Over the past few months I have become a totally dedicated and enthusiastic user of Redbox DVD rentals. For years, like most people, I rented videos at a Blockbuster or Hollywood Video store. I got used to paying a little more than $4 for one movie rental. It was convenient to have five nights before returning it. But overwhelmingly I rented movies that I felt like watching on that particular day. And that to me becomes perhaps the most important factor to consider when deciding what method to use for renting movies.
One of the big successful alternatives to using stores for rentals has been Netflix. It is wildly successful. I tried it. But what I discovered quickly caused me to go back to stores. And from what I have heard and read my experience is very typical of others. The problem with Netflix is that you are making decisions about what movies to watch some days before you will actually watch them. When you think about the history of watching films in theaters, it was your spontaneous feelings about what you would enjoy watching on that particular day that was the biggest factor in deciding what to see. With Netflix many people end up getting the DVDs in the mail but do not necessarily feel like watching them when they arrive. They may hold on to some movies for many days or weeks just because they do not feel like watching the movies they chose originally on particular days. Besides, I resent the financial obligation one must make in the Netflix system. There are periods when shows on television remove my desire to rent movies, and other times when I travel for business or vacation when I would not make use of the system.
Admittedly, Netflix has been so successful because they conquered the convenience factor. Having to get to a store to rent a movie has always been a turn-off. It almost always involves a special trip by car, which these days with the high cost of gas is expensive. Even worse, with most Americans being time-poor, getting to stores to both rent and return videos is terribly burdensome when our time is the most valuable thing we have in life. Netflix fixed that problem in a most remarkable way. Their mailing system is truly convenient.
So now let me explain what has made me addicted to using Redbox. First, you may not have noticed Redbox vending machines, but most likely wherever you live there are Redbox machines in a supermarket or McDonalds or gas station or drugstore pretty close to where you live. In a nutshell here is how Redbox works. The easy-to-use machines let you quickly see on a touch screen what movies are available. You select what you feel like seeing that day and use a credit card to retrieve the movie. The charge is just $1 dollar per night plus whatever tax may apply where you live. You have until 9 pm the next day to return the DVD.
Over many months I have never held a DVD rented from Redbox more than one night. The Redbox system really sustains spontaneity. So I have been saving $3 per movie rental compared to what I was spending in stores. And the selection of movies has been terrific. New movies are made available once a week and they get truly first run DVDs. Wait! Here is one of the best convenience features of Redbox: You can return a Redbox movie at ANY Redbox location even in another city! This really enhances the convenience advantage of the system. Some people have found it incredibly convenient to use Redbox while traveling, either by car or by airplane.
I have spoken to other Redbox customers at the supermarket that I usually use. Everyone has expressed complete enthusiasm about the convenience and cost advantages of Redbox.
I just discovered a website that offers promotion codes that can be used to get free rentals at Redbox; it is www.insideredbox.com. That just shows you how successful Redbox has become.
So if you value spontaneous movie watching decisions, convenience and really low cost, then keep your eyes open and look for a Redbox kiosk near where you live. Or, take the easy way: go to www.redbox.com where you can use your zip code or address to immediately find the closest Redbox locations. And remember, you can forget about late fees. The cost will always be just $1 per day. Wait! There is another terrific feature you can find on the Redbox website: You can actually reserve a movie at a particular Redbox location. It is there waiting for you for 24 hours, at that low $1 cost.
We can expect to see more and more Redbox units pretty much everywhere in the USA . There is big money behind the business: McDonalds.
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