But that's the point. If I own my own little video store down the road from a Blockbuster, and they're breaking release date, they are *potentially* "stealing" sales and customers from my store. And being a mega-corporation, they can take any penalties in stride whereas if my store gets a penalty it might do serious damage to my business.

Say I'm putting 50 copies of "Fast and Furious in 60 Seconds" up for sale on Tuesday. I've paid for those 50 copies, and expect to sell almost all of them in the first week. Blockbuster puts them on sale two weeks early. I'm left wondering why I've only sold six copies. It's because everyone went to Blockbuster to get them early.

What goes around comes around; I'd let it slide.

Wha wha what?! I would never turn anyone in when it comes to early DVD's, LATE DVD's is a whole other issue that someone must pay for!

Reporting his store and possibly getting him fired would be a way of getting back at him. Of course, if he simply gets a slap on the wrist, he'll shrug it off. There are more...creative ways to retaliate.

If that's correct, I'd say that any Blockbuster should be reported for breaking street date. They've already forced many, many mom 'n' pop stores out of business (sometimes by simply moving in right next door!) and their stupid 5-day-but-really-four-day rental period is unfair. If they get delayed shipments, maybe people will start coming back to the smaller stores.

I rent at Hollywood or a mom 'n' pop usually. Yeah, Hollywood is a big corporation, but my local one carries (in general) widescreen only and the rental period is 5 days, 5 REAL days.

I agree 100%.

Although he was found innocent, you've found him to be guilty. He's scum and all that, you say. Yet you go out of the way for a "good deal" to shop there. It sounds like he's not the only one of low character in this situation (if he is indeed guilty of what you accuse him of, let's face it you admit he was found innocent and we only know what you've told us which is one-sided).

Yet, you sacrifice your ideals and morals for a Buy 2 Get 1 Free sale?!!

It sounds like you have a personal vendetta against him.
So, you have a bone to pick with him. Sorry, but everything you say here sounds like to me, that you will be the person who ends up doing something stupid, getting caught and face fines and/or jail time. If he's been found innocent by a court of law, there's nothing you can do. Vigilantism will end you up in jail.

Did you get the crap beat out of you as a kid?

Why would you want to report somebody.

Does it effect you, heck your should be happy that you can watch a dvd early.

Its people like you with nothing better to do with your life that you want to get somebody in trouble.

Maybe I should report to the mental institution that you have escaped.

Huh? I always thought street dates were policies instead of official laws handed down from the government.

I said "basically" scot free. Not innocent. He was found guilty of various crimes involved in the matter and had to fork over a significant amount of money to the mother but not found guilty for the most heinous act he committed. I'm not talking about vigilantism here, I just took the things that were said here about crowbars, burning down, etc as jokes. As I said it was just very convenient to go there at the place I was and I made sure he was not in the store before going in there.

When I made my first post in this thread here, I was honestly thinking of pursuing that, but now I'm just curious as to if there would be any penalty at all for breaking street date. As I said, I'm not a snitch, this was just a personal thing, I don't give a damn about stores breaking street date.

I suppose it would be something more akin to owning a condominium, and doing something to it that your association forbids - they'd fine you (or whatever) but it wouldn't be a police matter (unless one of the parties made it so). I can't say I've ever seen any sales contracts to read the legalese about selling before street date, but when you think about it (especially in this country), ANY "rule" dispute like that can easily be escalated into the legal system.

I've got to say I agree with Shill. I'm pretty damn tired of mom and pop video stores being driven out of business in favor of unfairly priced large corporations. I had gone to the Box Office Video and Video Plaza stores near my hourse for 15 years before Blockbuster stores moved in next to each one of them and drove them out of business. Both used the same tactics. When the Blockbusters first opened they offered coupons like rent one get one free, 2 dollars of a rental, etc. They even had a gumball machine up front where if you got a red gumball you would get a free rental. There were so many red gumballs in there if you put in about a buck-25 you were almost assured one.

The moment they drove those stores out of business not only did the gumball machine disappear but the coupons changed to rent three get one free and 25 cents off a rental. TWENTY-FIVE CENTS!!!! What a joke. And the pricing for renting video games is WAY too high and the rental period far too long. I rented a game a while back and hated it after playing it for 20 minutes. What the hell am I going to do for the next 6 and a half days????

Again, they don't fine you. They penalize the store by delaying shipment of future new releases for a period of time agreed upon in their contract. I seriously doubt any legal action is ever taken in these cases, since the studio would have nothing to gain.

My advice to you is go out and purchase One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. I think it would be right up your alley. Report a store for breaking street date on a dvd release. In the words of the great nurse Ratched. "It's medicating time, It's medication time! Medication time!

Those bastards.

The bold is the game breaker. The guy wasnt there at the time when the dvd which broke street date was sold. That right there will be something that favors the guy if you report it. Simple matter, he can't be responsible for selling before street date if he isn't there and no penality will be given to him. he can easily say a worker or someone put it out without his premission. either way. that right there will foil any plan to go after him for breaking street date since he wasn't there.

to this whole thread.

cliff notes:


Guy found Something about mary SE at blockbuster breaking street date

Guy has it out for store owner because of his past actions

Guy wants to report it to get back at that in hopes he suffers long and hard from some hand from above or something..

Guy realizes this is just pointless. others agree
..
..

no profit.

yeah...I was like "why am I even reading this crap...?"

My Blockbuster also has There's Something (more) About Mary out early.
I saw it there last week, and I thought: Man that's expensive! Anyone who buys this here just to get it early is a fool. A fool!
It was more of a reality check for me more than anything else. It reminded me of why I should never ever go there (besides the fact that all of the PVDs were P&S).

You're still operating under the idea that the guy would get arrested or fined for doing this. All that happens is that the store doesn't get their next few shipments on time. It doesn't matter who put the discs on the shelf. And to tell you the truth, nobody really gives a rat's ass if you break street date anyway. I've been in the video retail business for years and the only time I've ever heard of a store getting turned in was for big music (CD) releases. The local competition gets kind of pissed if you undercut CD sales, but DVD sales are a drop in the bucket compared to music, especially when we're talking about the SOMETHING ABOUT MARY re-release. Nobody's gonna care. This whole discussion has been pointless for a while now.

In some instances (As mentioned before Star Wars) there was a threat of a fine if a store broke street date or worse, a lot of back lash from the distributor because they will hear backlash from above and so forth. I worked in the rental industry for a few years. Though not as experienced as you, I have heard some tales of other forms of backlash against the store or the folks who sold the broken street date item, but those are for high class titles which really specifiy themselves. either way, this kid needs to figure out another way to get over this. I also agree that No one will care about SOMETHING ABOUT MARY re-release breaking street date.

Breaking street date just leads to stores losing the money they would have been given to promote the DVD

I worked at a Blockbuster about seven years ago and remember that they had a 1-800 number for customer service to comment on inidividual stores. I don't know the number, but you could call 1-800-555-1212 (toll free directory assistance) and see if they do.

But, if this guy's as awful a person as he sounds, why even patronize this Blockbuster? Aren't there other video stores you can go to in your town?