The value of the American dollar is decreasing and now the United States’ credit rating has been taken hostage. But why do prices seem to keep increasing? While the economy has been in shambles for almost 3 years the prices of our everyday items – milk, eggs, bread and of course gas continue to rise. The airline industry has record levels for flight prices and now our extras (luggage, snacks) are going by the waste side. However, there have been some companies that continued to grow in our economic recession – Netflix & Redbox are some of them. But wait, their prices are fluctuating too? Netflix announced in mid-July that their most popular service – instant streaming and one-disc-at-a-time was almost doubling to a $15.98/month price instead of a $8.99/month.
Netflix and Redbox have put many video rental chains and local establishments out of business. I know in the Lehigh Valley alone dozens of Blockbusters, Hollywood Videos and others have closed their doors. I myself am a frequent customer of Redbox and I love that I can use my iPhone to reserve a movie via my credit card (this feature is also available online) and I can pick it up within the next 24 hours at the kiosk for only $1/night! Yes, I admit I was a little hesitant about putting my credit card into the kiosk to rent a movie and then how does the kiosk work? The movie really does come out of that little side slot and that is how I return it too? No, it is just too easy! No subscriptions, no fuss and I must say they have great customer service! Last winter, when the Lehigh Valley was getting hammered with snow storms – I had a movie from Redbox - I went to 2 of the nearest Kiosks and they both were out of order. I was not going to risk driving any further to return it so I called the next day and Redbox apologized with an extra night to return and a free code for my next rental! Score! And not to mention with the world’s technology and social media explosion it is very easy for me to find free Redbox codes meaning I hardly ever have to pay for a movie rental via Redbox at all anymore.
Netflix has also become quite handy being available for instant streaming via their website or via the Wii – this requires an internet connection and the Netflix Channel on your Wii console. Netflix also has the feature to watch instantly on your iPhone (you must have a streaming subscription). I’ve only used this feature a couple of times – the small screen strains my eyes but it has come in handy when I’m stuck somewhere and I need something to relieve the boredom. But I also liked the ability to reserve older movies that I never got to see or perhaps I was too young. This is something that Redbox is lacking the older selection and independent films.
Despite Netflix having the older & independent films I have decided to only subscribe to their streaming service. I just cannot justify paying $16/month for both Netflix instant streaming and one-disc-at-a-time service. While I do enjoy getting the little red envelope in the mail and getting the surprise of what movie I am getting this time, it just does not pay itself to me. I think Netflix is in for a real awakening when most of their customers limit their services to one or the other or to none at all. There already have been reports of their stock dropping – which was shortly after their price increase announcement. And I’m sure more people will follow suit, I just changed my service today before the price increase hit in September. I honestly did think about cancelling it all together but I do like the convenience of having the streaming on my Wii to watch some of my TV shows (old and new), having a friend go “we should watch a movie” and with a few clicks of my remote we are watching it in the comfort of my own living room without any effort of driving to the store or Redbox required. So now Netflix will serve as my instant movie & TV go-to service while Redbox will remain my source for the current movies at the cheap cost. I forgot to mention that Blockbuster is now offering this feature at few select locations throughout the Lehigh Valley.
What have you decided to do with your Netflix subscription? And don’t be afraid of the big red box – Redbox is probably one of the best kept secrets around! I often get the older generation asking me about it when I’m returning my movie or renting one and they always are pleasantly surprised.
I personally have never tried Redbox because I'm too lazy to go to the nearest location. That means I'm spending money in gas and for the movie itself. Not to mention that I have to drive back to return it. Sure, I didn't like the price increase with Netflix, but I use it so much that for me it's justified. And don't forget that you can stream Netflix through Xbox and Playstation. The Xbox even has a neat feature that you can watch movies with someone else, like through a party. No syncing required, it just plays on both screens. Joe and I love this feature. So it just depends on what suites your life and what makes you happy! Both are great ways to see good movies! :)
ReplyDeleteWe're dropping streaming and going for the discs only. It's handy but we don't watch enough streaming to justify keeping it...maybe once every couple of months. There just isn't enough there that we want to see (recent releases). We really should drop the discs too but it's much more convenient than Redbox so we're keeping it for now.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mousy about the inconvenience of Redbox. I've succumb to knowing that conveniences sometime come with a higher price tag. (Netflix and my iPhone)
ReplyDeleteFrom Yahoo: NEW YORK (AP) — Why is Netflix raising its prices? In part, because the company miscalculated how many people still want to receive DVDs by mail each month, a more expensive service to provide compared with its streamed Internet videos.
Netflix has been trying to lure subscribers away from its DVDs by offering cheaper plans that include movies and TV episodes delivered over its Internet streaming service. In November, it began offering a streaming-only plan for $8, its cheapest option at the time. Yet Netflix customers aren't flocking to Internet video as quickly as some analysts said the company expected.
... So as long as Netfix does take our money and invest in their streaming service to pay for licensing to get new releases on this service quicker, we may be able to ditch the DVD plan and move to instant.
We are so spoiled!