Comments on: A Blockbuster closing http://openambition.com/2009/07/09/a-blockbuster-closing/ The juncture of success and meaningful failure Mon, 21 Dec 2009 06:27:05 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Peter U http://openambition.com/2009/07/09/a-blockbuster-closing/#comment-222 Peter U Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:37:33 +0000 http://meaningfulfailure.wordpress.com/2009/07/09/a-blockbuster-closing/#comment-222 I have been similary shocked at how busy that red machine is and never thought about it until I read your Blog. I think this also points to an interesting problem with the current model of service in business today as well. That a machine that provides no service, other than reserving and dispensing (cheaply), can easily compete with a store that usually had 2 or 3 employees theoretically "serving" the customers. In actuality though, the human beings in the Blockbuster provided no service. If I had a movie request, the employee was unresponsive because they had no interest and possibly no means to bring in a particularl movie into the store. If I had a movie question, they had no knowledge of movies (other than being able to review Spring Break Daytona sequal #24). They also never had resources to look up information such as a movie review book or possibly a computer console set up with useful movie resources that the customer could use. I once asked at this same Blockbuster if they had the original movie M.A.S.H. and the employee had no clue what I was talking about or that an original movie existed. I wouldn't necessarily expect a 19-year-old university student to have seen an old movie such as this, but I might expect if I was going into a store that's entire reason for existance is to rent movies to have employees who had a knowledge, interest, and possibly even a passion for movies. Will Barnes and Knobles eventually just become an automated Red Box? Will urgent care centers soon dispense a diagnosis and medication prescription from an automated Red Box? Interestingly, our local hospital has a machine very similar to the Redbox DVD machine for dispensing common Emergency Room medication prescriptions - pretty much everything is automated . . . as a pharmacist, I see this as poor medical service for the customer - poor medication counseling, inadequate checking for drug interactions and appropriateness of drug and dose for the patient, but it does serve the needs of the customer in a way that the current health care model cannot (we don't have many available 24-hour pharmacies, or certainly not convenient ones). All very interesting stuff. thanks for the blog post I have been similary shocked at how busy that red machine is and never thought about it until I read your Blog.

I think this also points to an interesting problem with the current model of service in business today as well. That a machine that provides no service, other than reserving and dispensing (cheaply), can easily compete with a store that usually had 2 or 3 employees theoretically “serving” the customers.

In actuality though, the human beings in the Blockbuster provided no service. If I had a movie request, the employee was unresponsive because they had no interest and possibly no means to bring in a particularl movie into the store. If I had a movie question, they had no knowledge of movies (other than being able to review Spring Break Daytona sequal #24). They also never had resources to look up information such as a movie review book or possibly a computer console set up with useful movie resources that the customer could use.

I once asked at this same Blockbuster if they had the original movie M.A.S.H. and the employee had no clue what I was talking about or that an original movie existed. I wouldn’t necessarily expect a 19-year-old university student to have seen an old movie such as this, but I might expect if I was going into a store that’s entire reason for existance is to rent movies to have employees who had a knowledge, interest, and possibly even a passion for movies.

Will Barnes and Knobles eventually just become an automated Red Box? Will urgent care centers soon dispense a diagnosis and medication prescription from an automated Red Box?

Interestingly, our local hospital has a machine very similar to the Redbox DVD machine for dispensing common Emergency Room medication prescriptions – pretty much everything is automated . . . as a pharmacist, I see this as poor medical service for the customer – poor medication counseling, inadequate checking for drug interactions and appropriateness of drug and dose for the patient, but it does serve the needs of the customer in a way that the current health care model cannot (we don’t have many available 24-hour pharmacies, or certainly not convenient ones).

All very interesting stuff.

thanks for the blog post

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