Door to Door

We can currently receive anything in our mailbox: groceries, DVDs, Christmas gifts, and text books.

But in a Washington Post article dated June 12, 1989, the prospect of videos at our doorstep was a new concept:
"...An enterprising Washington video store owner is heating up the battle by offering a new gimmick: delivery service. Door to Door Video claims to be the first video rental outfit in the District to offer delivery to homes and offices. The rental, at $5 a night, is about double the cost of renting from Erol's..."
The article goes on to publish statements from Door to Door's competitors, Blockbuster and Erol's, who say that the service will become unpopular as a result of its expense. Spokespeople surmise that consumers would rather drive to their stores than pay a little extra.
Yet the article fortells the future: "...Industry analysts argue that it is a convenience service that the public wants and has proven to be profitable in other parts of the country."
An internet search has yielded little information about Door to Door's fate. Though it may not continue, Netflix and DVDs-to-your-mailbox competitors are a popular service.

More importantly, the convenience may be "killing" the in-store competition. Hollywood Video is going under--stores across the country are rapidly closing, and the Towson stores began their liquidation sale in September, emptying its retail before the beginning of October. Its parent company, Movie Gallery filed for bankruptcy last month, but the chain had been suffering for more than a year, having been purchased out of desperation in 2005.
Blockbuster (which hopes to soon own Hollywood Video, according to my employee stock statement) has lost more than $35 million and closed 526 stores nationwide, despite offering a Netflix-like program, sending DVDs in the mail to customers and allowing the opportunity to return and rent in-store.

Local chains do not currently offer what Door-to-Door attempted to bring to DC's residents in 1989, but Video Americain currently offers the purchase of DVDs through its website. Perhaps it's only a matter of time...

So, if the convenience of mail-order renting seemed impossible 18 years ago, what's next? What