Take on Netflix and Blockbuster
January 2, 2007 – 12:16 pmIf you're new here, I suggest you subscribe to my RSS feed. or bookmark this blog. You'll be able to easily keep up to date with new posts. Thanks for visiting!
Currently I’m a Netflix (nflx) subscriber and a happy one. Rentals have been easy and arrived promptly. However, Blockbuster (bbi) seems to be cleaning up their act and capitalizing on their main advantage over Netflix: brick and mortar locations.
Brick and mortar locations? Doesn’t going to the store and and renting a movie defeat the entire convenience purpose? Nope, it actually adds to it. There have been days where I’ve watched all my Netflix movies that I have out and wait the day or two turnaround it takes for my next dvds to get mailed out. With the Blockbuster Total Access program, you get the similar DVD through the mail deal with similar pricing scheme. Here’s where it gets good: in addition to DVDs through the mail, you can exchange DVDs you received through the mail for in-store rentals. So if you’re bored on a Tuesday night and already watched all the DVDs you have out, you can just go to a local Blockbuster store and exchange one of your DVDs you recieved through the mail for another movie.
What’s the big deal? Instant gratification. Blockbuster is finally providing some real competition for Netflix and competition is always good. I might even consider switching over to Blockbuster this year.
It’s obvious that the Blockbuster model and pricing is a ripoff of the innovative Netflix system but what kind of edge does Netflix have over Blockbuster now? Both offer through the mail dvd rental system with similar pricing schemes but Blockbuster has the slight edge with the ability to exchange dvds at in-store locations. Currently Netflix does have more distribution centers which probably means better turnaround times for some people.
