DVD Rental at the Supermarket

While Netflix and Blockbuster fight over consumers, a small company has been growing in popularity and sales with its approach to DVD rentals. Unlike Netflix whose business model is based on a subscribers paying a monthly fee for an unlimited number of DVD movie rental, and Blockbuster whose rents movies for a specific number of days to as many people as possible, DVD kiosks has moved into DVD movie rentals without owning a location or having a staff of movie fanatics to recommend movies to its customers.

With movie enthusiasts spurning pay-per-view options through their cable or satellite companies, companies that rent DVD's through kiosks located in supermarkets and other venues are watching their sales spike. With the same titles, though a smaller quantity of new release DVD movies to rent per kiosk, DVD kiosks have positioned themselves for continued growth as they leverage the simplicity and inexpensiveness of their product.

So how does it work? The kiosk is no different from a check-in utilized at any airport in the country. With a touch point screen and image-driven quality, a consumer chooses one of two options, either they are renting a movie or returning one. When you click renting a movie, your options are new releases, view catalog, and search by theme. The new release option has every major motion picture that has come out in the last three to four months. The thematic option, gives you a view at the movies available by genre, drama, comedy, action, thriller, etc.

After you have chosen the movie that you want, you check out by sliding your credit or debit card through a slit similar to the card reader used at gas stations. Your card is not charged at this point it is only tagged with an approval for $1.09. After the approval, the DVD slides out in a nondescript case with no advertising, cover, or imagery. It is a barebones case with the DVD inside.

Consumers leave the kiosk with movie in tow knowing they have until midnight the next night to return the DVD or pay the penalty of one more dollar for each day beyond the first that the movie is not returned. The kiosk also lets you know if you lose or fail to return the movie, the charge to your card will only be fourteen dollars. Now who can beat that?

When you are ready to return the DVD, you follow the same basic instructions as when you rented it. You select return DVD on the touch screen. After inserting the DVD, the screen informs you of the number of days you had the movie checked out and the costs associated with your rental. After paying you have the choice of ending your session or renting a new movie.

The interesting thing about the kiosk is its simplicity. No one is there trying to pitch you a new movie or upsell you as they do at Blockbuster or Hollywood Video. You read the descriptions of the movies and make the choice you want. And you live with it. So if you rent a bad movie, you are out of four quarters, one nickel, and four pennies. Big deal!

The DVD kiosk is not going to solve every problem associated with renting movies. It is by no means perfect. Periodically, when a movie is really hot, it is hard to find it in stock. For people who struggle with technology, using the kiosk will cause you as much aggravation as you experience when you checked in for your last flight. If you can handle that, you can handle this.

As someone who decides to watch a movie when television programming is either all repeats or uninteresting, driving two minutes to the supermarket and grabbing a movie is a simple, enjoyable solution. Besides, it is just a dollar.