# One down, and it's too early in the day for me to need a drink. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 16, 2009, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-down-and-its-too-early-in-the-day-for-me-to-need-a-drink/489672 "2009-03-16T21:48:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2009, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-down-and-its-too-early-in-the-day-for-me-to-need-a-drink/489672/41 "2009-03-17T17:20:20Z")
> [@Tinkertoy](#): > > In our small town with only 2 video stores, the Library and video stores do a weekly exchange of all the dvds returned to the wrong place. Am I the only one that envisioned cars parked at opposite ends of a bridge at dusk and two people walking to the middle with a couple of boxes? Figures. Never mind. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2009, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-down-and-its-too-early-in-the-day-for-me-to-need-a-drink/489672/42 "2009-03-17T17:35:17Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > Am I the only one that envisioned cars parked at opposite ends of a bridge at dusk and two people walking to the middle with a couple of boxes? Close. I thought of Checkpoint Charlie, but it’s not a bridge. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2009, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-down-and-its-too-early-in-the-day-for-me-to-need-a-drink/489672/43 "2009-03-17T17:36:35Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > That’s a good point. That rental place in general was known for bad service, they’d been shut down for illegal activity at one point, the rental people were super rude to the customers, and they’re now out of business because their prices were insanely high and couldn’t compete with Netflix. So I feel a tad vindicated. What was the name of that video store? If it was video update, I might have worked there. ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2009, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-down-and-its-too-early-in-the-day-for-me-to-need-a-drink/489672/44 "2009-03-17T17:44:52Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > Am I the only one that envisioned cars parked at opposite ends of a bridge at dusk and two people walking to the middle with a couple of boxes? > > Figures. > > Never mind. You aren’t now. And I am amused. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2009, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-down-and-its-too-early-in-the-day-for-me-to-need-a-drink/489672/45 "2009-03-17T18:04:45Z")
> [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > Excellent rant. I take it you’re familiar with the [Acts of Gord](http://www.actsofgord.com/)? This is great stuff! ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2009, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-down-and-its-too-early-in-the-day-for-me-to-need-a-drink/489672/46 "2009-03-17T18:14:34Z")
> [@Mosier](#): > > What was the name of that video store? If it was video update, I might have worked there. No, it was Kim’s Mediapolis in Manhattan. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2009, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-down-and-its-too-early-in-the-day-for-me-to-need-a-drink/489672/47 "2009-03-17T19:25:07Z")
> [@Tinkertoy](#): > > We used to get this argument in the Library a lot. I would have to point out that the cost was for more than the book. > We had to pay someone’s wages to go through the catalogs and decide on books to purchase. > We had to pay someone’s wages to order the book. > We had to pay shipping and handling on the book. > We had to pay someone’s wages to catalog the book. > Last but not least we had to pay someone’s wages to stamp, bar code, tape and cover the book with stamps, bar codes, tape and covers we had to pay for. > Most people seemed to be surprised that Pixies didn’t just materialize the books on the shelves. But that’s ridiculous. Someone already went through the catalog and decided to purchase said DVD. Just because it’s now lost or broken or something does not mean the library doesn’t want to own it still. If a patron wants to replace a DVD from Wal-Mart for $5 rather than pay the replacement charge of $30 (that we originally paid for it), I tell them go for it. The library gets a brand new disc of something that still circulates regularly and the patron gets to save $25. It’s win-win. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2009, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-down-and-its-too-early-in-the-day-for-me-to-need-a-drink/489672/48 "2009-03-17T19:38:50Z")
> [@Tinkertoy](#): > > We used to get this argument in the Library a lot. I would have to point out that the cost was for more than the book. > We had to pay someone’s wages to go through the catalogs and decide on books to purchase. > We had to pay someone’s wages to order the book. > We had to pay shipping and handling on the book. > We had to pay someone’s wages to catalog the book. > Last but not least we had to pay someone’s wages to stamp, bar code, tape and cover the book with stamps, bar codes, tape and covers we had to pay for. > Most people seemed to be surprised that Pixies didn’t just materialize the books on the shelves. Edited because I misunderstood what you said. NEVER MIND :smack: Plus, a lot of books are old and out of print, or at least, hard to find in hard cover anymore. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2009, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-down-and-its-too-early-in-the-day-for-me-to-need-a-drink/489672/49 "2009-03-17T20:52:12Z")
> [@Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](#): > > We never did watch the damn thing (our only excuse it that it’s 2.5 hours long, and with 3 kids, it’s hard to find the time when they’re not around). And Netflix never charged us - they did send an email after month 6, asking if we still had it. We replied we did, and that was that. Well, of course they charged you. They charged you every month to have that disc. You can think of it as “subscription fees” instead of “late fees” if that makes you happier, but it ends up the same. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2009, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-down-and-its-too-early-in-the-day-for-me-to-need-a-drink/489672/50 "2009-03-17T21:04:14Z")
[QUOTE=lissener] That’s it, I’m going to Blockbuster from now on. _Stop in, I’ll give you a map._ [/QUOTE] Good idea. Go to the store that’s been [sued over](http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/02/18/entertainment/main675086.shtml)excessive late fees.😃 In fact I switched to Netflix when I rented a movie from Blockbuster that retailed for something like $15, forgot to take it back for a week, and the late fee was something like $20. Not only would it have been cheaper if I had just bought the DVD, but if I’d just continually re-rented it it would only have been about $7.50- there’s absolutely no way my failure to return promptly caused them anywhere near $20 in lost revenue. I paid the fine but that was several years ago and I haven’t been in a Blockbuster since. ---
**Author:** ![Tinkertoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f19dbf/32.png) [@Tinkertoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinkertoy)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2009, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-down-and-its-too-early-in-the-day-for-me-to-need-a-drink/489672/51 "2009-03-17T23:56:15Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > But that’s ridiculous. Someone already went through the catalog and decided to purchase said DVD. Just because it’s now lost or broken or something does not mean the library doesn’t want to own it still. > > If a patron wants to replace a DVD from Wal-Mart for $5 rather than pay the replacement charge of $30 (that we originally paid for it), I tell them go for it. The library gets a brand new disc of something that still circulates regularly and the patron gets to save $25. It’s win-win. Your forgetting the cost of the case it was in, the cost of the barcode on it, the time to reprocess it and the lost revenue while it was unavailable for use. Not to mention that it may be a cheaper inferior quality copy. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-down-and-its-too-early-in-the-day-for-me-to-need-a-drink/489672/52 "2009-03-18T00:04:18Z")
> [@Tinkertoy](#): > > Your forgetting the cost of the case it was in, the cost of the barcode on it, the time to reprocess it and the lost revenue while it was unavailable for use. Not to mention that it may be a cheaper inferior quality copy. Are we still talking about libraries? What lost revenue? As for the case it was in, DVDs come in cases. As for the cost of the barcode, that cost is trivial (especially for a popular item), but there’s no reason why that trivial cost couldn’t be passed on to the patron. As for the time to reprocess it, if that’s a serious concern, you need better processing staff. And as for the patron buying a cheaper copy, well I make it clear that for this deal to work they have to buy a new copy and it has to be the same edition that was destroyed. But honestly, DVDs are DVDs, there’s no such thing as an “inferior quality” DVD. ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-down-and-its-too-early-in-the-day-for-me-to-need-a-drink/489672/53 "2009-03-18T00:32:51Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > Well, of course they charged you. They charged you every month to have that disc. You can think of it as “subscription fees” instead of “late fees” if that makes you happier, but it ends up the same. Well, sort of. But if you get 2 discs for $14/month, keep disc A for a long time, and change disc B every 4-5 days, you’re still making out as compared to if you rented that many discs. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-down-and-its-too-early-in-the-day-for-me-to-need-a-drink/489672/54 "2009-03-18T00:42:16Z")
> [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](#): > > Well, sort of. But if you get 2 discs for $14/month, keep disc A for a long time, and change disc B every 4-5 days, you’re still making out as compared to if you rented that many discs. No you’re not. If you keep Disc A for six months and replace Disc B 4 times every month at the end of six months you’ve spent $84 for 25 discs. But if you used the 1 disc at a time plan of $8/month since you’re only watching 1 disc at a time, after six months you’d spend $48 for 24 discs. $36 buys a lot of microwave popcorn. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-down-and-its-too-early-in-the-day-for-me-to-need-a-drink/489672/55 "2009-03-18T01:40:37Z")
My first reaction was “Lissener’s being a real dick to that video clerk.” Now of course that I’m squared away as to who is who I have to say that it Lissener was very rude to that customer. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-down-and-its-too-early-in-the-day-for-me-to-need-a-drink/489672/56 "2009-03-18T01:43:00Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > No you’re not. If you keep Disc A for six months and replace Disc B 4 times every month at the end of six months you’ve spent $84 for 25 discs. But if you used the 1 disc at a time plan of $8/month since you’re only watching 1 disc at a time, after six months you’d spend $48 for 24 discs. > > $36 buys a lot of microwave popcorn. I meant compared to physical stores, which IME (though not stateside, recently), charge ~$4/rental. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-down-and-its-too-early-in-the-day-for-me-to-need-a-drink/489672/57 "2009-03-18T01:53:01Z")
My local video shop has stopped charging me late fees of late so no complaint here. I wish they had more videos though. I wish there were a DVD/video library nearby with 100,000s of DVDs/videos without messing around with posting stuff. My local video shop seems to mainly sell gadgets of late. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-down-and-its-too-early-in-the-day-for-me-to-need-a-drink/489672/58 "2009-03-18T23:42:18Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > I understand what you are saying, but I still can’t see how you would be able to collect (in court anyways) more money that what the property you lost was worth. The DVD is gone, you can replace it for $9.99, so the customer owes you $9.99. If the customer contests the charge, which happens only rarely–due to embarrassment, I imagine–my boss doesn’t waste any time fighting it; he. But he does report them to a credit bureau for non-payment of a legitimate debt. Take your pick. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-down-and-its-too-early-in-the-day-for-me-to-need-a-drink/489672/59 "2009-03-18T23:44:29Z")
> [@Dead\_Badger](#): > > Pragmatically speaking, a rental company needs to discourage customers from using it as a three month try-before-you-buy service OK? ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-down-and-its-too-early-in-the-day-for-me-to-need-a-drink/489672/60 "2009-03-18T23:46:13Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > This whole thread is really an endorsement for Netflix, isn’t it? It’s an endorsement for Netflix for people who can’t be responsible for returning their videos, yes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-down-and-its-too-early-in-the-day-for-me-to-need-a-drink/489672.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-down-and-its-too-early-in-the-day-for-me-to-need-a-drink/489672.md?page=4)