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Show 8 r DIXIE, SUN Is , CAMPUS BEA1 it Blockbuster or Netflix for your next movie rental? by Joseph Gidjums Knight Ridder Newspapers After decades of driving to the local rental store and hoping your movie is in stock, a popular alternative has arrived more than titles, links moie than 20 nation wide disti lbution centers with its Internet Web site to piovide 15 million sub sci ibers with movie rentals Netflix, 15,000 w with DVD movie ithout late lees On the typical plan, a sub scriber can rent up to three DVD movies at a time and keep them as long as he or she likes for $19 95 per month The movies arrive by first class mail, usually within one or two business and subscribers days, return the movie using the same envelope the movie came in All postage is paid by Netflix, and after the the receives company returned movie, it sends the next one from the sub scriber s online queue While Netflix offers the convenience of never leaving your home to rent a movie, Blockbuster spokesperson Randy Hargrove said your local video store offers immediate gratification The traditional rental at Blockbuster Video is about $4 for a two day new release, $3 for a week long non new release Late fees apply But to compete with the no late fees, Blockbuster initi ated a program in 20 percent of its stores called the Movie Freedom Pass For a charge of about $25, sub scribers could rent two or three movies at a time and bring them back when they w'ant Blockbuster hopes to expand the service nation wide later in the year, Hargrove said He added that all of their stores already use the guar anteed in stock program that gives customers a free rental of a new' release if it is not in stock Blockbuster also offers the $20 Game Pass that Subscription allow's unlimited game sys tern rentals for a month, one rental at a time With more than 48 million customers in the United States, Blockbuster is the leader in the market, but Netfhx hopes to reach five million customers by 2007 In 2003 alone, subscriptions increased by nearly 75 percent to 5 million 1 both www netflix com and www blockbuster com, customers can check to see if the film title they want is in stock, either at a warehouse or at a local store Both sites also offer reviews and detailed movie informa Later this year, tion Blockbuster plans to integrate more Internet features with m store features so customers can choose to rent movies at the store or online, Hargrove said At TWO DAY PATIENCE VS INSTANT GRATIFICATION NETFLIX 1 5 million customers Uses 22 distribution houses to send movies ware- DVDs only Netflix Plan at per month Rent 3 movies at a time They arrive by first class mail in usually 2 business Typical $19 95 1 days Return movie in same enve lope No postage is neces sary After Netflix teceives the returned movie, they send the subscriber the next one on his or her online list BLOCKBUSTER 48 million 5500 customers stores in the United States VHS DVDs, and video games Two Types of Blockbuster Video Plans Traditional New Release Rental About $4 for Non new release $3 for eight days Guaranteed m Stock program gives a free rental for a new release if it is not in tock 1 two-day- s Movie Freedom Pass (only in 1100 stores) About $25 a month, two to three movies out at a time, no late fees Happy Valewtmefc Pay! 2 From ONLINE: - wrww wrww - PAUL blockbuster com netflix com Pixie Sim BY BILLY CHECK OUT THIS AWESOME FUER I MADE. p0P- - LIVING L FUN the j COLT AH, SOMEDAV I'LL LOOK LIKE THAT. AND THE REST IS ALL INTERPRETIVE. OKEEFE WWW.MRBIUY.eOM |
