Switching from Netflix to Blockbuster Online

Netflix used to ship new movies the same day the discs I rented were returned. More recently, however, they would receive my movie and ship out a new one as late as three business days later. They attributed this to their increase in distribution centers; movies used to be shipped to me from San Jose, now they could be coming from, say, New York.

That response, of course, would address a postal delay, but not why it would take three days to drop a movie off in the mail--the question at hand.

I got fed up and quit Netflix to join Blockbuster Online, which is also cheaper for the same plan.

Netflix does have a more extensive dvd collection. But I figured that I watch too many movies as it is, and Blockbuster is more than adequate. Blockbuster Online also allows you to print two free rental coupons per month, so if you have that itch to go out and rent something right now, you could.

However, I do have problems supporting Blockbuster. Its "No Late Fees" promotion could be construed as consumer fraud (read article). Before the "No Late Fees" days, I believe Blockbuster participated in late fee fraud--that is, almost everyone I know who has rented a movie from Blockbuster has been erroneously charged late fees for movies returned within the due date. I admit that there could be more innocuous causes for the late fees--for example, I imagine there are few incentives for employees to pay enough attention to check in every movie. However, Blockbuster could have built in QC procedures to reduce such errors, but these erroneous charges occurred in such frequencies that I believe the store preferred to turn a blind eye to such practices. This is conjecture, of course, but a class action lawsuit was also raised in Canada for this very reason (read article).

Beyond consumer fraud, the Blockbuster CEO has been accused of going on a "spending spree with the shareholder's money" (read article) by the company's largest shareholder. Sounds unethical, though I am uncertain of the consequences to the consumer. Feel free to let me know what the possibilities are.

I feel a moral dilemma coming on. Blockbuster also stands for a lot of things I don't believe in--movie censorship (I need to do more research, but I believe the censorship happens before a movie is released in theaters, rather than cutting content off dvds like Walmart does. Blockbuster did only stock R-rated versions of NC-17 movies, but the Online service seems to include unrated or NC-17 versions.), destruction of local video businesses, etc. However, I need to budget my money, as I will be a grad student soon. How do I balance my immediate financial needs with my "principles"?

I am also a member of Curves. An Opinion appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle that condemned the owner of the chain. The piece is now prefaced with "corrective" statements about the writer's claims (read article). What seems to be provable is that the owner of Curves profits from owning the chain, and that he donates money to Christian and pro-life causes. Some other pro-choice people have told me not to support Curves because of this. Do I agree with this? No, but I am trying to understand my motivations.

I joined Curves because it is a somewhat mindless workout for my entire body--I just follow the circuit without planning any routines. More importantly, I only have to give up a half-hour a day. The minimal time commitment is what keeps me going back, is what helps me stay in shape (ok, whether I'm in shape or not is debatable). It is also signficantly cheaper than the other fitness chains I looked into. (Although 24-Hour is cheaper for other people, I knew I would be going to grad school and could not commit to their 3-year contract.) I also hate running; I love team sports, but that team can be somewhat harder to organize.

I conclude that Curves is the best fitness option for me.

Does it bother me that the owner of Curves donates the money he earns from his successful franchise to a cause he believes in but I don't? No. People can do what they want with their money. I am pro-choice, not a fan of indiscriminate abortion, but I can see why people would be pro-life. They are free to support their causes, and I am paying them for different services altogether, and they should be judged based on how well they provide that service.

But where do I draw the line? Or, where should I draw the line? Would it be ok for me if the owner of Curves supported hate groups with his Curves money? How about illegal activities? I think the answer for me would then be no. And now I've just contradicted what I've just written in the previous paragraph. Hey, and although I can see why some people would be pro-life, I suppose there are people who think it is just wrong as well.

Since I want to be a consumer advocate, I suppose the decision to switch to Blockbuster maybe does undermine something I believe in. I have too many conflicting interests: saving money, convenience, not supporting big bad corps, etc.

This is getting to be too long an entry...