From the Pottsville Republican
TAMAQUA - The newest DVD rental store in the area isn't a Blockbuster or a Hollywood Video.
It's a red vending machine at a local supermarket.
Called Redbox, it can hold more than 500 DVDs representing 70 to 100 titles, and if you're over 18 and have a credit card, you can rent new releases like Paramount's "Blades of Fury" for $1 a day.
"It's a pretty neat little self-service unit," Edward F. Zaboski, manager of Boyer's Food Market, 210 Cedar St., Tamaqua, where a Redbox unit was rolled in three weeks ago.
"I get home around 6 a.m., go up there for a quart of milk or hamburger buns and pick a movie up. I'll get anywhere between four or five, to sometimes seven or eight movies a week," said Gary J. White, 52, of Tamaqua.
Blockbuster Video doesn't share their enthusiasm.
"Anything that's going to be competing for consumers leisure activities is going to be looked at as competition," said Blockbuster spokesman Randy Hargrove, Dallas, Texas.
Hollywood Video started rolling out its own DVD kiosks in 2006, said Hollywood Video spokesman Andrew Siegel, Manhattan, N.Y. But Seigel wouldn't say the success of Redbox had anything to do with the company's decision to start using them.
"It's just an opportunity to better serve customers. We'll have 275 by year's end," Siegel said.
Redbox Auto, is determined to continue to expand into McDonald's restaurants and grocery stores including Smith's Food & Drug stores, Giant and Stop & Shop, the Redbox Web site states.
People can reserve titles by logging onto the Redbox site. Redbox started offering online reservations in September 2006, according to the Redbox Web site.
Redbox launched in 2002 with just 12 of its video vending machines. In 2004, Redbox deployed more than 100 automated DVD rental kiosks in nearly every McDonald's in the Denver, Colo. metropolitan area, according to the Redbox Web site.
It currently operates more than 4,200 kiosks, and with additions planned over the next few months it will surpass Blockbuster in number of locations, according to an Aug. 9 article in The Baskerfield Californian.
There are two in the county. The second is at Redner's Warehouse Markets, 350 Goldstar Plaza, Shenandoah. Others in the region are located at Redner's Warehouse Markets at 184 Market St., Nesquehoning, and 5471 Pottsville Pike, Leesport.
Redbox Automated DVD Rental, based in Oak Brook, Ill., is a subsidiary of McDonald's Corporation.
See a video of Redbox Video here -
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/790477/free_redbox_dvds/
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