Blockbuster to Mail Out-of-Stock Movies to Store Customers

Blockbuster Inc. today launched Blockbuster Direct Access, a new service that gives store customers access to the "more than 95,000 titles" carried in the company's distribution centers. If a title is out of stock or not carried in an individual participating store, staff can search available inventory at nearby distribution centers and arrange for that title to be mailed directly to the customer, usually within three postal days. Customers do not have to be subscribers of Blockbuster Online to use the service.

To return the rental, customers can either mail it back in the provided postage-paid envelope or return it to a participating store. Customers also have the added benefit of exchanging the movie at their local participating Blockbuster store for a $1.99 discounted movie rental or $4.99 discounted game rental.

All Blockbuster Direct Access rentals — DVD and Blu-ray — are $3.99 with no extra shipping charges and have a 7-day rental term, which begins on the day following the estimated arrival date printed on the store receipt. Return dates are also noted on customers' store receipts. E-mail order confirmations, shipment notifications and overdue rental reminders are also sent to customers taking advantage of the service.

Another new convenience now available from Blockbuster enables customers to see if the movie they want is in stock in at their local participating Blockbuster store before they make the trip. To do so, customers simply go to blockbuster.com, look up the title of the movie, and click on the "Check For In-Store Rental" link under the Rent DVD In-Store option to get up-to-the minute availability.

"The idea is to provide all of our customers easy access to all the movies and television shows they crave," said Keith Morrow, senior vice president and chief information officer at Blockbuster. "With Blockbuster Direct Access, we're no longer confined to the square footage of our stores, which typically carry between 3,000 to 5,000 titles. Now store customers have access to our entire DVD and Blu-ray library of more than 95,000 titles. So our customers can leave the store satisfied, knowing that if they can't find what they want in store, they can find it in their mailbox."