Entitlement and Brainlessness at the Redbox

[Cookie]

My husband just came home laughing from renting a movie at the Redbox for us. For those in areas without Redboxes, the concept is as follows:

1. You go to a location such as a drugstore, grocery store, or a McDonald's that has a Redbox kiosk.
2. You pick a movie from the selections on the touch-screen.
3. You give it your email address so it can send confirmation and slide your debit/credit card.
4. It charges you $1 USD plus applicable local taxes. (Comes to $1.09 where I live)
5. You get to keep the movie for one night. As long as you don't keep it beyond 9 p.m. the next day, you don't get charged any more. Anything beyond 9 p.m. gets you another day's worth of rental fees + tax added.

All of these things are clearly disclosed when you rent a movie. I love it because I never need it for more than one night anyway, they have all the new releases plus older movies they rotate through, and you can reserve a movie online to make sure it's there when you get to the Redbox.

My husband walks up to the Redbox outside of McDonald's to be greeted by a sample of what I like to call Redneck Ghetto.

Cast of characters

H = My sweet, adorable husband
RG = Redneck Ghetto woman

H: *walks up to Redbox to get a movie*
RG: *is trying to return a DVD and not doing so well at it* These Redboxes are terrible! Their $1 charge caused a friend of mine to overdraft!
H: Uh, yeah.
RG: Once, I brought a movie back a little after nine o'clock and it charged me for another day!
H: Well, it's right there in the terms when you rent the movie. It's pretty straightforward stuff.
RG: *decides she doesn't want to talk to H any more*

[Bright_Star]

SC's don't read...lol.

[Sightings Reporter]

Redneck Ghetto.

Can we get a visual of what that looks like? I cannot quite wrap my mind around it, but I am thinking I live in a neighborhood full of them.

[Midorikawa]

Can we get a visual of what that looks like?

I have in my mind a picture of most of the people I grew up with: thick Texas accent, pants at your ankles, and an affinity for cheap "beer", rap and beater pickup trucks with "Texas Farm Truck" plates.

[Andara Bledin]

I love it because I never need it for more than one night anyway, they have all the new releases plus older movies they rotate through, and you can reserve a movie online to make sure it's there when you get to the Redbox.

Not anymore, they don't. Warner Bros made this b.s. deal with Redbox and Netflix that they wouldn't rent out their movies for the first 28 days of availability so WB could sell more copies.

And then they turn around and let Blockbuster sell and rent out their movies from day 1.

I'm suddenly not so fond of the WB...

^-.-^

[Cookie]

A visual of Redneck Ghetto...you're not too far off, Midorikawa. Add hair that's frizzed out and stressed looking from years of cigarette smoke, improper care, and home bleach jobs. They know two radio stations. Ghetto rap blasting n-words left and right, or the most obnoxious country on the planet. Garb tends to be ill-fitting t-shirts, often worn out with holes. Optional for the men. Bras seem to be optional for the women, hence the wearing of boobs around the waist by the age of 45. Jeans in the cold weather, often paint-stained. In the warm weather, frayed cut off shorts make an appearance, or what's left of them. You end up wishing fervently that they would get at least 3 inches longer before you open your eyes again. Somehow, their epic tan line is visible inches below that pant-line, even though you know they didn't wear any longer pants.

Despite the bedraggled appearance of the Redneck Ghetto and their less than desirable living conditions (read beat up trailer from the 70s still sporting shag carpet) they will shell out the money on a gigantic, shiny, brand new pickup truck, even though it will soon be littered with empty PBR cans. Instead of being divided by Crypt and Blood, they are divided by Ford and Chevy.

I am going to be so glad to move.

Andara, I forgot about the thing with Redbox and WB. That does suck. I can't think of the last WB film I rented anyway, so I guess I just hadn't paid attention.

[Dytchdoctir]

My husband walks up to the Redbox outside of McDonald's. . .

At this point, I expected that the SC was going to demand compensation from the McDonald's staff, just because they are right there for the SC to harass.

Had that been the case, I would have said sorry, SC, you FAIL. RedBoxes are owned and operated by Redbox Automated Retail, LLC at www.redbox.com

Come to think of it, you FAIL anyway for not understanding the simple terms of use.

[smileyeagle1021]

You know the funniest part about the SC bitching at the machine... if you call redbox before 9pm local and tell them you won't be able to make it before 9pm and can make up a decent excuse they'll normally give you a code for a free rental the next time to cover the late fee. They aren't out to screw their customers as long as the customer isn't out to screw them.