TALKING PICTURES

It’s not often, but every once in awhile I find a product or service I don’t mind crowing about. Blockbuster.com is one such service. Since I've never been accused of keeping things short, here's my long-winded explanation of why.

I fought the monthly online rental service for some time before finally signing up. I tend to be a late adopter when there’s a monthly fee involved. I guess I figure if I’m going to put you on my payroll, you’ve got to prove yourself first. The only thing Blockbuster had ever proven to me was that they could cleverly rename a late fee a "restocking fee" and then announce to the world that late fees were no more. Anyone hungry for a scam sandwich?

But beyond that, I wasn't sure if monthly was going to make sense given my rental habits. I felt I was better off renting DVDs when I felt like it, instead of paying up front and hoping I’d get my money’s worth over the course of a month. But the kid behind the counter at Blockbuster was kind enough (if slightly smug) to point out that I had rented 7 movies in a single month. I got his subtle point almost immediately: my rental strategy was not a cost-effective one.

At $4.26 per rental (yes, that’s what Blockbuster now charges me to RENT a movie), I’d spent $30 in rentals – when I could have rented the same number (or more) for half of that through Blockbuster.com.

I signed up the very next day. Since then, I must admit I have found the service a convenient one. For $14.99, I get unlimited rentals delivered to my house, complete with postage-paid return envelopes. I can be in possession of three DVDs at a time and hold them for as long as I want without penalty (I’m sure there’s something in the fine print for people who insist on testing this policy). There are no restocking fees – I just watch them at my leisure and when I am done, I drop them in the post and wait for my next feature to arrive. I’ve filled my online queue with movies I want to see and log in weekly to peruse new releases. And instead of having to trek outside on a whim, my girlfriend and I always have three DVDs atop her television – movies we’ve selected either together or individually – to watch whenever we want. It’s easy, convenient, and cost-effective.

Now, there is another service like this one that you may have heard about called Netflix. It was started well before blockbuster.com and operates in much the same fashion: a monthly fee for unlimited rentals. A friend of mine tells me they have a broader selection of movies, but I’m not qualified to speak to that. I can only submit that with my Blockbuster.com membership I get two free in-store rentals every month. That way if I don’t feel like waiting for a movie to show up, or get the spontaneous urge to see something “right fucking now,” I can hoof it over to my local brick-and-mortar outlet and pick it up for nothing. Netflix, having no freestanding stores, can’t offer that. Just this week I had the sudden inclination to introuduce a 5-year-old to the magic of Spielberg's E.T. So I printed off a coupon, headed over to Blockbuster, and walked out with a DVD. Convenient and cost-effective.

They do have different plans for different people. If you only want to rent a single movie at a time, they'll start you off at just $9.99. I prefer having a choice, and a lineup of options atop the tube...so I'm on board for the "3-at-a-time" program. If you're a movie renter, I recommend checking it out!

The End