I think Redbox is part of a bigger trend: automation will destroy tons of service jobs and "hurt" a lot of established industries in the process. Blockbuster/Redbox is a good example. I can replace a 5000 sq ft store and 10 employees with a kiosk that takes up a few sq ft. Selection might not be as good, but it's good enough for most people.<p>Or take your typical restaurant. There's almost no reason that 95% of the waitstaff couldn't be replaced by ordering kiosks at each table. It would reduce errors and reduce costs. Or what about convenience stores? Figure out which items make up 90% of your sales, put them in an automated kiosk and put one on every street corner. You're now selling almost as much (or maybe even more) with dramatically lower costs.<p>I think it's a good thing overall, but there will definitely be some big losers economically from such a dramatic shift.
from the article: It should be noted that LAEDC’s mission is to “attract, retain and grow businesses and jobs for the regions of L.A. County,” so it has an agenda.
I had a terrible experience with Redbox, I liked the idea of avoiding the teenagers at Blockbuster, but when I rented a movie it was unplayable because it was scratched beyond repair. I suppose I could have contacted their customer service reps, but at the price of a rental vs. my time it just didn't make sense.<p>On the other hand, I wish I had shares in their company.
I understand DVD sales from retail outlets being harmed. However, I've always wondered why rentals get harmed, doesn't Redbox have to follow the same channels as Netflix, Blockbuster and pay for DVD's that are rented? I've always wondered how the rental portion of the market in terms of revenues works.
I don't really see why...$1/rental is cheap but then if you watch a lot of movies Netflix is arguably cheaper (and has a vastly better selection). I think they ought to be more worried about movie downloads for a monthly flat rate.
I realized yesterday, DVDs take the piss. A hand-span of plastic to store less data than you could fit on a micro-SD the size of your fingernail. This is an obsolete medium.<p>I wonder how soon the general public will see it?
Redbox = dvd for big screen and instantly accessible to the mainstream customer. It has already crossed the chas. When everyone has set top boxes it will be obsolete. But that is not happening for a long time.