6. Instant Gratification
I admit, I do have an Instant Netflix account. It has paid for itself time and time again, and yet it isn't really as great as I thought it would be. Why? Because it takes months, even years, for new releases to become available on Instant Netflix. Even more infuriating, they don't offer golden oldies that I used to watch over and over again. I can watch all the smut horror I want, but they still don't have "Swingers"? Blockbuster, however, put the movie in your hands every single time. If the store you were in didn't have a copy, an actual person would call the three surrounding Blockbuster stores to search for a copy. If a copy was found, they would put it on hold for you so that it was there, waiting for you when you arrived. If a copy was not found, you would get an I.O.U. that would grant you a copy of the movie for free on your next visit. Netflix and Redbox don't offer anything like that. If your Redbox doesn't have a copy of the movie you want, you're stuck seeking out and rummaging through other Redboxes yourself. If Netflix doesn't have it, you're on their list of people who want to see it, but you don't know where on that list you lie. Blockbuster was about the people, man.