Don’t Depend On Video Stores Anymore To Rent Movies!
I’m a die hard movie buff and rent the hottest movie videos in town almost three to four times a week. I’m a regular at Blockbuster. I was shocked, depressed and hurt when the video renting giant announced that it would close down 810-960 stores by the end of next year. Of course I do agree that people don’t watch videos anymore and it’s the age of DVDs. But as a consumer I get the hint that I should not depend on only one video store or library for hiring my videos. Today videos have become obsolete and tomorrow DVDs will when newer technologies come up. So depending on local movie renters does not seem to be as good an option.
As Seton Hall University South Orange Professor Christopher Sharret says, “It’s only a matter of time before video is relegated to cyberspace, subscription services and on-demand cable TV, ” , I feel the that its high time we shifted to the bigger satellite and on demand cable TV networks for viewing our favorite movies. You pay monthly subscription and request your movie with the click of your remote. Video rental stores don’t want to bear the cost of keeping a sufficient stock of movie videos or DVDs with them. According to Sharret, many people who are technologically not well versed, and those who hire movie videos once in a while are the worst affected.
With new exciting movies being released by the day, not having the proper facilities to watch them is a tease. I simply cannot stop watching movies because the video stores have decided to shut down. There should be a way out of this. If you’re a movie buff like me, you can consider some of these options.
Stay Loyal To Blockbuster or Search for A New Store
Blockbuster has not exactly specified the stores that it would actually close down. The chances are that if you are a regular at blockbuster, you can still go there. But you might also have to search for another store. These days, rental movie videos come at high prices. For older titles you pay $4 and for new ones you pay $5.
Go For Movie Rental Kiosks
You know those movie vending machines right? According to NPD survey, they’re flourishing these days with a 19 % share of the movie rental market. Just compare that with last year when it was only 2 %! Could have been due to 
recession, could have been due to unawareness. It’s very popular with the younger generation. According to Alex Camera(VP NCR entertainment), “Where a [Blockbuster] store might close, certainly we would look to place kiosks there.”
The biggest advantage for rental kiosks is that they are available everywhere. You don’t have to specifically visit any store for renting movies. The rental charges are cheap and you get to watch the latest and most popular.
Mail Delivery Systems
Subscribe to movies via e-mails and get them delivered to your home. At present Blockbuster and Netflix have these services.
Downloading Movies
This is not all that popular yet but is fast catching up. You really don’t have to wait for a subscription service to tell you about new movies. Also old and less popular ones are available for your viewing.
So these are the options available for you. Whatever option you choose, enjoy your movie!
I would love to subscribe to cable movie requests
I like the downloading movies idea , but am just scared of downloading any malware in the process
This move by blockbuster just shows how much internet piracy and the recession have affected them. My mom used to own a video rental store but she decided to sell about 10 years back when there were signs that the internet would limit the success of video rentals. Now it’s looking like a very smart move.
You have perfectly said that its time to shift to the bigger satellite and on demand cable TV networks for viewing our favorite movies as renting videos are a past now. Moreover satellite or on demand movies are more easy and comfortable to access and watch. though I’m not that much a movie buff as you are but I prefer using on demand cable TV networks to view movies.