RIP: Blockbuster

[Jethro_uk]

[sm_jamieson]

etc. and trying to make it feel like a trip to the movies, which seemed a sensible strategy. And they also rent out computer games. I think their online rental was doing OK, but with Netflix movies on demand etc, who will go out and rent ? I suppose it might depend on whether they can get content before Sky Movies etc.

By the way, why are movie snacks etc. called "concessions" ? Its rather confusion when "no concessions" means no discounts to OAPs, students etc. Simon.

[sm_jamieson]

orn etc. and trying to make it feel like a trip to the movies, which seemed= a sensible strategy. And they also rent out computer games.

nd etc, who will go out and rent ?

OK, just found this on US site:

At many venues, the owner grants concessions to individual vendors allowing= them to sell refreshments and other articles on the premises. Hence the te= rm. At movie theaters (we don=92t generally call them cinemas over here) the sn= ack bars are typically operated by the theater owner and are not technicall= y concessions, but like your feet on the theater floor the term sticks to t= hem as well.=20

Simon.

[The Natural Philosopher]

IIRC its because the vendor of such were given 'concessions' to allow them to operate within the premises.

Concession means an explicit breaking of a rule, and exception to the norm granted for specific reason.

Ergo it equally applies to allowing a hot dog vendor to sell hot dogs in a private theatre or to giving special discount to selected groups.

[polygonum]

and years ago.

[Jethro_uk]

We used to use the local BB. Until 2005, when we got a free Lovefilm trial. Never looked back.

1) Parking was a nightmare. Or a 10 minute walk. 2) BB rented for a set period. Usually 3 days, but recent releases were a day. With overdue fees. 3) Couldn't always guarantee BB would have the title we wanted.

Lovefilm:

1) No parking. Discs through letterbox, and posted when we're passing a postbox 2) No late fees 3) Could set up a list, and simply clunk through titles on it.

[Dave Liquorice]

Well as one who finds 2Mbps(*) streamed video barely watchable I'd go out an rent a DVD (or better a BluRay) just to get decent picture quality. However with the nearest Blockbuster 20+ miles away so that ain't going to happen but then there is LoveFilm...

(*)Our ADSL might be able to sustain 4Mbps fairly reliably but that is still about half the bit rate of DSAT HDTV.

[Tim Watts]

On Wednesday 16 January 2013 14:37 Jethro_uk wrote in uk.d-i-y:

[Steve Firth]

It looks as if the truism that as a country starts to climb out of recession the number of job losses and bankruptcies increases may be accurate.

[Jethro_uk]

Waterstones ?

[polygonum]

Perhaps surprisingly, and with no knowledge of their financial situation whatsoever, how about Superdrug?

When they were building up, they were fighting Boots on the high street and supermarkets. They now also have goodness knows how many pound shops, market stalls, new supermarkets, etc. And since they decided to actually sell drugs (i.e. got pharmacy counters), so too have many supermarkets and several chains have increased branches, opened right next to surgeries, and here several apparently-independent pharmacies have started. Many of these open long hours as well.

Always looks mostly empty despite having a central location.

And I can't think of a single USP they have.

[Mike Tomlinson]

En el artículo , Tim Watts escribió:

Dixons/Currys/Pissy Werld.

[Bob Eager]

I have to say that I use Chemist Direct, who have good prices. And Quidco cashback.

[Bob Eager]

At least they have a web presence.

[Nightjar]

Improbable. Its latest figures are quite promising - profits up from £2.8m to £9.5m in the year to 30th April 2011, despite a £14.4m drop in sales. It is also a fairly recent acquisition for the new, extremely rich, owner who seems to have bought it off HMV as something of a favour for his friend Tim Waterstone, who founded the shop. It would be rather too soon for him to give up on the project.

Colin Bignell

[fred]

In article , Bob Eager writes

I used them for a couple of purchases a few years back and started receiving huge amounts of spam on the unique and dedicated address that I gave them for the purchase.

Either they sold my address on or they failed to secure it. They failed to respond to my complaints about it so I drew my own conclusions, not to be trusted.

[Bob Eager]

Hasn't happened to me on the dedicated address I gave them - and I've been using them quite a while.

[Tim Watts]

On Wednesday 16 January 2013 19:25 Jethro_uk wrote in uk.d-i-y:

Some say Argos - but I disagree.

They are a bit of a blend of internet (query stock and reserve online) coupled with the ability to just go and get it immediately.

And return it quibble free. And there's a home delivery option.

I think there's an opening for more stores like that, in specialist areas. In effect that's almost what Toolstation and Screwfix have become in their field, though neither does it quite as smoothly as Argos (Toolstaion is not far off).

If I am happy to buy a tool that way, people should be happy to buy other consumer products that way - I'm thinking PC World, Curries and clothes shops. Imagine an M&S that was 70% warehouse in the same space as a typical shop. The other 30% is fitting rooms and coffee shop for the blokes.

You shoose at home, or while there using catalogues or your phone. It would confirm stocks and being a warehouse like Argos, they would stock most of their range in all the sizes rather than bugger all like now.

I accept there would be slightly more turnaround as "she" rejected items, but I think it could work.

[fred]

So on a sample size of two, they have proved themselves to be 50% unreliable ;-/

[Bob Eager]

And a very good example of a business that moved with the times.

Who remembers Green Shield Stamps? When that business became non-viable, they simply re-purposed the whole infrastraucture into a retail organisation.