Blockbuster 'summer escape pass' allows unlimited rentals for $10/week
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ Jul 29th 2009 at 8:00AM }
So, a normal Blockbuster game rental is -- according to the spokesperson -- $8.99 (for five days?). So, if you live near a store and are just spending your summer getting through last winter's backlog, one could do that very efficiently with this deal.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Christian @ Jul 29th 2009 8:06AM
So where was it that they thought this was a good deal for the price. It's terrible. They need to step it up now if they want to survive in any means. Netflix and Gamefly easily trump their service, catalog, and price. What a joke.
Andrew @ Jul 29th 2009 8:16AM
Is there turnaround time with GameFly? For example, is it necessary to send the game back and then they will send the next in your queue via mail? How much postage time would be included?
I've done this kind of deal at Blockbuster in Canada (but $30/mo, no promotion), and it's only worth it if you want to plow through a whole bunch of games really quickly.
Downside is that you feel obligated to get through as many as possible, and you don't enjoy any of them!
Martin @ Jul 29th 2009 8:22AM
My turnaround time with netflix and gamefly has been 2 days. I send it out Monday, get my new game/movie on Wednesday. I can wait two days to have these two services at a cheaper cost per month than this BB deal.
And I avoid having to go to Blockbuster, which for me is worth it by itself.
notmybonesinmygrave @ Jul 29th 2009 8:26AM
They have stopped doing that pass!!! I work at blockbuster and we were told that they are losing money and are pulling that program asap!!!!
Ghen @ Jul 29th 2009 8:49AM
Sorry bones, but that's too many !'s to be believable.
As for gamefly vs this deal, for $40 a month you can get 4 games at once. With 3 other games waiting to be played sitting in your mailbox, the turnaround time is a moot point.
And no driving to blockbuster too, less wear and tear on the vehicle
Akuma FTW @ Jul 29th 2009 9:53AM
I pay $20 a month and I'm able to get movies as well as games. Blockbuster is like a library now, one item at a time isn't a big deal if you live close
Twist @ Jul 29th 2009 10:39AM
I had the GameFly two at a time account for a while and was lucky if I got four titles a month. This was a few years back and they have added a few more mailing centers, but I still doubt their turn around time is as good as the 15 minutes it takes me to get to Blockbuster and back. Now then if NetFlix offered games I would be all over that shit (well technically I am already all over that shit I guess since I am a subscriber).
Levi @ Jul 29th 2009 12:31PM
Andrew, that was exactly my problem with gamefly... I always felt obligated to rush through my games, so none of them were fun. I always sort of resented the current game I had because it was holding up the next one in my queue. And I didn't want to pay for the other plans.
Akuma, does that deal limit the number of rentals though? I remember seeing a monthly deal at BB that included games, but something about it still made it sound like a ripoff.
Crimson Major @ Jul 29th 2009 8:07AM
Im on a similar deal in the UK, £10 for unlimited rentals. Shame my blockbuster doesnt have a particularly good selection, but i've finished Bionic Commando, Godfather 2 and Prototype so far, so its good value for me so far!
Sonic @ Jul 29th 2009 12:03PM
Yeah my Blockbuster has a terrible selection of 360 games, not even a single copy of Fable 2!
lochack @ Jul 29th 2009 8:10AM
what is so great about this deal? Gamefly's service and price way better.
216 @ Jul 29th 2009 8:17AM
Given my local blockbusters ever-vanishing game selection this is a pretty weak deal
tmacairjordan87 @ Jul 29th 2009 8:23AM
That too. The blockbusters and movie gallerys near me seem to have less games each time I go in there. Last time I went in they only had 1 copy of prototype available (not 1 copy returned......1 copy total) and they didn't have any for ps3.
tmacairjordan87 @ Jul 29th 2009 8:20AM
$40 a month for 1 game at a time, plus gas money to drive to blockbuster all the time (if you're REALLY gonna make good use of this) compared to $20 or so a month for 2 games out at a time that are also sent to you within 1-2 days of sending one back (at least in my experience with gamefly, there is a factory about 100 miles from me after all).
How is blockbuster not dead yet?
Duke @ Jul 29th 2009 10:19AM
What does that factory near you make Tmac? Bah! I'm just bustin your balls.
tmacairjordan87 @ Jul 29th 2009 10:21AM
factory/distribution center....same difference :P
Duke @ Jul 29th 2009 10:33AM
Oh I know, just razzin ya. Good morning!
Martin @ Jul 29th 2009 8:24AM
This deal is really ONLY useful if you're planning to tackle a back catalog. In other words, don't expect to EVER get a new game. If they choose to stock a new game, more than likely it's been had long before you got there (and won't be back for a long time, if ever).
ScottG13 @ Jul 29th 2009 8:52AM
I had a GamePass from Blockbuster years ago when I was catching up on all the Xbox games I missed. Its great for catalog stuff, but not so great for new releases. BB typically doesn't stock very well, either. If you have an amazingly stocked BB nearby, it might not be a bad deal.
Enjoy it while it lasts because BB is on the way out as operated today. Local rentals are on a slow trudge to the bottom.
Jacob @ Jul 29th 2009 9:01AM
I'd have to play at least two games a week to get much out of this deal. I've done some basic math, and I'd have to play around 5 hours every day to get much out of this deal. Who has time for that!? (Don't answer that. ;)
Phylicus @ Jul 29th 2009 9:09AM
Blockbuster is dying.
You can tell because they keep changing their subscription plans, trying to find the "sweet spot" that's going to keep them solvent.
I had belonged to Blockbuster Online for years before I just got fed up with it.
Tigermave @ Jul 29th 2009 9:16AM
Bones was right, by the way. Corporate pulled the plug on actively pushing this promotion, which was offered as $10 for one at a time, or $15 for two. The two out can no longer be sold at all, while the one out can be sold but is to be avoided; it's only sold if a customer specifically asks for it, and even then the employees are meant to persuade them to another promotion. Blockbuster does this kind of stuff all the time.
Also, they sell books now.
baby sea tuna @ Jul 29th 2009 9:23AM
If this is anything like the pass they sold several years back, then it's a fucking scam. I got one for what I thought was a month, and they charged my credit card monthly for the next year, even though I never rented another game after that first month. When I finally figured it out, I went in and flipped out on them for not fully explaining the promotion when they signed me up and asked for a refund. They bounced me around from manager to manager on the phone for 2 weeks and, of course nothing ever got resolved. And that was the last time I ever set foot into a Blockbuster.
/cool story bro.
ck @ Jul 29th 2009 11:46AM
I work at BB and that's a shame. They should have told you it's a month-to-month subscription. You can cancel it anytime. I hate hearing stories like this because most of the BBs around my area have really good customer service (obviously there's a few douchebags that work in some stores) and that's why BB in general has declined - because you get a lot of bad managers running these stores that don't give a crap about how the store is run....it's all sales, sales, sales.
But at the same time, I'm wondering why you didn't notice the charge on your card after a month or two? As a manager I would offer a refund, but you have to admit that's pretty lazy on your part not to notice any extra charges on your billing statement.
baby sea tuna @ Jul 29th 2009 1:11PM
True, I was partially at fault for not paying closer attention to my statements, but the fact remains that A) it was not sold to me as a monthly subscription service and B) I got the runaround when trying to get a refund. That left enough of a bad taste in my mouth that, when coupled with the constantly rising rental prices, I decided that other media distribution avenues were better suited to my needs than Blockbuster.
And in the intervening years I have not, for a second, regretted that decision.
fhornmikey @ Jul 29th 2009 11:44PM
Always really frustrating to hear tales like this as a store manager at Blockbuster (and yes, I know this business is dying). I ALWAYS make sure my employees know that it's important to describe in full a program to a customer. In the case of a monthly pass we make sure to let them know that if they change their mind at any time they are free to cancel (even by phone) and they will of course retain their service through whatever they have already paid for.
Admittedly, you definitely should have noticed this monthly charge on your statements, and I have little sympathy for someone who doesn't notice they're getting dinged 30$ a month for almost a year. That being said, my management staff is trained to handle most problems such as these in the store directly, and if they feel it is something beyond their decision making, they will simply inform the customer the next time I am working and it is dealt with then (either by phone or in person).
Blockbuster is definitely dying, but so are most brick and mortar rental chains. It's simply very difficult to sustain a working rental business model in the retail environment, especially when your corporate decision makers are surrounded by the same people who took the company into it's downward spiral in the first place (look at the history of the stock price and how it coincides with the, "End of Late Fees" promotion to see what I mean).
Oh and for the record, I have 6 copies of Ghostbusters for 360, 7 copies of Prototype, 10 of Fight Night round 4 and 16 of UFC. Even with this deep stocking I am almost constantly rented out, unfortunately even as a store manager I am completely incapable of controlling my own inventory, I simply get what I get from distribution. Oh, and I can't keep a working copy of Call of Duty 4 or Halo 3 to save my life. Douchebags keep renting them and returning them defective.
So hate Blockbuster if you want, hell I can't entirely blame you, there's some incredibly stupid stuff that goes on, but just know that not *all* of us are complete dicks. Some of us really are interested in running a good business and treating customers like we would want to be treated.
Macamac79 @ Jul 29th 2009 9:35AM
This deal blows if you're in Dallas. Not sure how it is in other cities, but i don't imagine it being different by much. Blockbuster got rid of their late fees bull crap a while back (except on one day rentals, I noticed) so you still can rent out the game for the 8.99 and turn it back in late. after the week and half mark you get a reminder call and after 12 days, they deduct the game out of your account, but you have up to 15 days after they deduct it, to still turn it in and get your money back. They do have a two at a time deal but it's like $22 something for the month and works on movies and games.
I'm with tmacair above, it was just better for me to switch to GameFly and get the games with 1-2 day delay.
freaparn @ Jul 29th 2009 9:54AM
Interesting... here in Canada I've been on the BB "Gamepass" (I think it's called that) for about a year, where I pay only $30 CND a month for the unlimited rental program. I'd normally avoid BB like the plague, but they put in a new store about 3 blocks from my house, and aside from some of the more interesting, slightly obscure Wii titles that come out they've been pretty good about stocking all the new 360 titles within 1-3 days of the release date. Saves me grief when I rent a real crapfest, and during slow months like this I get to work on my COD4 rank, heh.
SilverFireshot @ Jul 29th 2009 9:57AM
All our Blockbusters will be gone after this weekend. The good thing is they are selling everything in their store for $5 each, both games and movies.
jynxycat @ Jul 29th 2009 10:04AM
People still use Blockbuster ? I haven't been there since I rented SNES games -_-
Twist @ Jul 29th 2009 10:34AM
Wow this is a real sucker deal when you can get their Two At A Time Unlimited GamePass thing for like $27.99 or so. I usually end up getting the GamePass like one month per year (usually December or January) in order to get caught up on all the titles that I wasn't sure if they were worth owning, but that didn't get demos released for them.
ck @ Jul 29th 2009 11:39AM
Yeah, an email was sent out to all managers that this deal should not be promoted. We had to take down the posters outside immediately Monday night. And all the other flyers in the store.
The thing about Blockbuster that sucks right now is that they don't have enough copy depth of new titles. My store only got two copies of Ghostbusters for the 360 and one for the PS3! I've heard different stories as to why this is....publishers don't like rental chains, because they don't make any money off of us, or we don't have enough money to invest in more copies per store....I guess Resident Evil 5 was a test for revenue sharing with publishers - we got a ton of copies in (10 or 12 per store) and we share part of the rental money with the publisher. It went over okay, I don't know if we'll be doing it anytime soon with other publishers.
Bottom line, when someone rents a new, $60 game and they keep it and for whatever reason the credit card they have on file gets declined, we don't see that money, it becomes bad debt. And then Blockbuster's out $40-50 on that particular game. That's why you have to have a valid credit card on file when you rent games, but from the time we validate it and the time it sells to your account, that card can expire, get declined or whatever.
evilshindo @ Jul 29th 2009 12:25PM
Correction Joystiq,
You can do the 1 at a time Escape Pass for $10 or the 2 at a time for $15.
Also, you don't ONLY get 5 days to have the game, you get a 7 day grace period on everything.
pibs @ Jul 29th 2009 12:48PM
Wow, I was thinking it was a good deal till I realised I only have 7 days with the game. Im no marathon gamer so I doubt I will get any games finished in that amount of time.
Plus not to mention that Blockbuster is a shady business :P
Chibi Chaingun - blackhivemedia.com @ Jul 29th 2009 12:27PM
$40/month? Terrible. Especially for me since it takes me about a month to finish one game w/ work and all.
Levi @ Jul 29th 2009 12:37PM
I always wanted a Gameflyesque monthly plan from Hollywood or Blockbuster, since I hate waiting for the mail, and really don't mind the 6 or 7 minute drive to the two nearest Hollywoods. Unfortunately, this plan is a joke. I don't play more than about one disc based current generation game per month, so I could actuall buy the games for this price. It might be worth it for people that blow through games quickly, or have like 3 games they want to play through and have a week off from work or something.
I wish they would realize that an actual good plan comparable to Gamefly could actually steal Gamefly memberships, as I know I'm not the only one who would prefer the instant nature of driving to a nearby store to waiting for the slow and unreliable mail system.
HSOL @ Jul 29th 2009 12:50PM
This is an absolutely terrible deal. In order to make the deal even a bit worthwhile you'd have to rent more than 1 game a week. Unless we're going back to the 8-bit/16-bit era, games usually take me a couple of weeks to finish.
J Snaz @ Jul 29th 2009 12:55PM
While it's not a gamefly type deal, it's not a horrible one either for two games.
When you return the first game, the second game picks up another due date. Meaning you can hold onto one game till the 7th day, bring it in the store, and change it out for another game, that won't be due for 5 days. Hence you get two games for 10 dollars, or $5 a rental.
grod @ Jul 29th 2009 7:16PM
You can rent a game for $9 and then just keep it for 12 days. They will call and harass your answering machine but if you can deal with that you will be fine. Just return the game before they charge your credit card. They no longer have late fees. The 2 games for $15 is was a good deal but $10 isn't that great.
jacob @ Jul 29th 2009 1:04PM
hollywood video has a powerplay for around 10 bucks a week where you can get 2 games out at a time or 3 movies
UTChris @ Jul 29th 2009 1:09PM
Blockbuster employee here, I'll also confirm that we aren't suppose to sell the Escape Pass anymore. We received an e-mail and phone calls on Monday, the 2-out pass is no longer in our computer to be sold, and we can only sell the 1-out to those that ask for it. The way to take advantage of it is to rent as many games as you like during the 7 days you get free exchanges, but make sure you go in on the very last day of the pass and get a good game (or checkin/checkout the one you already have). The game then converts to a regular rental, so you'll have it for 5 days after that (plus 7 day no late fee grace period). So 7+5+7=19 days for $10, including multiple games the first week.
Iron Mike @ Jul 29th 2009 2:17PM
Up here in Toronto they have had a unlimited games (1 at a time) deal for 30 bucks a month at blockbuster which is cheaper...but its still crap. I could buy a brand new game every two months for that price and then get some of that money back through resale...
jak33 @ Jul 29th 2009 2:20PM
this "deal" doesnt make any sense, i have blockbuster gamepass i get unlimted games or movie rentals 1 at a time for $22 a month
VaultBoy @ Jul 29th 2009 4:09PM
If nothing else it lets you pick up another game if you pick a crappy one. There are no exchanges for renting sh*t. Also it is about the same price as a regular rental anyway so for the bonus perks its not a big deal. Flip it once and it has paid for itself.
knor @ Jul 29th 2009 4:42PM
just a heads up, this is for corporate stores only, I used to work at a franchise store and its a pain in the ass explaining this shit to customers all day every day.
So, just call and ask before you go in expecting some awesome deal
JC @ Jul 30th 2009 1:38AM
This would be great.
TOO BAD THE NEAREST ONE CLOSED 3 MONTHS AGO!