Trial Offer Guide

Video Games are nearly a 10 billion dollar business. Things sure have changed from my old Atari 2600 video console. I think my parents paid about $50 for it. There were about 20 games cartridges available that cost about $15 each. By comparison todays Play Stations and X-Box systems are selling new for upwards of $500 and there are thousands of video game titles available. Some video games can cost more than $100!

Even back when I played that Atari, I know my parents concern was buying the video game cartridges. Would I get bored with them, would I even play them beyond the day they were bought? It’s not the cost of the game system that’s the problem, it’s the cost of the games!

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Blockbuster is one of those companies that was forced to re-invent their wheel. In the 90’s it seemed like there was a new BlockBuster opening on every corner in every town across the country. Then came along NetFlix with a business model that changed the way we rent videos.

Blockbuster, while late to the rent videos by mail party, saw their massive marketshare start to drop and crashed the Netflix Party in a big way. They leveraged what was once their weakness, brick and mortar retail stores into a convenience to the consumer in a way that NetFlix could not equal.

The original Blockbuster program, which was much more a mirror of the NetFlix model had membership online ordering videos, waiting for them to arrive and then sending them back through the mail. When this duplication of model, BlockBuster by Mail, did not significantly differentiate the programs. The BlockBuster executives, to their credit, modified it into the BlockBuster Total Access Program. This allows you to rent by mail, drop off at a local Blockbuster store and even pick up another movie immediately.

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At some point we all need to find someone to care for the people and things we love. The worry is have we made the right choice?

Is that babysitter really qualified? How do I know my parent is being cared for by a trained professional? Who do I trust with the keys to my home? What about rover… will he be walked and fed as if I were there?

In the past when I, my friends and co-workers needed to find one of these important but often to hastily chosen care givers we resorted to placing or responding to blind ads in a local newspaper. Often even if we had the time to interview these people, do you really want them to come into your home? What if they are just looking to ‘case’ your house and learn your schedule. I shudder to think how close many of us have come to disaster.

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