The Movie Rental Race: Can Blockbuster and Netflix Keep Up with Apple?

Whatever happened to the days of running out to the video rental store, trying to find a flick in stock, and then remembering to take it back on time? It seems as if those days are gone forever with the advent of digital media.

In recent years, Blockbuster, the former video rental store king, has had to resort to new tactics to maintain their customer base. Once Netflix arrived on the scene, utilizing online services, no late fees, and cost-effective pricing, Blockbuster had to overhaul. Blockbuster recently surfaced on the web providing most the same basic benefits of Netflix plus in-store movie exchanges. Enter media giant, Apple. On Tuesday, January 15^th, Apple announced that they would begin offering movie rentals through their media outlet, iTunes.

With all these options now available, what is the best bet? Here are some considerations:

Blockbuster

The familiar name in the movie rental industry bodes well for them. People trust the name and the stores are still in business all across the United States. Having a tangible place of business still plays a big role in customer satisfaction.

Library- Blockbuster claims to have over 75,000 online titles from which to choose. The stores obviously carry a far smaller inventory. But even the online store has issues with availability. According to their website, movies put into your queue can have wait times depending on how popular the title is. You are not guaranteed a particular movie just because it appears at the top of your queue.