It seems that everyone I talk to is using Netflix instead of Blockbuster. I don't get it. Even though my closest Blockbuster is closing, the next closest one is 1.7 miles away. I can go there WHENEVER I WANT.
Kids want a movie? We can go.
They go to bed and I want my own movie? I can go.
Something wrong with the movie? I can go back.
Don't like the movie, want to change it? Problem fixed within 10 minutes.
New releases come out on Tuesdays. Every Tuesday at 10am, I can watch the latest movies. I'll bet I couldn't do that if I used Netflix.
Netflix recently settled a class action lawsuit against them regarding limiting their rentals to those who watched a lot of movies:
http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2006/05/01/daily31.html?from_rss=1
"Subscribers who signed up for "unlimited" DVD rentals found that shipments were slowed down if they watched large numbers of DVDs and returned them quickly. Heavy renters, who use more of the postage-paid envelopes provided by Netflix, provided lower profits; critics called the approach "throttling.""
Someone who rents as much as I do would be affected by this practice.
Blockbuster now has an online rental service as well. It seems better than Netflix since you get 2 free in store rentals per month. That would help you get a new release without waiting, but there still is the problem of getting a broken DVD. Once I was in Blockbuster and a customer was speaking to the manager. She said that she was an online customer and several of the movies she received recently were damaged and unplayable. She further commented that was disappointing and also that it rarely happened when she rented the movies from the store. She asked if there was anything the store could do about it. The manager sadly told her no.
After about a year of being on the Blockbuster movie pass, I am used the instant gratification I get from it. There's no way I can stop.
1 comment:
It's true, I don't like waiting for the movie to come in the mail. Even though Netflix seems to use some kind of magic shipping so that you get it the next day. But I still have to wait a day for them to get the movie I returned, then one more day to get the next one. But, Netflix has a much bigger selection than any Blockbuster I've seen, and our closest Blockbuster has a teeny parking lot that I hate to use. So I still like Netflix better because in my neighborhood it's more convenient to have it come to my door.
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