How many blockbuster kiosks are there

Streaming services can queue up thousands of movies, making the ritual of wandering through store aisles virtually obsolete. For residents in and around Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and other locations, however, grabbing a tangible DVD from a Blockbuster is still an option. The kiosks, which are dubbed Free Blockbuster Video, are the work of Brian Morrison, a Los Angeles resident who noticed the empty newspaper kiosks and decided to repurpose them by branding them with the Blockbuster logo and supplying a small inventory of DVDs or VHS cassettes.

Others have followed his lead in Oklahoma, Virginia, and elsewhere, using not only movies but books and even popcorn. People are encouraged to take an item and leave an item. His company was different than other rental stores because it offered customers a selection of 8, VHS tapes with the help of a modern, computerized check-out process, while other, smaller rental stores could only offer a couple hundred movies. At the time, rental stores, like Blockbuster, were the only way people could watch movies that had left theaters without buying the VHS tapes themselves.

Later that year, Cook left the company , as the headquarters moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In , Blockbuster became the leading video-store chain in the US with stores.

In , the company also expanded overseas when it bought out video-rental chain Ritz in the UK. At this time, there were 2, Blockbuster stores. Five years later, Viacom took Blockbuster public, as the number of stores reached 6, globally. Blockbuster was known for charging customers a fee for every day they were late returning a movie rental.

This frustrated many customers, including Netflix founder Reed Hastings. In its early stages, Hastings' company, which had no late fees, would send DVDs straight to your house for a flat monthly rate.

Netflix went on to become even more popular and more profitable than Blockbuster. Redbox's addition to the market reinforced the idea that people wanted quicker rental options with no late fees, so Blockbuster had to make a change. In , Viacom parted ways with Blockbuster. That same year, the company launched Blockbuster Online, but it was already years behind Netflix. At the same time, Blockbuster decided to end late fees. At the time, there were only Blockbuster stores still in operation, Business Insider reported.

The standalone Blockbuster says it's still in operation because of its loyal customer base, citing the fact that they have 4, accounts and sign up new customers each day. The store also said a large number of tourists visits the store to reminisce about the former rental company.

In , the lone store plans to open its doors for overnight guests by partnering with Airbnb. For you. World globe An icon of the world globe, indicating different international options. Get the Insider App. Click here to learn more. A leading-edge research firm focused on digital transformation. Good Subscriber Account active since Shortcuts.

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