Free Blockbuster is saving cash and keeping DVDs alive

This story was originally published by KUER.

Move over “Be Kind, Rewind.” The new slogan is “Take A Movie, Leave A Movie.” That’s right: A Blockbuster nostalgia trip could be coming to a yard near you.

Salt Lake City just got its very first Free Blockbuster — like a lending library but for movies (mostly DVDs). Local libraries also rent out DVDs to patrons.

Kate Kowalczik is the little blue and yellow box’s owner. 

“You can see it's painted with our free blockbuster logo. It says, ‘Take a movie, Leave a movie,’ which is the whole premise,” she said.

Right now, it’s stocked with seasonal favorites like “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and “Elf.”

“People definitely stop and ask me about it. I got to witness, like, a young preschooler learn what DVDs were, and that was incredible to be a part of,” she said.

There are hundreds of Free Blockbusters across the country, and recapturing the feeling of a Friday night video store run is only part of the appeal. 

Between price hikes and crackdowns on password-sharing, customers are being forced to consider how much they’re willing to spend on entertainment subscriptions.

Consumers are squeezed, noted David Tinsley, senior economist with the Bank of America.

“They're still under pressure from things like higher motor insurance, higher housing costs, higher child care costs. So in a way, streaming is one of the areas they can look at and take a fresh look at,” he said.

Plus, Tinsley said, our economy has changed. Things that used to be goods have now become services.

“So we used to go and buy DVDs, and now we subscribe. We used to buy CDs and now we stream,” he said.

For Kate Kowalczik, watching free movies from the box is great — but it’s really about community.

“I think joy is contagious, and so it's been so fun and joyful for me to just witness — even when people don't take something from the box, to see that smile has just brought a lot of joy into my life,” she said.

And joy? That’s free, too.

Let’s get physical (media)

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