So…Ally McBeal the complete series comes out this week. Amazon and Best Buy have it for $130, and Familyvideo.com has it for $114. Problem is, until I used My Simon to do a price comparison, I’d never heard of Family Video. I searched for reviews and they look favorable, unlike a competitor called Superduper but… has anyone here ever bought from them? How did it work out for you?
Family Video is a rental chain. There is one 3 minutes from my house. They were always cheaper than Blockbuster but had a shittier selection, and you didn’t need a card, you just gave your phone number (which they had to verify when you sign up). And I think they have a porn room in back, but the place itself is not skeezy at all. They have over 600 locations. If you’re buying a new copy of a DVD I see no reason to worry.
Sort of echoing myskepticsight’s experiences but Family Video is a chain here in the Chicago area (and perhaps in points beyond). The one near us seems to realize that they’re competing against Blockbuster, Hollywood, Netflix, etc and makes up for it with exceptional customer service, free rentals for the kids any time from their kids racks, “Free movies for your report card” offers, occassional “Hey, your movie rentals for the next month are 50% off” offers and stuff like that.
Oh, and no porn room in the back. Just a bunch of video games.
Based on my in-house experience with them (and they might be independently operated so mine may not be like everyone’s) I’d have no worries about buying from them online. We have a Netflix account but they’re my go-to place for movies I want right now or game rentals for my son.
Target’s ad says they have the Ally McBeal series for $99, so if that’s an option I would definitely try that.
Really? Yesterday My Simon said they’ll have it for $130 too. I’ll have to check that out.
Former Family Video employee and late fee record holder of the South Haven store.
They are legit and in my opinion 1000 times better than Blockbuster and Hollywood Video.
The Target ad does indeed say they have it for $100, and hopefully it’ll be in stock tomorrow at my local store.
Thanks for everyone’s opinions about Family Video, though, because now I know another source for DVDs that people think are legitimate 
Some of their other prices looked outstanding when I browsed the site last night…
Yeah, I was planning on getting it as well and noticed Target’s price (a VERY good price for opening week). If your store doesn’t have it, it appears that Amazon has also gotten wise and dropped their price to match Target’s.
The video game room and porn room are separate. 
And every Family Video I’ve been in has a porn room. Usually right next to the bathroom :eek:
We rent exclusively from Family Video, they are cheaper thean the big boys (Blockbuster, Hollywood) and don’t do stupid shit (“No late fees!”) to try to suck you in. They used to offer dial-up internet service, and I had that for a while when my ISP went belly up, before I switched to DSL.
They are a friendly, reputable company, I would have no problem buying DVDs from them online if they had a better price than Amazon.