Something's afoot at Blockbuster

Submitted by Dave Harkins on Sun, 09/12/2004 - 4:20am.

In recent trips to Blockbuster, I've noticed that they're not stocking as many new releases in the store as before.

As they push their monthly program and place fewer new rentals on the shelf, they're treading on dangerous ground with maintaining a positive customer experience. With monthly program members keeping movies indefinitely and fewer numbers of new releases in inventory, the average customer will have to wait weeks to see a new release. I've already experienced this, waiting 3 weeks to pick up a copy of Ella Enchanted to watch with my kids.

My guess is Blockbuster has simply purchased a set number of movies and is holding back copies from its stores to fill the warehouse inventory for the online distribution. However, it sends a not-so-subtle message that they want customers in the monthly program or participating in the online model.

Does this mean local stores will give way to kiosks or be eliminated altogether now that Netflix has proven the online model works? Who knows, but you can bet that the customer experience of renting a movie is on the cusp of changing forever.