Suffering from the Netflix effect
We joined Netflix about four years ago, and have loved it ever since. From time to time, we’ve gotten slow with movies, and barely turned around one per month. Other times, we’re watching and shipping them back as fast as we can. Overall, it’s been a great thing. I’ve loved never having late fees.
I’ve also loved not going to Hollywood Video or Blockbuster ever again, wandering through the aisles and dealing with the bored teenagers behind the counter.
But I got excited about video stores again a few months ago when a little independent video store opened up in our neighborhood. Great selection, personal service, and the sort of small-business vibe that makes you want support it. I put a $20 credit on my account so I can could just walk in and charge a movie any time.
And so last week, when we didn’t have any Netflix on hand that were good for “family movie night,” so I headed down and rented one. Pleasant experience, and for $2.50, I had until the next night at midnight to bring it back.
Except then, I forgot to bring it back. I forgot all about the movie for about 5 days.
I forgot what it was like to have to remember to return the movie by the due date. What it was like to have to grab the videos and jump in the car just to run down and shove them into the drop slot by 6pm. What it was like to totally space the video rental before I headed out of town for Thanksgiving.
So, once again, as I did years ago, tonight I finally took back the late movie and once again, paid $12 in late fees for a $2.50 movie my kids wanted to see. And that $14.50 movie is almost what I pay Netflix for the an entire month.
I realize now that the glorious freedom and relaxation from the fear of late fees has a price - I’ve become so relaxed, I’m completely unable to return movies the old way, to a physical location at a specific time. I may be stuck with Netflix forever. That may not be a bad thing. But it’s something I didn’t realize before.
I’ve been missing the advanced editing features in iMovie HD ever since I got the new iMovie ‘08 with my new Macbook. They overhauled iMovie in the newest iLife release in order to “make editing home movies faster.”
