Blockbuster Rant

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Okay, maybe not a rant, but a complaint. We switched to Blockbuster from Netflix awhile back because Blockbuster would give you coupons for a free movie or video game. There were 2 coupons a month, and since you can keep games a week, it was worth it.

They stopped the coupons, but still let you exchange your mailed movie at the store, and you could get a new movie to watch while they mail your next one. As soon as they scanned your mailed movie, the next one was released from your queue. Pretty cool, right?

At first it was unlimited, and while I used the feature a lot in the summer, I didn't so much in the school year. Besides, seriously, there aren't that many movies I want to see, and my Blockbuster has less and less now, only new releases, no old releases at all.

Then they cut it so you could trade 2 movies a month. Still okay, and I hardly ever use my 2 a month during the school year, unless there are a lot of good movies releasing at a time. Because, see, you'd still be getting your mailed movies from the queue, and you could kind of double up (though I never get more than 2 movies a week, no matter how quickly I watch and return them. I'm on the one-movie-at-a-time plan).

Now...you can trade your movie, but they don't release the next movie until you return the store movie. Hmph.

All this on top of the fact that for the past couple of months, the ONLY new release I've been able to get the week it was released is Australia. Everything else is listed as "short wait" or longer. Even if I time it so my movie gets back on Monday, I don't get a new release for that week.

I want to look and see how much a similar plan would be with Netflix, but it wants me to renew my membership and I'm not ready to commit, since I just paid Blockbuster for the next month.

On the other hand, Blockbuster has exclusive videos, and I don't want to miss out there...

Which service do you use? Why?

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6 comments:

Carol Burnside aka Annie Rayburn said...

I use Netflix. Have never tried Blockbuster, but I live in the boonies and actually getting to one of their stores is a 40 min round trip, so that aspect wouldn't be a plus. Unless there's a holiday or something, there's usually only one day between mailing and receiving with Netflix and I'm on the 3/mo. plan so we've always got a movie in the house.

If you go back with Netflix and want a break, you can suspend your account for 90 days instead of cancelling. That way you don't have to rejoin.

Amie Stuart said...

I know my CP switched back to Netflix but I cancelled mine. BTW you can suspend your Blockbuster membership if you're not using it much. I suspended ours, got HBO for True Blood and ended up canceling it. We've got 400 fricken channels so there's always something on, or something on On Demand I want to watch and I can rent moves from the cable co for 4.00 (even if it's only for 24 hours I rarely watch a movie more than once)--or a book to read for Pete's sake!

Anonymous said...

I love Netflix. We're in the middle of Rome season 2. This weekend I'll have The Tudors season 2. We've been Netflix customers since it started. Our local BlockBusters just don't have enough content.

MJFredrick said...

Suspend.....movies? As in...miss the new releases?? I don't know why, but I must see the new releases, even when it was The Haunting of Molly Hartley (don't ask). In fact, I'm wondering if I get The Changeling back tonight, if I'll get Twilight this weekend.....See, I'm obsessed with getting 2 movies a week.

Does Netflix have 1 movie at a time? Maybe I'll just wait until summer....I'm not good with change :)

Natalie J. Damschroder said...

I have Netflix, which takes only two days between mailing the first movie back and receiving the second. (We have a great distribution center.) I never considered Blockbuster, because it didn't seem as efficient/cost-effective and because the whole point of using a mailing service is not having to go to the store, so I rarely do. (I have a local store membership, though, for things like TIH or when I can't wait for the next disk of TV on DVD).

Netflix does have a one-movie-at-a-time membership, unlimited, for $8.99, and a limited (only two movies a month) for $4.99. And there doesn't seem to be any limit on changing membership levels, as I do it frequently. LOL

MJFredrick said...

Okay, decision made-switching to Netflix when this month is up with BB. I had Twilight first in my queue and they shipped the third movie. I'm tired of the new releases never being available.

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MJFredrick
I'm a mom, a wife, a teacher and a writer. I have five cats and a dog to keep me company. I love bookstores and libraries and Netflix - movies are my greatest weakness.
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