Blockbuster has been making some very smart moves recently in their battle with Netflix. They may or may not win this war, but they are fighting it smart. Recently they offered the ability to return movies you rent online from them at the actual stores (something Netflix obviously can’t offer) and you’d get a free in store rental when you do (another thing Netflix can’t offer). And now they’re taking it one step further…
The good folks at Yahoo News give us this:
Blockbuster is giving Netflix subscribers the opportunity to experience the best of BLOCKBUSTER Total Access(TM), the new program that gives online movie renters the option of returning their DVDs in the mail or exchanging them at a participating BLOCKBUSTER® store for free in-store movie rentals. From Dec. 5 through Dec. 21 current Netflix members can exchange the tear-off address flaps of their Netflix rental envelopes and receive on-the-spot free movie rentals from Blockbuster for every flap they bring in to any of the more than 5,000 participating BLOCKBUSTER stores.
This is a VERY smart move. Try to get people to experience how easy and fast it is just to return a film in store (if you want) and pick up a free in store flick. The move COULD very well prompt some Netflix users to switch.
Once again, I don’t know who will win this war… and since I live in Canada I haven’t used either Netflix or Blockbuster’s online services… all I’m saying is that Blockbuster seems to be playing their cards right. If that’s enough to win is another question all together.
