My Fling with Blockbuster Total Access
By ochua1 | March 18, 2008
I’m currently separated from Netflix. We’ve had an on-again, off-again relationship since 2001.
It’s nice that you can put your account on hold now. It makes the breakup less harsh, but a 90-day limit on the hold isn’t always long enough. (Sometimes, DVD burnout takes longer to recover from.)
I still remember the first time I tried to cancel service, too. You had to call in. There was no option to cancel on the website. And you know what happens when the only option is to call…They make it hard for you to cancel. I’m glad things have changed.
Anyway, I was reading Hacking Netflix and found an old post with the bbstore code. I’ve been flirting with the idea of trying Blockbuster Total Access for some time. I’ve always been reluctant. It felt like I would be cheating on Netflix.
My wife is one of those people who will only watch a certain movie if she’s in the mood for it. (When it comes to me, as long as I have the time, I can watch anything. Call it my insatiable thirst for knowledge…) That’s where Netflix and my wife don’t mesh and how Blockbuster entered the picture.
Blockbuster has a great business model where you can receive DVDs in the mail and, if you feel like it, return it to one of the brick-and-mortar stores and get another one. For no extra charge! It’s what separates Blockbuster from Netflix and it’s a pretty big thing.
The bbstore code gets you three out at a time and up to five in-store exchanges per month.
Or so they say…
We’re not even done with our first month, but we’ve already gotten to exchange DVDs in-store more than the limit of five.
How is that, you ask?
Well, we started our subscription during the middle of the month. When the 1st of March came midway through our trial month, the exchange counter at the bottom of the receipt reset to zero. I guess that could be expected. It’s easier to just reset everyone’s accounts on the same day.
What I wasn’t expecting, though, was the counter to not be cumulative amongst different stores. I have been going to two stores. One in Rancho Bernardo and one in Tustin. (Yes, one’s in San Diego County and the other is in Orange County.)
Each has a separate counter.
(The Blockbuster in 4S Ranch doesn’t handle Total Access, which is a bummer, because it’s only two blocks from our house. To exchange DVDs, we have to go three miles to Rancho Bernardo.)
I know that when you go to a Blockbuster location for the first time, you need to be entered into their system. So, does this mean that all a store knows is that you’re a Blockbuster member and a member of Total Access? Does this mean that you can, in a way, get “unlimited in-store exchanges” without paying the almost double monthly fee by going to a different store when you’ve hit your “limit”?
I don’t/can’t watch enough movies to find out, but it does seem interesting.
Overall, Blockbuster’s been great. The nearest distribution center is in Santa Ana, just like Netflix. Turnaround is quick, just like Netflix. And when you exchange at a store, the next disc in your queue is sent in a day or two. You don’t even need to return the disc you got from the store before the next one ships! So, if you exchange three at a store, you’ll have the three from the store and, in a couple days, three more…for a total of six!
Something else interesting happened when we rented a two-disc movie. The two discs ship separately but count as one rental. Part 2 came a day before Part 1, which ticked me off. (Can’t fault Blockbuster; It’s a post office problem.) I quickly forgot about that when we returned it and the store employee asked if I wanted another rental. (I declined and told him it was a two-disc movie.) It didn’t seem to matter that it was technically one rental. The computer treats it as two. And when the next movie shipped, two movies shipped. I now had a total of four out! WTF?
Well, that was short-lived. The system corrected itself when I returned the next movie.
Now, back to the day after I signed up. I received an email titled, “Your Queue Needs Attention.” I opened it, thinking it was important.
It was not.
It was an ad for Oscar winners.
That left a bad taste in my mouth. That’s something spammers do. I wasn’t impressed.
I’m glad it hasn’t happened again.
So, my heart is now torn. Netflix? Or Blockbuster?
Oh, Netflix. We’ve been through so much. You know my likes and dislikes. You can give me pretty much anything I’m looking for; Your repertoire is so much more vast. Your interface is so much more refined.
But, Blockbuster…It’s so nice to be able to give you a booty call. (As long as it’s before 11pm.)
Joe Republican
By ochua1 | February 6, 2008
Got this off ThomHartmann.com. It’s an update to something that’s been passed around for decades.
A Day in the Life of Joe Middle-Class Republican
Adapted from version by John Gray
Cincinnati, Ohio
July 2004
Joe gets up at 6:00 am to prepare his morning coffee. He fills his pot full of good clean drinking water because some liberal fought for minimum water quality standards. He takes his daily medication with his first swallow of coffee. His medication is safe to take because some liberal fought to ensure their safety and that they work as advertised.
All but $10.00 of his medication is paid for by his employer’s medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance. Now Joe gets paid medical insurance, too. He prepares his morning breakfast. Bacon and eggs this day. Joe’s bacon is safe to eat because some liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry.
Joe takes his morning shower; reaching for his shampoo. His bottle is properly labeled with every ingredient and the amount of its contents because some liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained. Joe dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some tree-hugging liberal fought for laws to stop industries from polluting our air. He walks to the subway station for his government subsidized ride to work; it saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees. You see, some liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor.
Joe begins his work day. He has a good job with excellent pay, medicals benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation because some liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Joe’s employer pays these standards because Joe’s employer doesn’t want his employees to call the union. If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed he’ll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because some liberal didn’t think he should loose his home because of his temporary misfortune.
It’s noontime. Joe needs to make a bank deposit so he can pay some bills. Joe’s deposit is federally insured by the FDIC because some liberal wanted to protect Joe’s money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the depression.
Joe has to pay his Fannie Mae underwritten mortgage and his below-market federal student loan because some stupid liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his lifetime.
Joe is home from work. He plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive to dad’s. His car is among the safest in the world because some liberal fought for car safety standards. He arrives at his boyhood home. He was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers Home Administration because bankers didn’t want to make rural loans. The house didn’t have electricity until some big-government liberal stuck his nose where it didn’t belong and demanded rural electrification. (Those rural Republicans would still be sitting in the dark.)
He is happy to see his dad who is now retired. His dad lives on social security and his union pension because some liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe wouldn’t have to. After his visit with dad he gets back in his car for the ride home.
He turns on a radio talk show. The host keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. (He doesn’t tell Joe that his beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoys throughout his day.) Joe agrees, “We don’t need those big-government liberals ruining our lives. After all, I’m a self-made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves; just like I have.”
Topics: Commentary | Comments
Are you better off now than…?
By ochua1 | February 5, 2008
Are you better off now than 7 years ago? Since then…
Gas increased 221%. Health care premiums increased 194%. Consumer credit debt increased 167%. The cost of college increased 164%.
Median household income decreased 2.3%.
The Democratic Caucus has put it in a nice little chart:
Topics: Commentary | Comments
The Psychology of the $14,000 Handbag
By ochua1 | December 10, 2007
Some people cut and run when confronted with prices that seem crazy. But many of us experience a sudden emotional-mathematical transformation. We set a new ceiling for a “reasonable” price. Disinclined to go all the way to buy the trophy, we instead settle for a consolation prize. Mr. Schwarz, a jeans-wearing type, walked out of Boyds with a suit that cost merely $800 — the most he’d ever spent on an item of clothing.”If you’re in that world long enough, $800 stops even feeling like a lot of money,” Mr. Schwarz says.
How true it is.
Topics: Commentary | Comments
Reserve free food…
By ochua1 | December 6, 2007
Got breakfast from Chick-fil-A in San Marcos today. Today is their 1 year anniversary. What you order today you can get again in January for free! I’m going back again for dinner!
On a side note: The order taker, Stephanie, did an excellent job. Why can’t the other employees be that good? (Maybe she’s new.) I work for a mystery shopping company and always pay attention to these things.
Details below…
Chick-fil-A San Marcos
COME BACK DAY!
Come celebrate with us on our
1 year anniversary!Here are the details…
- Come eat with us on Thursday
December 6th and save your
colored receipt.
- Return with your receipt
anytime in January 2008 and get
your same order FREE!!*This offer includes pick-up only Chick-fil-A tray orders too!*
**Excludes coupons**OFFER ONLY VALID AT
Chick-fil-A San Marcos
It’s Christmastime!
By ochua1 | December 6, 2007
We got the tree up on Sunday. It’s our first Christmas as husband and wife in our new home!
Now, I just need a tripod so that I don’t have to use the counter to steady the camera. *hint*
Arghhhh!! When will it stop!!!!!!!!!! (Part 2)
By ochua1 | February 22, 2005
I don’t know, but people were looking at me funny for some reason. ???? (A little water isn’t gonna hurt anything!)
« Previous Entries Next Entries »
