Renting movies in San Diego (Brea, Kensington: 2013, rentals, neighborhood)

[djxpress]

Here is a question I've been pondering since yesterday - With Blockbuster gone, what does a person in San Diego do if they want to rent a movie? Yes, I know there is Redbox, but those vending machines have a limited selection. Yes, I know about Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu - but I don't want to subscribe to a service. Yes I know about cable company Video on Demand. And yes, I know about the local library.

Five years ago, if I wanted to rent say Karate Kid, I could go to the local Blockbuster and usually find it. But now, what is a person to do!?

It seems as though Blockbuster/Hollywood video could curtail to a niche market (non-techie people, those that don't want to pay monthly fees, etc.) and now that niche market has nowhere to go to rent movies.

[shmoov_groovzsd]

Perhaps there is a niche market, but that is certainly not the trend as noted by the demise of these dinosaurs like Blockbuster and Hollywood Video.

Redbox and Netflix machines exist at just about any neighborhood market as you said. If anything, I see those machines having more of an incentive to expand capacity in light of the news. Do you not find them convenient? Or is it that you are looking for movies that are not necessarily just coming out (like your Karate Kid reference)?

Time moves on, technology has taken over and made things in many ways much more efficient. Not utilizing what that offers seems counter intuitive to me given the depth of catalogue that a Netflix has. Is streaming content not something you do?

Perhaps there will be an oppt for a niche national chain to open, but I dont think they will even come close to the size of the old Blockbuster stores. In the meantime just like there are record shops for vinyl junkies there will be small video shops like Kensington Video. That is about as niche as it gets.

[oddstray]

Originally Posted by djxpress

... Yes, I know there is Redbox, but those vending machines have a limited selection. ...

In case you haven't already seen it, if you go to their website you can browse "near you", which might offer a better selection.

[bloom]

public library dvd's - up-to-date, free, no problem

[earlyretirement]

Blockbuster? LOL. Funny to think they were around as long as they were. Amazing to see the role technology plays these days. We find the Redbox GREAT. You can reserve movies ahead of time to save time and ensure it's there. We do that and it works great. Yes, a limited selection sometimes but I still find it great.

Netflix has a TON of old movies and if you have Amazon Prime it also includes a free membership to their Amazon Prime movies as well.

And bloom is spot on target with the library. Their selection is really really limited but we get DVD's for the kids all the time there.

I really don't see any viable business option for DVD rental stores these days when you add in the high cost of bricks and mortar rentals in San Diego.

[mricu]

There was an article in the Reader Magazine about a mom & pop video store that is still around and pretty much has every title that has been released on VHS and DVD. Their name is Kensington Video ... here's a link:

Movie lover's paradise | San Diego Reader

Kensington Video

[rgb123]

I remember when Blockbuster was the new kid, and we all hated them (I worked at a video store in high school) because they focused on new releases while our family video store had all kinds of old stuff.

That wasn't even 20 years ago yet.

I do agree that technology doesn't always improve things. We take more mediocre digital photos now with our phone cameras and will get only the dvd's that are convienient to get....

things will swing back.

[bloom]

I found both Netflix and Amazon' streaming service terrible in the selection of recent good movies. Maybe they are better for the new wave of good TV drama shows.
Does Redbox do streaming?
Actually, er, the public library selection in not limited at all but in fact the widest and best and they take suggestions and act on them to purchase less popular including foreign but excellent films.

[rgb123]

It depends on the library, but I agree I love the library (worked in the media section in college, we still had records even) hopefully those stay afloat too. At least my local library here in Ventura wasn't very appealing and I've started netflix which I don't like to pay for on top of cable.

[bloom]

For SD, you reserve online your movie selections so it is not dependent on what one branch has but the whole network of branches, and then delivered to your local branch for pick up.
I've also binged watched and caught up on some great TV series over the years: Six Feet Under, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Breaking Bad, Portlandia. I'm finding The Wire a bit painful to get through despite the hoopla. Homeland and Downton Abbey on my list. Refuse to watch the new acclaimed Battlestar Galactica as the classic original version from the late 1970s has a place in my heart and could not tolerate a female Starbuck coffee or Apollo creed or whatever.