Netflix vs. Renting

[SaintMort]

Alright so the other day my mom was like "did you see that blockbuster is doing that Netflix thing now as well? I guess Netflix getting close to kill video renting" First of all, nothing will end video rentals as long as there are families in the world and guys on dates (no guy would netflix a movie 3 days prior to his date just for the date...except of course me). Next my mom decided to suggest that this blockbuster thing would put an end to netflix which is even MORE unrealistic... people didn't start doing netflix because theyw ere lazy (well most of them) in my opinion it was because Netflix offered a more mom and pops store choice than blockbuster ever did.

Honestly I don't miss renting videos at all. When I was little there was a mom and pops video store that I used to rent b-movies from ALL the time but that went out of business before I even got into high school so after that I had to deal with blockbuster's lack of options... I'm curious of what other people's perspectives on this.

[Ash]

It will never replace the experience of going to the video store to pick out something to rent.
Either with a girlfriend, the wife or some good friends, choosing a movie or movies in a video store is a fun social experience that no online video site can ever duplicate.
I personally love going to the video store.  Always have. 

Netflix or Blockbuster online could carry every single title in the world and I would still go to the video store.

[D-Man]

Well, we all know how wonderfully efficient our mailing service is...   So that's one strike against Netflix putting an end to rental stores.  Why wait for what could possibly be several days for a new release, when you could take a chance, go down to Blockbuster or Hollywood Video, and try to rent it right now?  Plus take into account that most people can only afford the "one DVD at a time" delivery plan, and that can get annoying, especially with multi-disc sets. 

Netflix IS useful, however, when you want to get something really obscure that many video stores don't have.  Netflix was how I was able to see Bad Taste, XTRO, and Street Trash on DVD, among other films.

But rental stores aren't going anywhere...at least not at this point in time. 

[Shadow]

I'm just the opposite from Ash in that I hate going to the video store. There is a Blockbuster really close by our house - I swear it would only take me about 2 minutes to drive there, yet I have not set foot in there in well over a year. I just have no reason to do so. We don't entertain, so any movie renting is for our own enjoyment, and we're content to wait until our choice shows up in the mail. That way we can watch when we want, without having to feel pressured to have it back at a certain time. Plus, Netflix made all sorts of movies available that I would never find in the video store, so it has been a real convenience.

That all being said, I don't see video stores disappearing any time soon. Many people enjoy the experience and I totally get that, which is the same reason why I insist on seeing some movies in the theater rather than waiting for the DVD - just for the experience. Plus, Netflix is no good for those spur of the moment times when you decide to rent a movie. I think a lot of rental activity falls into that category, so the video stores are here to stay...for now.

[Mr_Vindictive]

Alright so the other day my mom was like "did you see that blockbuster is doing that Netflix thing now as well? I guess Netflix getting close to kill video renting" First of all, nothing will end video rentals as long as there are families in the world and guys on dates (no guy would netflix a movie 3 days prior to his date just for the date...except of course me). Next my mom decided to suggest that this blockbuster thing would put an end to netflix which is even MORE unrealistic... people didn't start doing netflix because theyw ere lazy (well most of them) in my opinion it was because Netflix offered a more mom and pops store choice than blockbuster ever did.

Honestly I don't miss renting videos at all. When I was little there was a mom and pops video store that I used to rent b-movies from ALL the time but that went out of business before I even got into high school so after that I had to deal with blockbuster's lack of options... I'm curious of what other people's perspectives on this.

The Mom and Pop selection is why I've been a Netflix member for over a year and will never go back to renting at a store.  I can see what I want when I want.

Also, most video stores are about an hour from my home.  Not worth the trip.

[Andrew]

Amazingly, I have yet to establish a Netflix account, but the lure is strong.  What prevents me from doing so is that I always seem to have a movie or two lying around that I own, but have yet to see.  That an the DVR, because I have a few films recorded on there that I need to watch.

The great thing about Netflix is the huge selection.  I know that many people have seen some wonderful b-movies due to their ability to stock such a wide range of films.

I do miss the independent chains of rental stores.  Places link Blockbuster and Hollywood video are fine, but they never have the selection of strange or weird films that the independent stores would stock.  I discovered many a film due to mom and pop stores.  There is something fun about wandering the aisles, looking for a "special" cover.

[Mr_Vindictive]

That an the DVR, because I have a few films recorded on there that I need to watch.

There is something fun about wandering the aisles, looking for a "special" cover.

I just recently got a DVR and it's been cutting into my "Netflix Time".  I've been keeping films out longer and longer because I've been recording so much stuff.  It's a blessing and a curse.



Amen to looking for "special" covers.  There are many films I'd never had considered if it wasn't for the boxart.

[zombiedudeman]

I never rent, I always figure, for a couple bucks more I could own a used copy from Amazon  or in stores like Rasputin and Amoeba (popular used CD/DVD stores here in the Bay Area, I discovered a lot of obscure stuff there). Even new copies of movies are cheap, especially on Deepdiscount with free s/h and occasional sales (their Buy 1 get 1 free deals are amazing!). I've contemplated getting a netflix account before just so I could rent stuff that's out of print and expensive (like Begotten and Salo) but I got some buddies that can hook me up with copies of that stuff. Sure it's a DVD-R copy, but if I rented the movie it's not like I was going to own the actual thing anyways. Plus I heard it takes forever to get that hard to find stuff on Netflix cause everyone is trying to rent it at the same time.

Netflix and renting will both exist I think, but I'll stick with my hunting for cheap copies to own. I do wish there were some more small rental stores though that specialized in obscure stuff, Hollywood Video and Blockbuster are pathetic as far as selection goes.

[BeyondTheGrave]

While rental stores won't disappear, Like ShadowFrye I don't want to go out and rent. I canwait for movies. But I understand spur of the moments and stuff like that.

Netflix does have a great selection. Its mops the floor with alot of bigger rental places.

zombiedudeman about Netflix its doesn't take forever to send the hard to find dvds.  What takes forever is new releases.  I don't care because I barely get any new releases anyway. Sometimes though if your local Netflix center doesn't have the movie they send it from somewhere. Most time I had to wait was 3 days.

About the new BlockBuster thing where you can bring back a dvd you get in the mail to the store, its not all that great if you think about it. The stores have sub-par selection and if your a die hard movie buff I doubt you will find the movie you want (Unless new release or made after 1990) at the store compared to online BlockBuster.

[ulthar]

I'm just the opposite from Ash in that I hate going to the video store.

Ditto that.

But I don't think we need a one-size-fits-all system.  Why not both rental stores AND web based mail rental?  The current numbers as well as this impromtu poll seem to suggest there is a market for both.

[Ash]

I didn't mean to say that I would never try Netflix.  I would.
Matter of fact, I have a free 1 month subscription to Netflix in my e-mail inbox.  I just haven't activated it yet.  (I'd better get on that)
I think that I would use Netflix for the more obscure and hard to find movies and go to Blockbuster for the new stuff.

Still, there's nothing quite like asking some friends or a girlfriend, "Hey, you wanna go to the video store and get a movie?"
And then jumping in the car, going there, looking around and eventually getting into discussions with the clerks or even other customers about how this or that movie either totally sucked or was awesome.
In many ways, it's like the conversations we all have here...just in person.

I tend to do that in video stores.  I'll overhear someone asking someone else if a movie is good or not and if I'm standing near them, I'll jump in on the conversation.
I once had a BS session for over an hour with a random customer and a clerk in a Blockbuster store and it was a good time!  We must've talked about 10 different movies.
The clerks at my local Blockbuster know their stuff when it comes to all kinds of movies...unlike some other Blockbuster stores.

[dean]

The version here that seems the most common, Quickflix, is quite handy.

Like most people, having the huge list to choose from is the main positive for Net-based DVD stores.  I've seen many reasonably obscure/harder to find DVDs that I otherwise wouldn't have watched if it wasn't for Quickflix, and being bad movie fans, we would probably tend to hire the ones that aren't as popular and therefore have more of a chance of getting a positive hit on what we want quicker.

My basic theory is, if it's hard to find, it's on my Quickflix que, if it's reasonably easy/new release, I'll go down to my local store and browse for about half an hour, and pick up some great packages [the one near me has some really good deals on New Release and Weekly combos.]

The downside to the net based one is that I currently have about 5 dvds sitting here I either haven't touched or haven't bothered returning, since I've been too busy and too lazy, and therefore I'm essentially paying too much since my turnover rate isn't what it should be [I used to be quite thrifty, now it's terrible]

Therefore, to save a bit of money, I'm probably going to cancel my account once my stand by list has been completed.  It's a while off yet, but eventually if I kept it, it would probably cost more than it really is worth to me.

[Jordan]

As I've been in the video rental biz for a number of years, I can tell you that Netflix isn't really killing off rental chains (in Blockbuster's case, severe mismanagement and outright lies concerning the "end of late fees" did the most damage). What NetFlix is doing is forcing the rental business to change, and all those that can't change (or refuse to change) will just die out. There's still a good number of small chains and mom and pop shops that still do decent business and there's still two giant rental chains that are going fairly strong. The one thing that NetFlix can't offer you (although their movie catalogue is gi-normous and they keep the movies coming at a pretty good clip) is that bit of socializing you do with fellow movie seekers and video store clerks. (Some of which can be know-it-all jerks.) That's the one thing I enjoy about working at a video store: Talking with the customers. At the peak of my career (yeah, how lame am I, right? LOL!), people were coming in and asking me what to rent rather than bother looking on the shelves, some just came in to say hello before going home or going to work, and others just came in to argue the finer points in film (such as what female celebrities give us the most wood or, which is better "The Cave" or "The Descent?" That one's an easy one, "The Descent" wins, hands down!)

In closing, Netflix is a good alternative if your local video store doesn't have what you want, but I don't think it will (or should) become the only way to rent a movie. Us Americans are fat enough, we should at least get a bit of exercise and go stroll around a  video store for a bit.

Also, there was a NetFlix-type store online but I can't seem to find it anymore. I think it was www.creepyflix.com, and it had a huge variety of horror and sci-fi films for rental. Hmmm.... where did it go?

[CheezeFlixz]

I've never used Netflix, but I have Blockbuster Online and use that all the time. The thing I like about Blockbuster over Netflix is that after you get your online rental you can return it to the store for a free rental in the store, sort of a 2 for 1 thing. So the hard to find movies I rent online and the popular "long wait" movies I can get at the local store.

But to answer the question .. no I don't think it will. There will still be brick and morter stores as there are still a lot of people that will not buy/rent anything online. Those that still have net-o-pobia.

[Pilgermann]

I don't think that video rental stores will die out any time soon.  There are still a LOT of folks who don't have the internet.  I don't have any plan to get a Netflix subscription, although I tried the free trial.

As dorky as it sounds, I've been renting a lot of DVDs from my local public library and then burning copies.  They're free!  I'm not sure if everyone has access to a library with a decent selection of films, but mine carries the majority of the Criterion Collection (I've got a copy of Naked Lunch on hold, I think), has a lot of westerns, noir, most classic films you can think of, and a strangely large anime collection.  They've got a handful of things like The Wicker Man, The Bird With the Crystal Plumage, Altered States, and The Quiet Earth, .  Unfortunately there aren't many b-movies, but it's a nice and easy way to view a wide variety of films that I may not normally have access to.