Wal-Mart "Cues Up A Rival to Netflix" (1 Viewer)

[JarrodK]

I also enjoy a 6-7 day turnaround (from initial shipping to processing the return) with Netflix, which I think is quite fast for regular postal mail. I typically get 3 new rentals each week, which is approximately 12 per month or $1.66 per rental. I'm totally happy with that.

If my local Wal-Mart had a process where I could drop off and pick up rentals at my nearest store (5 minutes away), I would be intrigued... but I seriously doubt they could (or would) offer the same broad selection that I get from Netflix. I live in Tulsa, OK, and I can rarely get any of my desired offbeat/independent/foreign films in the local stores. Netflix is a godsend for a serious film lover who doesn't live in a major city.

 

[streeter]

Rich: I have never tried netflix, but I use greencine.com. I think their selection is better and they even have many out of print discs. They even have the Criterion Salo in circulation.
It usually takes 3 days for a disc to get to me (San Francisco to St. Louis).
Since I've never used Netflix I can't compare this service to them. I've been happy with it so far though - and I think that's in part due to the fact that greencine is fairly new and doesn't have too many members yet (which is the problem with Netflix, from what I understand).

 

[Josh Simpson]

Stinkin' Wal-Mart. I'm just tired of them getting in everything. A couple of years ago our small store started selling Washers, Dryers, Dishwashers, etc. Now they all do gas stations. I heard in a couple of the southern stores they are going to try selling "used cars." I kid you not. Plus their P&S 90% stocked, and 10% if that of Widescreen. Plus some of the people look at me like I'm an idiot when I actually have a widescreen copy in my hand when there is a P&S copy avaliable. I'll support places other than Wal-Mart if possible.

 

[John Knowles]

I have used Netflix practically since they started up and I believe that, for me at least, their service as improved. Since they added a Minneapolis hub, the turnaround has been great and I actually seem to have fewer "wait" titles on my queue than I used to (I usually keep around 100 titles on the list). Of course it helps that I am not one who HAS to have new releases ASAP--I rent a lot of older films and some TV series. But if I HAVE to have a new release right away, I'd just go to a BM rental place; hardly ever happens.

I really like the deep catalog selection and not having to go into a BM store is attractive to me. I don't patronize wal mart or blockbuster so I sincerely hope that they don't suck up the whole online DVD rental market (not that I'm against Netflix having competition...).

 

[Jason Goodmanson]

I've really seen the opposite. Since they added a hub in Tacoma about 6 months ago, I've been able to get about twice as many DVDs from them a month. They have an amazing selection, and are fairly good about keeping stuff in stock. I don't mind if they get competition, I really just hope it doesn't drive them out of business

I agree - the day I saw that Netflix was opening a distribution center in Tacoma, I resigned back up for their service. Nothing like dropping a DVD in the mail on Monday and having a new one on Wednesday.

 

[Dick]

Wal Mart's (unethical) strategy consists of their moving into an area, putting small businesses out of business by saturating the market with lower prices, then moving on, with the same horrific impact of the Martian invasion in WAR OF THE WORLDS. Hundreds of old Wal Mart locations are now vacant, the area dried up of Mom and Pop shops. Why the f**k do they need to get into the video rental business? When will they have enough? I hate this company.

 

[Greg O' Connel]

Yeah, damn them and their low prices and good selection.
:rolleyes

 

[Kevin Leonard]

Well, there's a Netflix center in San Jose, which means I get the discs quite quickly; I receive on average 5 or 6 films a week, so I'm not dumping them anytime soon. Out of the 40 discs I've gotten so far, 2 were damaged, so I say that's a pretty good ratio.

My only complaint is their service; sometimes they're super-quick with delivery, other times they take awhile to ship out films to me. Sometimes it can be quite frustrating.

But other than that, there really is no reason for me to switch. But for those that don't live near a hub, I can totally see why Wal-Mart (or DVDBarn or any of the other rental competitors) might be a viable alternative.

 

[Jan Strnad]

I just signed up with Greencine.com. Thanks for the lead!

Jan

 

[aldamon]

Here's my Netflix experience as of late:
Link Removed
Pretty annoying. I'm sure the two pre-releases at the top will be Long Wait right out of the box....

 

[Piers C]

aldamon,
sorry to see you're having a tough time with your "wants" from Netflix. I've found there is a element of timing & luck involved with recent releases. For example, "Sum of All Fears" is being shipped to me tonight but I had no luck last wk with "Windtalkers." "Rosemary's Baby" has to be a popular choice this time of the year.

I couldn't resist getting some free dvds from wal-mart. i had similiar results as many of you, with most choices being long waits or they simply didn't stock titles or versions I wanted. This is a dry-run for them so I'm not sure how representative this experience is of future service. I did find 3 older releases which arrived today (shipped 10/25), Return address is Carrollton, GA.