Business 2.0 via CNN Money - Learning the ins and outs of the post office’s operations was the key on how to mail DVDs cheaply and economically. “Every ounce of weight in the mailer added to postage costs - but if the mailer was too flimsy, DVDs broke in the mail.”
“Seven years of tweaking have paid off: Netflix’s low-cost mailers have helped it fend off competition from Wal-Mart and Blockbuster. How well those iconic red envelopes will help the company fend off the newest threat - video-on-demand - remains to be seen.”
Netflix is one of the U.S. Postal Service’s highest volume customers. “The current mailer - introduced in early 2005 - adds a bar code at the bottom of the envelope…. this mailer transports approximately 1.4 million DVDs a day to Netflix’s 4.2 million subscribers.”
HackingNetflix provided a link to scanned photos of History of Netflix envelopes dating back to 1999. The gallery was featured in the April 2006 print edition of Business 2.0 Magazine.
Related link:
http://www.postalreporter.com/news/category/netflix/
April 25th, 2006 at 10:18 am
Thank you for keeping me employed at my job at the PO! These things were a nightmare!
December 31st, 2006 at 12:00 pm
*****DO NOT JOIN NETFLIX****HERES WHY**** THE DON’T ALWAYS GET THEM BACK!!!AND THEY CHARGE YOU WHY???POSTAL EMPLOYEES STEAL THEM!!!i HAVE SEEN THIS AND REPORTED IT AND NOTHING HAPPENS!!! its too bad BUT the postal inspectors don’t care to be bothering trying to catch clerks,mailhandlers and custodians stealing the dvds. The poor bastards–(THATS YOU)–that are signed up to netflix are getting charged for dvd’s that don’t make it back to netflix all the time. the envelopes don’t work too well when you have supervision sending them through flat sorting machines designed for flat mail,and they get destroyed, just to get the production numbers up!!! Then the retards in the dues and dead letter department stick the broken parts in a plastic bag with an “I’m sorry” on it-and thats supposed tocure everything I guess. I also know that although netflix claims unlimited amounts of monthly rentals,if you send the dvds back too soon and ask for too many,they tell you your selection is out of stock–they send the dvds to you when they want–its no better than going to blockbuster! look on the interenet and read the horror stories. If you like paying $40+ a month for “lost cds-then join–otherwise buy a dvd from wal-mart for $15 and suit at home –its cheaoer than going to the movies anyway
January 7th, 2007 at 4:55 pm
Pschyomechanic, what a moron!