise me by having a few titles I'd never expect them to have, such as Moon(which I later did buy).

I'll be the luddite still buying discs when everyone else has gone digital, but oh well I can live with that.

Everyone knows that I love Redbox, and yeah, like Nexus said, it really is irritating when there's some fuckhead there right before 9 and all you want to do is return something. It's also irritating when you want to go return something, and some genius has screwed up the Redbox and you can't return your rental.

Your article is interesting as always, Nick. It may have crap like Salt (something I'd never rent) it's also got stuff like Love Ranch, which never got released around here, and it's only a buck.

The really cool thing about Redbox is that I can rent a high-in-demand title without waiting the two months it would usually take Netflix to get it to me (seriously, it took Netflix over three months to send me Inglorious Basterds before I finally decided to give Redbox a try.)  The shit thing about Redbox is that they lost most of their locations and were replaced by Blockbuster kiosks.  Seeing as how I won't give money to Blockbuster, that kind rules me out of the whole kiosk game.   

And I would fucking love to have a neighborhood store stocked with an extensive inventory and staffed with knowledgeable workers but Hollywood and Blockbuster killed all of those stores off in the mid-nineties.

But there are stores like that in almost every big metro area. You just have to find them and resign yourself to making the effort. Ben, you live in Kennesaw. Videodrome is in Atlanta. Movies Worth Seeing is in Atlanta.

If there was a Videodrome near me, I would be there each week. I used to go every friday or saturday to a great place called Video Stop that had great deals on used movies, and always had great rentals. It along with another store called Video depot (these two joints were owned by brothers) closed down last September, and it's definitely upset me that now I can now longer browse those video shelves.

Ironically the only place left to rent movies is Blockbuster. There's no Blockbuster kiosks around here. All of the kiosks around here are Redbox.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick Nunziata 

Ben, you live in Kennesaw. Videodrome is in Atlanta. Movies Worth Seeing is in Atlanta.

Not to derail but is Videodrome near Full Moon Records?

i've never used a redbox, as if i need to rent something I'll hit up my local Bird Dog video (especially since Casablanca folded. that was a sad sad day in Calgary's video scene)

that or I'll just make a bulk order on amazon

The trick is you have to reserve your videos the day they come out.  Sometimes I realize that it's Tuesday morning and reserve two or three great titles online then walk over to the store when I want to watch them.  That's what I did this week with "Social Network" and "The Town" - both of which I was too broke to see in theaters or rent on the PS3 for $5.

Since I live less then a five minute walk from two redboxes, I guess I like the service more than most people.  I notice people who have kids or bad taste seem to love Redbox.  I talked to a guy in line who just got out of jail and tried to get him to rent Hurt Locker and told him all about what a big deal Avatar was at the time ... I think he ended up with a DTV movie staring WWE Superstar Batista.

I'm pretty confident this is just a bump in the road.  The service has reached a saturation point in terms of attracting new customers and the need for more kiosks.  The lines around here for Redbox have mellowed a lot since now pretty much every store that used to have one kiosk now has two - and there weren't any good mom and pop stores around here anyways, so I don't have the same guilt other posters have.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Princess Kate 
trapped behind a bunch of know nothings in line as they struggle to comprehend touch screen technology, browsing through the entire collection title by title reading the descriptions of each and every film while smearing the screen with their grease stained fingers. I am not even sure why REDBOX needs to be a touch screen. This is one case where regular buttons would work just fine IMHO

Hahaha. You know what, I will say this for those touchscreens: those animated instructional diagrams are straight out of Idiocracy. Every time I've rented from one, I'm not sure if I'm being mocked.