Blockbuster lost what was left of its carcass once a Redbox sprouted at my local 7-11. Sure, the giant red DVD rental kiosk had been tempting me for over a year at the end of the self checkout lane at Stop and Shop, but it seemed kind of hokey. Besides, it was from the same people who make Coinstar, the great rip off change redemption machine.

Coinstar. Lets see, I feed a dollar worth of KFC encrusted coins and the machine keeps seven cents for processing? A Bunk Of America executive says what? Hell, TD bank lets customers dump the same pile of nasty change into the Penny Arcade for no fee, plus offers a prize when customers guess the total coin value. Step back, Cracker Jack.

So let’s just say I was apprehensive about the parent company providing a fair exchange of money for services. But after renting nearly every previously viewed DVD at the local Blockbuster ( which is not so local anymore since they shuttered more than half of them in New Jersey ), I was willing to give Redbox a try.

And there within the big red box of DVD goodness, a simple interface, a decent supply of recently released titles and a fair price beckoned. One dollar and nearly nine cents. The software just works. Select movies, checkout, swipe credit card, the titles get “vended”. Huzzah.

Unlike Blockbuster, titles can be returned at any Redbox. That flexibility is a real win, because kiosks offer slightly different titles.

Yes, Netflix is an amazing service. They are far more responsible for gutting Blockbuster than Redbox was. But to me, there’s two caveats with Netflix: recurring service charge and a huge delay between requesting a title, and it actually appearing in the mail. True there is video streaming/download option now which solves the instant gratification problem, but the recurring charge remains. Netflix wouldn’t be swimming in so much money without it.

In the end of they day, I want my movies now, immediately after paying for them. I pick; I swipe; I get. Done.

So long, Blockbuster, you killer of mom and pop video stores the nation over. Promise I will shut the lights off in the store on the way out.