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Topic: Renting DVD's at McDonalds

Nate Lehrke
Master Film Handler

Posts: 396
From: Denver, CO
Registered: Oct 2002

posted 05-25-2004 02:37 AM

I thnk Joe should go scope these out for us. I want to see what they look like.

After watching SUPER SIZE ME today, this seems like another way for McDonalds to make us all fat.

quote:
DENVER, Colorado (Reuters) -- How about a movie on DVD to go with your Big Mac and fries?

McDonald's Corp. said Monday it would install experimental DVD rental machines in more than 100 Denver-area outlets in the next month.

The automatic kiosks will feature the most popular 30 to 40 DVD titles, which will rent for $1 per night without any membership or late fees, the company said.

Under the program, movies can be returned to any McDonald's outlet featuring the Redbox kiosks, which are owned and operated by privately held DVDPlay. If the total charges on a rental reach $25, the DVD belongs to the customer and does not have to be returned, McDonald's said.

If McDonald's rolls out the test program nationwide, it would become the first fast food chain to offer DVDs and increase the competition for existing video rental operators such as Dallas-based Blockbuster Inc.

McDonald's said its test program coincides with growing demand for DVDs, with industry observers estimating the share of DVD-ready households in the United States will reach 80 percent within three years.

"When fully implemented, Redbox DVD rental machines will be available in over 100 McDonald's restaurants once again providing ultimate convenience and giving our customers another reason to visit us," Bernie Schaefer, vice president and general manager of the food outlet's Rocky Mountain region, said in a statement.

So far, 24 Denver-area McDonald's restaurants have installed the ATM-sized DVD rental machines and another 80 will be installed by the end of June, the company said.

The Rebox DVD rental machines hold between 100 and 350 DVDs and can be operated with either a credit or debit card. SOURCE

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 05-25-2004 03:30 AM

This is just stupid.

Who here remembers when the video stores only got one VHS copy of each movie and you had to wait your turn (sometimes months) to rent it for a night?

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Mitchell Cope
Master Film Handler

Posts: 256
From: Overland Park, KS, United States
Registered: Jun 99

posted 05-25-2004 06:36 AM

I interpret it to mean that there will be more than one DVD per title. According to what I've read, McDonald's is not doing this to take over the video rental business, but to get customer's inside their store and "smell the fries". I think its success will be how many restaurants they can get this in at a dollar a pop.

Actually, I've missed the days when you could visit a mom and pop store and rent a video for $1. Blockbuster was always too high and they've had to compete with Wal-Mart DVD sales that range from $5.50 to around $14. Why rent when you can own? As a side note, Wal-Mart would also use their DVD sales to get you in the store.

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Thomas Procyk
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1842
From: Royal Palm Beach, FL, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 06-04-2004 01:25 PM

I remember!! And I remember when theaters used to only get one print of a movie, too. When "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" came out on video, our local store got 5 copies. It was a BIG DEAL!

Only a few stores would actually let you reserve a copy when it comes in. Most, you'd just have to get lucky.

Now Blockbuster gets 50 billion copies, which most end up "Previously Viewed" on sale a week later. (Notice that they don't put them in the original cases, but instead those BlockBuster DVD cases with the tabs? [thumbsdown]

What do they do with the display cases? Methinks I'll go DD a blockbuster!)

The kiosks are as bad of an idea as those 48-hour, $6 7-11 DVDs

=TMP=

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Claude S. Ayakawa
Film God

Posts: 2738
From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA
Registered: Aug 2002

posted 06-04-2004 01:39 PM

I have a special senior citizen membership at Tower Video and can rent new titles for $1.85 each a night. Since I live near the store, I am always there when they open every Tuesday morning at 9:00 and have first crack at all of the new titles. On Wednesday and Thursday, I can rent old and new movies for $1.35 a night.

As far as McDonalds renting DVDs, I have no problem with that if they have multiple titles and the rental price is what people are willing to pay. If my local Longs Drug store and Foodland super markets can successfully rent videos, I am sure the fast food establishment can too.

-Claude

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Jeremy Fuentes
Mmmm, Dr. Pepper!

Posts: 1168
From: Corpus Christi, TX United States
Registered: Jan 2004

posted 06-04-2004 01:51 PM

So are previously viewed kid movies going to start coming with a happy meal, and previously viewed adult movies with the adult happy meal?

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-09-2004 08:48 PM

Brad, "waiting your turn" went out in the 80s, I believe. Around the same time those stupid blinking-light shoes came out.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 06-09-2004 09:06 PM

Thomas, Blockbuster switches out the boxes tot he ones that have the lockable tabs as you have noticed. What happens to the original boxes? Well since I am friends with a manager of Blockbuster, I get caseloads of them! I usually use them for EDVD-R's and also for my X-Box games (because I hate those super ugly green boxes... they are teh ghey.)

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Mike Olpin
Chop Chop!

Posts: 1852
From: Dallas, TX
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 06-09-2004 09:50 PM

Hey! X-Box green is teh awsum! I want it for my chat color. [evil]

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Thomas Procyk
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1842
From: Royal Palm Beach, FL, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 06-10-2004 10:12 AM

quote: Mike Blakesley
Brad, "waiting your turn" went out in the 80s, I believe. Around the same time those stupid blinking-light shoes came out.

News flash. Those blinking light shoes are still quite popular. We get complaints from customers, especially kids movies, about how someones son/daughter refuses to "Turn off their shoes" and it's distracting them from the movie. Maybe there should be an addition in the Policy Trailer with Maxwell Smart on a shoe phone -- "Please turn off all cell phones and shoes, where applicable" [Smile]

=TMP=

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-16-2004 06:53 PM

Thomas: Where did I say the blinking shoes are not still popular? I hate the damn things. Although I don't think we've ever had a complaint on them (other than from me!)

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Steve Kraus
Film God

Posts: 4094
From: Chicago, IL, USA
Registered: May 2000

posted 06-26-2004 08:54 PM

Won't the DVD's get greasy? [Big Grin]

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Adam Wilbert
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 590
From: Bellingham, WA, USA
Registered: Mar 2002

posted 06-29-2004 03:39 PM

This isn't just a scam to get you into a mcdonalds, its a scam to get you in TWICE. You have to return the DVD and "smell the fries" again.

-adam

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Mike Olpin
Chop Chop!

Posts: 1852
From: Dallas, TX
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 06-29-2004 08:56 PM

I saw an ad today about this type of rental kiosk. This looks like just another work out of your home scam. I don't think I'll be "Securing the best locations" anytime soon.

Franchize oportnity for people who like to waste money

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Nicholas Roznovsky
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 156
From: College Station, TX, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 07-05-2004 03:44 PM

The folks behind the "The Box Office Express" (link in above post) have also been advertising pretty heavily during the day on quite a few cable channels, most notably Spike TV.

Towards the end of the TV ad, it looks like they have one of their machines located by a theater concession stand, but you can't tell for sure. I guess this would be ideal placement for the owner who wants second-run revenue but doesn't want to have to go to all the trouble of opening up another location. [Big Grin]

The commerical goes to great lengths to blur out the images on the kiosk screen when the "customer" happily rents Legally Blonde 2 and then clearly shows a Lion King DVD disc being inserted into the machine for return. High quality production values. [thumbsup]

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