In Whitewater, and 15,000 other locations across America, there’s a new(er)way to rent videos.
Over the years, Whitewater has had several movie rental stores, as stand-alone businesses or within a larger store. I can think of at least five, of this type, but I may be undercounting. With the closing of Blockbuster, we have only one movie rental store.
America’s changed much since VHS rentals first began, and even since Blockbuster first came to Whitewater. More people are on the web than ever before, and Netflix, Hulu, iTunes, and other video sites — for watching online or renting films — have achieved prominence.
Whitewater hasn’t grown less interested in movies; how Americans watch films has changed.
One of those changes is the Redbox. We have Redboxes in Whitewater. They’re small vending machines for renting popular films on DVD, for a small daily fee.
Some may lament the decline of the video store, where one could browse through stacks, unexpectedly discovering something interesting. (Card catalogs in libraries were once like this; one might find something by chance, flipping just past one’s intended destination during a search.)
I’ve asked a few people what they think of the Redbox, and my unscientific poll has revealed favorable impressions of the service.
It’s very American, in the way — and I mean this as a compliment — that a McDonald’s, or Wal-Mart, is American — simple, unpretentious, low-priced, with items for sale that can be purchased quickly.
Admirable for its simplicity and productivity — the Redbox may be around for a while.