Netflix has a lot of these problems solved just by virtue of their membership model: they can probably write off the scratched discs people return because of how secure their revenue stream is, and all you get from falsely reporting a scratched disc is the same disc mailed to you. (Maybe Redbox could just give you another copy of the same disc if you report it as scratched?)
On a related note, does anyone else think Redbox is angling for an acquisition by Netflix? It's almost obvious how to integrate the business models. They even have the same color!
Coinstar makes machines you dump your change into and, for a percent of the transaction, prints out paper bills.
Free money! You build the machine, give the store a percent of the cut, and every (non-premium) store will let you put one of those up front.
They're in every Safeway I've ever been in. I'd expect to see them in Wal-Marts, Targets, etc. too.
Vending machines, pay phones, and coin-op laundry machines are all the same business model, and typically, that business model involves the owner of wherever the thing is installed calling the owner/operator of the machine when it breaks down instead of fixing it yourself. My landlord knows nothing about fixing the washer and dryer in my apartment building, that much is for sure.
All the head-scratching should probably boil down to "put an out of order sign on it and call Coinstar" at worst.
On the other hand, I wish I had shares in their company.