Blockbuster’s Little Secret

Ever since Blu-ray, I have started renting more movies again. In Sonoma, that means Blockbuster Video. At this point, it probably means “Blockbuster” in every other part of the country as well. I remember the olden days back in Virginia when I frequented alternatives like the (now assimilated) Hollywood Video, but Blockbuster seems to be taking over the business completely.

Not that they don’t have their own problems, of course. Under constant assault by mail and download services like Netflix, Blockbuster has been trying to reinvent its retail chain pretty aggresively. One major change came a few years ago, when Blockbuster happily announced “the end of late fees”. Which was obvious bullshit, of course – Blockbuster just tried to pass itself off as a “try before you buy” outfit: the traditional late fees became a “restocking fee”, and late movies were automatically converted into a purchase. Highly misleading, and several states would have none of it.

Even so, the basic policy still stands. Movies are due after 5 days, late rentals are converted into a purchase that can be negated within 30 days for a restocking fee. Except, that’s not really the truth. Blockbuster movies aren’t due after 5 days, as they boldly proclaim on stickers and store windows.

It’s actually 12 days.

Interesting, isn’t it? Blockbuster clerks are apparently not allowed to point it out, and no normal consumer will ever know. For the first few weeks, I dutifully rushed to the store to return movies at 11:50pm before the due date. Then came the day where I read the fine print on the back of the receipt. This is what it says:

“Rentals are due back at the date and time stated on the front of the receipt. There is no additional rental charge if a member keeps a rental up to 7 days beyond the pre-paid period. After 7 days beyond the due date, Blockbuster will automatically convert the rental to a purchase on the 8th day and will charge the member the selling price for the item in effect at the time of the rental. Member has 30 days to return the product and receive a credit for the selling price charged, less a $1.25 restocking fee.” (Emphasis in the original text.)

So there you have it. 5 days, plus a 7 day grace period. Of course it’s in Blockbuster’s best interest to guarantee a steady flow of movies in their stores. And of course you and I benefit from everybody returning the movies ASAP, because there’s a bigger chance that a copy is available in the stores. But the next time you rent a movie from Blockbuster, take it easy with the just-before-midnight returns. You have much more time to watch than you think. I just rented myself 3 Blu-rays in the knowledge that I have two weekends to watch them.