Davis-area video stores

[ron_newman]

I'm probably the last one on my block to buy a DVD player. But now that I have it, I'm interested in hearing people's opinions of local video rental stores.

It looks like we have three choices: Hollywood Express on Elm Street, West Coast Video across the street, and Blockbuster in Porter Square.
My first impressions:

Hollywood Express -- largest selection, best chance of finding something obscure

Blockbuster - very liberal rental terms: a '2 day' rental is really 9 days, a 7-day is really 14 days. A lot more foreign and independent films than I would have expected, though probably not in the same league as Hollywood Express

West Coast Video -- why is this store still in business? I don't see any obvious reason to go here.

Comments

DVD Rentals

[reed-davis.livejournal.com]

Hollywood Express is a great store, but I was a bit surprised by their late fee policy. DVDs are usually rented for 3days at a time for about $3.95. If a movie is one day late your are charged the full fee of $3.95 - 2 days late, multiply that by two & so on...Sometimes they'll cut the fees down, but I still think it is a ridiculous policy.
Also, what about NetFlicks? I find NetFlicks to be much better than any store.

Re: DVD Rentals

[four-thorns.livejournal.com]

it is a steep fee, but i think that's because instead of being like blockbuster, which carries fewer titles and many copies of each title, hollywood express carries a large number of titles and only one copy of each. so when a movie is returned late to blockbuster, it's generally not a big deal for them, because they have multiple copies of it for rent, whereas if a movie doesn't come back to hollywood express on time, that means no one else can check out that movie until it's returned, so i can understand their policy.

Re: DVD Rentals

[ron_newman]

Even Blockbuster looks like it has single copies of many movies, once you get out of New Releases and into more obscure sections like Special Interest and Foreign. I bet I have their only copies of Festival Express and Naqoyqatsi right now.

Re: DVD Rentals

[four-thorns.livejournal.com]

yeah, but i'm pretty sure the majority of their income comes from renting new releases of big, popular movies, hence the name "blockbuster", whereas at hollywood express, the majority of their income (at least at the davis sq location) would seem to come from renting movies that they only have single copies of.

Re: DVD Rentals

[twomonkeys.livejournal.com]

As an employee of Hollywood Express for longer than I like to admit, can I just say that I love you?

Re: DVD Rentals

[ron_newman]

Cool, a Hollywood Express employee here at LJ! When I come in to buy my coupon book, how will I recognize you?

Re: DVD Rentals

[twomonkeys.livejournal.com]

I'm based out of the Porter Square store, but I am known to randomly appear at each of the four stores from time to time. Look for the short, bearded, tired/angry looking young man.

Re: DVD Rentals

[four-thorns.livejournal.com]

yes! i'm an erstwhile* employee of the somerville theater, with our cinematic forces combined we will be unstoppable.

*i actually have no idea what this word means