No More Red Envelopes
Netflix is going to cancel its “red envelope” DVD mail rental service. Medium Writer Jeffrey Harvey laments how this is the end of an era for not only a video rental being a physical thing(because we cannot even buy DVDs in so many places anymore), but also how digital streaming services may be turning us into binge-watching “gluttons.” Indeed, we all can relate to how Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, and other services are luring us in with full-access subscriptions and even the novelty of exclusive online content. I find myself included among the millions constantly pressing the stream “rent” or “buy” button to quickly watch the greatest hits. And hard-copy forms of movies and series now seem closer to becoming an ultra-niche or even antique market.
Harvey muses how the cyber-rental option is not nearly the same: “If we’re going back to the video store model, at least bring back the spectrum-leaning clerk!” Imagine, the old-time brick and mortar VHS and DVD rental stores used to be a multi-billion dollar industry! (And considering that Netflix is still mailing out DVDs in 2023 those stores really were common not all that long ago). The company Blockbuster alone used to have almost 9,000 stores and raked in over $6 billion in annual revenues. Now there is only reported to be one lone store left!
The video rental stores were such a happening place just a decade or two ago. Older millennials like myself can remember pacing the stores as kids, begging our parents to rent the lastest new release. As a teenager and young adult, self-guided trips meant spending our own hard earned cash on the latest new hits, perhaps even going all in to buy a title. In addition to the latest movies or hit series, there were also the latest video game wonders.
But as VHS tapes took a backseat to DVDs, new advances led to a large-scale video store downturn. Soon came along Redbox rental kiosks that today still stand at tens of thousands of locations. All the while Netflix and other services advanced their mail-delivery and even online subscription options. Today, only trace amounts of DVDs can be found at major retail locations. One of the last major video rental chains, Family Video, closed its stores in early 2021. No worries for DVD or even VHS enthusiasts — these hard-copy items and related technologies will circulate through online platforms, secondhand stores, and neighborhood backdoor sales for ages to come. And as vinyl records have made a comeback in recent years, who knows what other video or music formats will return in the coming decades?
I just remember the long aisles and wide shelves of titles spanning the typical video rental store. Browsing the titles was akin to browsing the shelves of the local library or bookstore. You could rent a few titles for a reasonable small price. Just like if you should wait patiently in line at a grocery store or government office, the industry carried hidden norms to make things easier for everyone. “Be kind, please rewind” was placed on each VHS tape, while late fees penalized anyone who accidentally forgot to return the videos on time. What are some common operating rules for streaming services today? Certainly, you are best not to share your login credentials with too many people. Also, consumers must be careful not to fall into the “glutton viewer” loop, inadvertently charging new releases and extra subscription fees for titles they never get around to watching.
On the other side of Netflix’s decision to end DVD mail rentals are the delivery companies that brought these items to renters’ doors. It doesn’t seem like USPS or related global companies will hurt much from the change. The multi-billion dollar company USPS still delivers 127.3 billion pieces of mail annually(the majority being marketing and advertising mail). This reflects the larger phenomenon of print materials still being in high circulation. 826 million print books are sold in the U.S. alone each year. It seems that print books and other physical mediums for information will be in wide circulation for generations to come. The more many things drastically change, the more others stay the same.
