The Poor Man’s Netflix

You can search on their website for the closest location to your zip code.

by Laura

Tonight we’re giving Redbox a test drive – you may be familiar with their video vending machines, usually found in places like grocery stores.  Since one is located in the Harris Teeter across the street, we decided that it was worth the $1 rental fee to check out their selection.  From what I can tell, their online listing of movies seems focused on newer releases; I wanted to watch Gone with the Wind, but Harold dodged that bullet when their selection only went back until about 2008.  Their troubles with Fox & Warner Brothers distribution may also be part of the problem.

On the plus side, I liked that you could browse the titles available at your specific location, and reserve your choice online in advance.  Also, signing up gives you access to promo codes for free rentals, although you can only enter those in at the physical box; there’s no way to claim your code if you go the Internet route. Other pluses?  No commitment/monthly fee – you pay by the movie.  And, convenience – there’s no waiting for movies to arrive in the mail, which is helpful if you’re a part of the “I Want It Now” generation.

So far, I think this is pretty genius for maintaining a few of the good things about stores like Blockbuster, while reducing costs like overhead and building space. It’s also nice that the savings are passed onto the customer – who can’t afford a buck?

Update:  When I went to pick up my DVD, the machine couldn’t find a matching reservation for my credit card.  I eventually called customer service and we agreed that this was weird after making sure that I wasn’t, in fact, retarded and had tried pressing the “retrieve my online order” button and used the correct card.  Now, they did immediately give me two future movie rentals free of charge, but here’s the annoying part:  their agent cheerfully explained that they can’t modify existing reservations until they expire.  So, I won’t be able to get my movie selection until it’s released from its hold 24 hours later.  Even though it’s there, in the box, on hold for me.  Um, so why wouldn’t customer service be able to do an override? This seemed to me like a legit question, but apparently Redbox had not so much thought of this before.  Le sigh.  Another exciting weekend begins!