All you can eat, er, watch

I’ve been a member of Netflix since sometime in 2002 and they’ve been good to me. The thought of switching to Blockbuster’s (or anyone else’s) version of movie-rental-via-internet never crossed my mind, and still hasn’t.

The problem with Netflix (and similar services) is lack of spontaneity. Quite often I know which movie I want to see tonight, and of course I don’t have it and it’s not even in my queue. Inevitably, I run to the local Blockbuster and rent it. And (also inevitably), I end up paying 4 or 5 dollars in late fees.

Blockbuster now has a program in the stores that changes things. For $24.95/month, I can have any 2 movies out at a time, with no late fees or due dates. When I want another movie (or two), I just go exchange the movies I have out for new ones. I can do that as many times as I want.

When I inquired about this service, the girl behind the counter said, “Let’s take a look here at your account and…” Her eyes widened in disbelief, “…Oh dear, you’ll definitely save money this way!” Apparently she had spotted my late fee totals for the past few months.

So, I signed up, grabbed a couple movies and went home. I suddenly can’t wait to decide what I want to watch tonight.

It’s like Netflix without the lag.