Blockbuster Underground

10/06/2006

New Blockbuster Site Is Up

The new Blockbuster site has been officially launched. What do you think about the new design? Have you had any problems with the new interface?

8/03/2006

Store Drop-Off for Blockbuster Online DVDs in Testing

Blockbuster is currently testing in-store drop-offs for online DVD rentals in Colorado Springs. The Same Day Movie Guarantee program allows Blockbuster Online subscribers to return their online rentals directly to the local Blockbuster’s checkout counter and receive a free in-store rental in addition to the standard rentals awarded through weekly or monthly coupons.

There are some drawbacks to the Same Day Movie Guarantee program: 1) You have to go into the store to make the exchange. 2) You will have to return to the store to drop-off your in-store rental. 3) Blockbuster wants you to allow up to two extra business days for the returned DVD to clear your queue.

The advantage to this program is versatility. You may choose to return your online rental to the store or send it through USPS. With every DVD, you will be able to return it based on your convenience and movie-watching plans.

The program is currently available in the test market, which encompasses twenty stores in the Colorado Springs area.

Click here to read about the specifics of the program.

7/21/2006

New Blockbuster Site Preview

You can see a beta version of what is presumably the new Blockbuster Online site at http://beta.blockbuster.com.

What do you think of the new design?

Note: If Blockbuster wants to hide this beta site from the public, they may deactivate this URL at any moment.

7/15/2006

Blockbuster Eliminates Weekend Shipping

One of the nicest things about Blockbuster was that they used to process DVDs on weekends. This was a benefit because you could watch a DVD on Thursday, mail it back to Blockbuster on Friday, have a new DVD shipped on Saturday, and receive that new DVD on Monday.

This was a particularly nice feature for those old or rare DVDs that often ship from remote distribution centers. Even though, USPS does not deliver mail on Sundays, they do transport mail 24/7. On a Saturday, Blockbuster could ship one DVD from your local distribution center and another DVD from a remote shipping center, and both DVDs could arrive on Monday. With Saturday shipping, Sunday was like a free transit day for those long distance shipments.

Unfortunately, the benefits of weekend processing no longer exist. Presumably to save on postage, payroll, DVDs, envelopes, and other overhead expenses, Blockbuster has stopped processing DVDs on weekends. They now ship only Monday through Friday.

What does the end off weekend processing mean for you? The answer is your turnaround times will increase in some situations, and Blockbuster has reduced the maximum number of DVDs you can watch for your subscription fee. Essentially, Blockbuster subscribers are now paying the same price for less service. Do not be surprised if Blockbuster continues to cut subscriber benefits in order to boost profit margins.

4/06/2006