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Posted by Black Locust on 09/26/59 11:25
In article <43167DAA.2010909@skypoint.com>,
Dale Houstman <dmh7@skypoint.com> wrote:
> But you keep bringing up NetFlix as if it were the major reason for
> Blockbuster's troubles - it isn't. There are manifold reasons - one
> being that - increasingly - more and more places are renting movies: you
> can even get them with your McCheese Burger nowadays, and at Wal-Mart.
This is very true. Though I think their financial woes are partially of
their own doing. They decided to get rid of late fees because it was
their number one customer complaint, but obviously it's hurting them
quite severely. I can't even begin to imagine how much additional
revenue late fees was bringing them each month.
And if anyone thinks Blockbuster was forced into getting rid of late
fees because of competition, that's BS. Otherwise you'd see Movie
Gallery and Hollywood Video getting rid of late fees too.
> Blockbuster is simply too large and not particularly focussed on
> providing quality as opposed to gross quantity. NetFlix may have
> problems (I've never experienced any, but probably will), but it has a
> nice spectrum of films you never see in Blockbuster; it serves a
> different product in many ways. People don't really like to leave the
> house all the much: convenience has always been worth a bit more money
> to people. you can keep the product as long as you want, and return it
> on your way to work in the morning. I live fairly near a distribution
> point, so there is a two-day turnover. more than adequate. The idea of
> watching a LOT of films in a VERY short period of time simply to make
> your buck fly further is pure assembly-line bullshit: people who
> actually LIKE film aren't out to break the land speed record, they're
> looking for a relatively easy way to see a wide selection of films.
> NetFlix does that pretty well. Blockbuster doesn't.
Then why do they only have 3 million customers? They don't even have 5%
of the rental market. Sure, they've done pretty damn well for
themselves, but they're still small fries compared to a gigantic
corporate chain like Blockbuster. The reality is Netflix is a niche
service designed for a specific type of movie watcher. The fact that
there are over 75 million people NOT using their service proves this.
End of story.
--
"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we.
They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people,
and neither do we." - George Dumbya Bush
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