Steph MangoldNetflix is the newest way to rent DVDs. With no late fees you get to choose movies over the Internet from over 12,000 titles. They are delivered right to your address by U.S. mail in a pre-paid return envelope for a cost of $19.95 per month.
From comedy to horror, to concerts to sports, to action to drama, to classics to documentaries, Netflix features these genres and much more.
The customer is able to rent three DVDs at a time. They create a list of preferred movies on the website and these are the movies that get shipped. Once the customer is finished with one movie, they can drop it in the mail and Netflix will send them their next movie choice. The flat monthly fee allows the customer to keep the three movies for as long they want.
“It sounds cool, but you would have to be someone who really likes to rent movies,” Ellen Briant, senior, early childhood and elementary education major, said. “It would be a good resource to have for teaching since education is my major.”
According to Dr. Romano, professor of philosophy, “I do not see how teachers could use such a thing unless they are teaching a class on cinema. If I show a movie for my class, I tape it from the television. Unless you are a movie -a-haulic, I think it is too expensive.”
The first three movies from the list are delivered in two to four days via first class mail. The DVDs come in their own individual mailers that are self-addressed with prepaid postage so it does not cost the customers anything. And with no late fees, who would pass this up?
“It’s a good idea especially for college students who don’t have the time to return the movies. Plus I usually forget so the no late fees are awesome,” Rob Eshelman, junior, marketing major, said.
“I have never heard about Netflix, but it sounds really convenient. I would definitely use this service. I think a lot of people would use it if they rent four to five DVDs a month. This would save them money,” Melissa D’Angelo, junior, business major, said. However, sophomore, Lakisha Williams said, “I wouldn’t use it. It sounds like a scam.”
Does it sound too good to be true?
Aren’t you tired of going to the movie store and finding that the movie that you really wanted to see is out of stock? Through Netflix, the DVDs are always in stock. Yet Cathy Yungmann, associate professor of English/communications, said, “I think renting movies online takes away from that whole social togetherness. Isn’t it much more fun going to the movie store with your friends or spouse and picking out a movie together?”
While Jason Bazzone, director of student activities, always tries to put himself in the shoes of college students, he feels that the effects of Netflix is two-fold. “Being that I have studied student development, this online movie rental could be great for those students who would use it as a leisure activity, but it could also be detrimental. The student could use it as a one-stop-shopping deal by renting the DVDs online and ordering take-out food to be delivered. They would never leave their room and never get involved. However, on a personal level, I think that it would benefit my family life.”
Netflix, is it a scam or a great and convenient way to rent DVDs without leaving your home?
For more information visit their homepage at www.netflix.com.
You decide!
