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Abandoned Redbox Kiosks Possible Boon for Collectors, Nostalgia Buffs
October 15, 2024
What to do with thousands of Redbox kiosks?
That’s the question following the Chapter 7 bankruptcy of Redbox corporate parent Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment.
Major retailers and pharmacies are dealing with the fallout and costs associated with storefronts featuring 24,000 abandoned Redbox kiosks nationwide filled with hundreds of DVD movies. Walgreens in August filed a court motion seeking the right to remove the kiosks bolted into the concrete and reportedly weighing as much as 900 pounds each. The chain claimed the DVD/Blu-ray Disc dispensers have become a logistical and environmental eyesore costing the pharmacy/convenience store $184,000 a month in electricity powering 5,400 kiosks located across 3,800 locations.
“Walgreens should not be required to continue to ‘store’ and power Redbox kiosks across the country without any form of payment,” read the filing.
It’s an issue reportedly affecting Walmart, Albertsons, Kroger and Dollar General, among other retailers, who now are faced with the cost of removing the kiosks, including disposal of an environmentally toxic special coolant.
Brian Rady, a former VP of finance at Redbox for 10 years through 2013, in a media interview said the kiosk removal would likely cost at least $500 per unit when factoring in mechanical, labor and related issues.
“It won’t be cheap,” Rady told the Wall Street Journal.
While idle Redbox kiosks are a big-box store nuisance, they could become a collector’s windfall.
Rady said he believes the kiosks could turn into collectibles similar in the way that the last-standing Blockbuster Video store, located in Bend, Ore., has become a tourist stop and AirBnB vacation rental.
“I suspect big [Redbox] partners like Walmart and Walgreens will focus on proper disposal, so likely an easy way to get a kiosk from them,” he said in an email.
Regardless, kiosk afficionados would be wise to do their homework before salvaging a Redbox, or any disc rental kiosk for personal or business use, says Ben Wheeler, self-described as “The Kiosk Guy.”
Wheeler says the last Redbox kiosk was manufactured about 11 years ago, with most of the outdoor units “pretty beat up at this point.” However, he said that any still existing defunct Blockbuster Video kiosks warehoused over the years could offer collectors a better salvage opportunity due their superior internal mechanics.
Wheeler says Blockbuster kiosks had a more adaptable design that showcased a bookcase with an internal robot dispensing DVD movies, while the Redbox machine featured a revolving tray tower that spun, requiring more moving parts and less flexibility in regards to larger items being dispensed.
He said most disc rental kiosks could be retrofitted to sell cannabis and related CBD items, in addition to trading cards and smaller collectibles such as Pokémon and Fanatics sports memorabilia.
“I could also see people putting them into museums but … showing up in someone’s living room is a non-starter — at least for my wife,” Wheeler said.