Alan Smithee

Yeah, a mini-fridge would suffice for my needs.

story

Maybe, and you cannot remove the appliances that came with the apartment, however.

DJariya

I visited my local Walmart market the other night and saw the Redbox machine was still there. But, it has not been updated in months. The little billboard still shows the same old movies artwork for earlier in 2023.

Redbox.com just shows re-purposed old movies. It's been a decaying corpse a long time now.

TomOpus

I can't remember when the one at my Walmart was removed. I never used it so didn't really pay attention.

TheBang

Redbox's agreement with CVS expired on Dec. 31, 2023. The contract states that Redbox must remove the kiosks from CVS upon termination of the contract, but Redbox has failed to do so. So, CVS is suing to force them to perform or get permission to dispose of the kiosks themselves. Redbox has also not paid CVS agreed-upon commissions since fall 2022, to the tune of $424K.

https://cookcountyrecord.com/stories...ntract-expired
https://s3.amazonaws.com/jnswire/jns...024CH01077.pdf

Alan, this is your chance. Get chummy with your local CVS store manager and let them know that you'll take the kiosk off their hands for free once they get permission to dispose of it. Redbox obviously has no money to spend to remove and store the kiosks, so I'm sure they will just be abandoned.

cultshock

And have fun getting it home.

flansered

Depending on the size and construction it might be impossible to put it in an apartment. But powering it might be a bigger problem. From what I have seen the kiosks require a dedicated power circuit for the cooling system for the computer, and another for the controls/motor for the disc dispenser. Most of them have a disconnect on the wall beside it, so they may not have standard plug connections. Of course if Alan gets one its going to sit in a storage unit so the power issues wouldn't be a problem.

Alan Smithee

Wonder if I could set it up in the laundry room here then? Nobody around here has started a “Free Blockbuster” box so we could use it for that, making it a bit more fun.

Josh-da-man

If Redbox goes tits-up, I wonder what will happen to the machines. Will they just get hauled off to landfills/recycling centers by the owners of the property they're currently sitting on? Or would they be considered assets in a bankruptcy liquidation?

cultshock

"Assets" that are worth dick all and no one wants. (except Alan of course )

Alan Smithee

So funny how fast they’ve fallen. The studios cut them off a few years ago but they just had their people go into Walmart and buy discs there for the machines. Ones installed outside had people tying their cars to the front and pulling them off so they could steal the discs inside. Now it’s looking like Fry’s in its last days. I do think at least one machine should be preserved, bet there’s already a few stowed away in odd places that’ll turn up on “American Pickers” in a few years.

Why So Blu?

Who would give you permission to do that in a building you do not own?

PhantomStranger

Given the aforementioned issues, I seriously doubt Redbox machines will end up anywhere but the junkyard. I'm guessing Redbox will write them off completely before the company goes into complete bankruptcy.

cultshock

Really? DVDs are worth jack shit these days, especially ones with no cases. This sounds like a high effort/risk vs. low reward kind of thing that only a complete idiot would try.

flansered

This thread kind of got me interested in the kiosks. After what I posted the other day I looked around online and I have read that they do have multiple power connections, (1 for the computer/disc carousel system and 1 for a cooling system for the computer). Each requires a dedicated circuit 120v circuit, which is the same voltage for US residential power, so ideally someone could power it in their home. But the problem is that they require dedicated circuits for each connection point, and most household electrical is not set up for that, with the only dedicated power connections being for like big things like stoves, refrigerators, washer/dryers. So if one was put in a house and plugged into a receptacle plugging something into another receptacle on the same circuit would most likely trip the breaker.

But here is the important thing if Alan does decide to try and get a machine: the electrical connections are hardwired to the kiosk, which means that there is no plug connection for the units and it is directly wired to the buildings electrical system via a disconnect or junction box. So an electrician would probably have to be involved in disconnecting the units and reconnecting them wherever he decides to install if he wants it to remain operational.

Really it sounds like it would be way more trouble than it'd be worth.

Josh-da-man

He'll probably just plug it into one of his already overloaded power strips...

Alan Smithee

If they’re that complicated, it’s surprising they got so many installed back when they started. At $1 per rental with so many freebies they might not have taken in a lot of money either, though I remember at their peak some machines wouldn’t have many movies left.

Hope a museum gets one at least though. Just glad I didn’t pursue a job stocking these, even as a second gig.

fujishig

It also sounds like these can't be easily repurposed so will be filling the junkyards (or grabbed by hoarders/collectors) soon. Great.

TheBang

Yeah, I mean, besides the power issues, there's the whole computer processing system which is setup to talk to Redbox servers. If you wanted to make it functional, you'd either have to hack the system to bypass Redbox's servers and operate locally, or write your own interface to the dispensing hardware from scratch.

flansered

Installing a kiosk with multiple power connections is different for a commercial property that has multiple panelboards and a higher powered data system than a residence would. Like a CVS or Walgreens probably has multiple panelboards with 42 spaces in them. So when the machines were initially installed adding a circuit or 2 for a vending machine it was not a big deal. But in a residence it may be a different story. If it's a larger home with a 42 pole panel it might be doable, for an older home or apartment that may have a smaller panel with 20 or 24 spaces it would be a problem. And that isn't even taking in consideration things like amperages, just whether or not the panel has a physical slot available to put in breakers for the service to the kiosk. The most positive thing that I have seen about the kiosks is that neither connection was 480V, just 120V. If it was a 480V connection connecting it in a residence would be impossible as nobody has that voltage in their homes.

I mean it wouldn't be impossible, it's just the ability to do what needs to be done to the machines are out of the hands of most regular people. If you were able to find a place that would let you remove it from their property, any electrician would have no problem unhooking it and could possibly rewire it to be a plug connection (for a price). But without seeing more than I could find online about the specific power requirements I don't know if it would be a standard Nema 5-15R receptacle or a larger type of plug like a dryer requires. But the bigger problem would come from the 2 connections requiring dedicated circuits, and how most residential units are not set up like that. So in the event that Alan did get one, got an electrician to rewire the connections to standard plugs, he cleaned out a space in his apartment for the machine with a space that had 2 receptacles about 6' apart, and was able to plug both of them in, the breaker for that run of receptacles would trip as soon as the cooling system cut on. So in order for it to be operational the electrician would also need to add circuits to the home's panelboard, which I will go ahead and say the apartment's management will not allow. The argument could be made that you may not need the cooling system to run if it is indoors, but the interior of the machine could still get too hot even if it is indoors. Plus I didn't even say anything about the kiosk needing an internet connection, there is also the chance that the computer could initially require a connection to Redbox's servers to operate (but like TheBang said this could probably be hacked).

TheBang

I suddenly remembered a white label Netflix-alike kiosk service that I saw once. After a bit of sleuthing, I discovered that it was called DVDNow Kiosks. You basically bought the kiosk from them for about $25,000, and then you became an entrepreneur, providing the inventory and customer service to your customer base.


As best as I can tell, I think they went out of business about 8 years ago. But since it was supposed to be your own kiosk, there's probably a better chance of getting one of those working than a Redbox kiosk. This guy got one for $275 and uses it to display his collection:
https://www.reddit.com/r/dvdcollecti...my_collection/

Here's one for sale:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/144265399698

cultshock

It sounds like more trouble than it's worth even if it could be just simply plugged in. If I wanted to lug something into my house that's full of media, I much rather get something that actually looks cool, like a jukebox.

Texan26

There also used to be Blockbuster kiosks around 2010. Maybe only lasted a couple of years. I only saw them in grocery stores owned by Safeway.

flansered

Oh I think the idea of moving any kind of vending machine into a house is a dumb idea, be it food/drinks or a dvd machine. People putting jukeboxes or arcade machines is fine through. But like putting a soda machine in your home and keeping it operational is crazy. Like why would I deal with the hassle of loading cans into a Coke machine when I can just put some cans in my refrigerator.

But really I have picked up on how Alan is based on the thread about his landlords, and based on him having an old projector from a theater in storage, I wouldn't put it past him to try and get a machine. But I was more curious about the actual machines themselves, and then I fell into a rabbit hole looking into them and figuring out how much trouble they would be to install in a home.

But I will say that if someone really wanted a Redbox machine, and if the earlier post about their contract with CVS being over and the machines being left on their property, all someone would have to do is convince the store manager or whomever is in charge of that location to send a certified letter to Redbox stating that they have 30 days to remove the machine, If the letter is still there after 30 days of the letters receipt then someone could probably take the machine with no legal ramifications. (At least this is from what I have surmised from reading about how to get rid of abandoned vending machines, would probably be better to consult some one with legal knowledge, I just know some electrical engineering,)

TomOpus

No telling how their contract is written as to who legally owns the machine. Redbox would have to make that info public. The only vending machine that seemed cool was the old Coca Cola bottle machines. I know a friend who collected coke stuff, had one in his apartment but it was basically the size of a regular refrigerator. No biggie, just plug it into the wall outlet.