Blockbuster expands game focus, takes on retail game, hardware sales
Blockbuster specifically noted plans to offer a special $499.99 PS3 bundle in its corporate-owned stores, which will include a 40GB console, a copy of the movie Spiderman 3 on Blu-ray, Activision's video game adaptation of Transformers, and the opportunity to rent one free PS3 game or Blu-ray movie a week for 12 consecutive weeks. However, while we appreciate the added attention Blockbuster is giving our favorite hobby, we doubt even this will sway us into venturing out into the sunlight to rent anything.
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(Page 1) Reader Comments
Seems like a strange place to buy a game system to me - quite the impulse.
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I see a lot of rental chains moving into retail; wonder if they are scared of digital distribution? Note to rental chains: as long as you carry BluRay you'll have customers who can't be satisfied with digital distribution. It just might be a much smaller group.
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And even though, in my opinion as an employee, this is great for the stores - we're pushing pre-orders just like Gamestop, which to me is a step backwards. Blockbuster is hoping to become a Circuit City retailer (hence the offer to acquire CC). Basically they want to be a one-stop shop for all your entertainment needs. It's a bold move and we'll see what happens in the next few years. Just don't expect Blockbuster to die.
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They spend all this money on their next great idea but it doesn't solve the problem. Too few copies. We had the unlimited rental option for games a few years ago, big titles would come out and they would get a dozen copies or so. Bratz got about 50 copies. Meanwhile games like Psychonauts and the like would often have NO copies at all or just one.
What really would really tick me off would be when they wouldn't have a title to rent AT ALL but yet they had 5 new copies of it for sale.
Too little, too late. They don't 'get' the business, and that is why they continue to fail at it.
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I suggest Bluckbusterstuff to start getting games fast and offer them as fast demo rentals if its legaly posible whatever.
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me: " Do you guys have Mario Kart Wii for sale?"
grouchy clerk girl: "Yeah"
me: "Can I buy a copy?"
clerk: "Did you pre-order it?"
me: "No."
clerk: "We only sell to pre-order customers."
me: "That's ridiculous. I have the money right here."
Then she asked me to leave because she felt threatened being confronted by a somewhat-colored person (I'm Filipino).
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