Monday, 14 January 2008 12:55 pm
(no subject)
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deckardcanineI still use a family account when I rent from the video store. Last week I learned that someone else had checked out two movies for too long. The clerk promptly waived the fees. This was at the same location where, in 2006, my three-day-late fee was reduced to one day's worth because the clerk was "feeling nice."
As pleasant as these courtesies are, I can't help thinking that it shows how desperate the store has gotten. With my neighborhood's nearest other store newly out of business, it's pretty worrisome. I feel guilty for subscribing to the indubitable cause of their desperation, Netflix (which probably is losing money on me, too, given my usual checkout rate).
But my main cause for concern remains the fact that video stores serve some functions that Netflix doesn't. Not every old movie worth watching has made the transition to DVD yet. More importantly, Netflix won't enable me to rent video games. I'd hate to have to buy ones I only want to try out.
...Well, there is a positive way of looking at this. A non-negligible part of me would like to reduce my playtime. Ideally, this would be entirely by my own choice, but I could accept the force of circumstance.
As pleasant as these courtesies are, I can't help thinking that it shows how desperate the store has gotten. With my neighborhood's nearest other store newly out of business, it's pretty worrisome. I feel guilty for subscribing to the indubitable cause of their desperation, Netflix (which probably is losing money on me, too, given my usual checkout rate).
But my main cause for concern remains the fact that video stores serve some functions that Netflix doesn't. Not every old movie worth watching has made the transition to DVD yet. More importantly, Netflix won't enable me to rent video games. I'd hate to have to buy ones I only want to try out.
...Well, there is a positive way of looking at this. A non-negligible part of me would like to reduce my playtime. Ideally, this would be entirely by my own choice, but I could accept the force of circumstance.
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Netflix is far more convenient for me than the local BlockBuster (saves me a 2 mile walk), and I don't feel any guilt about depriving a big corporation like BlockBuster of business. If it was a mom and pop shop, I'd feel guilty.
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My family and I have been so f-ed by the Blockbuster corporation's fee policies, that I would never rent from there again (unless I really wanted to see a foreign film, like the French masterpiece "Time Out" which I saw and loved).
In general, I've given up on renting movies. If I want to see a movie, I usually buy it off eBay (or Amazon.com marketplace) and then sell it later on eBay. It takes more time, yes, but I like this system that I have going.