View Full Version : Rant: Video Rental Store Employees
Spartan198
06-08-2008, 20:21
The following is a friendly piece of advice concerning good conduct for any of my fellow Orgahs who may work as video rental clerks:
If a customer presents you a free rental coupon that isn't any good, a simple "I apologize, sir/ma'am, but this coupon is invalid", is a much friendlier response than yelling, "THIS IS COUPON FRAUD", loud enough for everyone in the damn store to hear! :furious:
Thank you and good day. :daisy:
Who rents videos these days? I'm pretty sure the only video store in my little town is going out of business ...
Lemur's right, seems like a pretty clear sign that you should take your custom elsewhere to me.
Spartan198
06-08-2008, 21:23
Unfortunately, the competion has already stiffed me. They're trying to make me pay full price + late fees for movies I rented and returned to them on time, at least a year ago, if not more. On top of that, they could never keep my damn account info straight. Every time I'd rent something, my address or phone number was suddenly different!
I'm thinking about starting a Netflix account. Has anyone here used them? What are your opinions?
Proletariat
06-08-2008, 23:17
I've been using netflix for a few months and hiiiiiiiighly recommend it. There's free two week trials all over the web, if you wanna see what it's like before you start paying.
Crazed Rabbit
06-08-2008, 23:22
Who rents videos these days? I'm pretty sure the only video store in my little town is going out of business ...
We had a nice, friendly, video store on main st in my small hometown. Nice low prices, though it was really the only place in town. Then Holloywood video moved in with $4 movies and they raised their prices a bit. Sadly, they had some disagreement with the landlord and had to move out.
So now we have a frickin' pawn shop on main street of our nice little town *blood boils*.
And as a result, my parents got netflix. Highly recommended.
CR
GeneralHankerchief
06-08-2008, 23:36
Netflix or Blockbuster Online is good. The added bonus to Blockbuster Online is you can exchange a movie received in the mail for one at the store, so there's a faster turnover if you desire.
Spartan198
06-09-2008, 01:48
We had a nice, friendly, video store on main st in my small hometown. Nice low prices, though it was really the only place in town. Then Holloywood video moved in with $4 movies and they raised their prices a bit. Sadly, they had some disagreement with the landlord and had to move out.
So now we have a frickin' pawn shop on main street of our nice little town *blood boils*.
I know exactly how you're feeling. Up until some years ago, there was a little place about 10 minutes walk from my house called Excell Video. It was small but always had the newest releases and the employees were the nicest people. Then, suddenly, they were up and gone before anyone knew it. It's been six years since then. The new release list, with Cabin Fever at the top, is still in the window to this day...
Netflix or Blockbuster Online is good. The added bonus to Blockbuster Online is you can exchange a movie received in the mail for one at the store, so there's a faster turnover if you desire.
Netflix is probably my only choice.
Unfortunately, Hollywood is the one who wanted me to pay full price for movies that I returned to them, and Blockbuster is the one that accused me of freaking COUPON FRAUD (I'm given a free rental coupon as part of my rewards membership -- the majority of individuals would expect it to be valid, would they not?).
I'll just chime in with the others in saying I use Netflix and have no real complaints about the service. They even allow instant online viewing of a limited, but growing library.
Who rents videos these days? I'm pretty sure the only video store in my little town is going out of business ...
Depends what you are looking for
KukriKhan
06-09-2008, 13:45
I'm thinking about starting a Netflix account. Has anyone here used them? What are your opinions?
We've been using Netflix since Feb 2001, when the only DVD player was in my computer. No problems, good service, decent prices.
I've gone all-electronic. My Tivo HD hooks up directly to Amazon Unbox (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dv_hp_MovieCatRent?ie=UTF8&node=16386761&field-drm%5Frights=Rental&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=left-1&pf_rd_r=1K38F0XBBP3ZXNG95013&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=402595401&pf_rd_i=16261631), which has a decent selection of rentals. (Purchases too, but why the heck would I purchase a movie on my DVR?)
I can also stream movie from my PC to the Tivo, using some software you can download straight from the Tivo website. And then there's jut watching stuff on the PC, without worrying about getting it over to the TV ...
Really, I can't imagine going to a store for this anymore. Although I guess if our service providers move to metered bandwidth (http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080507-comcast-mulling-metered-access-250gb-monthly-bandwidth-caps.html), maybe I'll change my ways. Things like iTunes and Amazon Unbox kinda depend on an un-metered internet.
Samurai Waki
06-10-2008, 03:29
Most of you lot have probably never had to deal with Hastings Entertainment Inc. *seethes* Long Lines, Rude Employees, Ruder Customers, poorly managed. And Yet somehow the beast will NOT die, its been around for years and years... I've switched over to either Netflix or just VOD.
pevergreen
06-10-2008, 09:41
For all I know I may be the only .Org member working at a Video Store.
Hi, My name Is pever, and I work at a video store. To be precise, it's Blockbuster. (Not owned by Blockbuster in Australia anymore though, they got bought out) Now, we are the only well run video store for about 8km radius, so we get a lot of customers come in. I know how annoying some places and their staff are (The one up the road was terrible, they shut down though) but look at it from our side. Pending on what day it is, lets say....Monday! Like I worked last night.
Ok, so you come in with a coupon. i sincerly hope that the staff that are on dont yell at you, but some (read: 2) of the ones at my work will insult you. :laugh4: The customers know its a joke, so its ok. We take a look at the expiry date, its ok. Then we check if its printed off the internet, because those are damn easy to fake. We (Blockbuster Australia) accepts any valid coupons, so if we think its legit, it will go through.
Now in the time it takes to do this (longer than you think) we are fretting because we want to go home at the right time, which means returning, cleaning, buffing, checking and the two stages of putting away (disc out of case into draw, then onto the shelf). Now on this particular Monday, it has decided to have a lot of people like you come in and rent things out. No problem, I like serving people and giving them movies (I actually do, I enjoy helping the people out who find that movie they have been looking for), but we also have all of the 2 night hires from Saturday (where we rent out about 400 odd of them) the overnights from Suday (300-400) and the assorted other things that are returned. Thats close to a thousand things that take all up, maybe 3-4 minutes a disc. We need the time. The guy that closed on Sunday night stayed back two hours and only got everything ready to be put back on the shelf.
We need the time.
[/RANT]
I don't go to my small town video store anymore. The owner's wife is really nice and it's a (was a) pleasure just to go in and chat while looking for a flic. But her penny pinching husband is always on me for late fees. If I rent a new release and I bring it back late, fine, I'll pay. But when Mrs. Beirut takes an old dusty VHS copy of some third rate animated movie for the kids and it's a day or two late, I think he should let it go. But no, as soon as I go in (went in); "Oh my God! Your wife brought back Snow White Pt:8 late and you owe me... !" Keep in mind I've been a loyal customer since the day he opened. I gave him a nice half-page blurb in the paper, and to top it off, I used to own the bloody store! (It belonged to me and a buddy, I left, and then he sold it to them a year later.)
So now instead of getting an average of $10 a week from me he now gets pretty much nothing. I rent elsewhere, watch what's on cable, or read a book.
Sounds like those evenings at the gas station where I have to clean the bistro and serve customers simultaneously and then some customers buy really important things right before midnight like a pack of bubble gum... :sweatdrop:
Although accusing a customer of fraud just like that seems a bit weird to me, I'd just say I'm sorry but it's expired, the customer would most likely say oops and we'd leave it at that, it's better for everybody.
Spartan198
06-11-2008, 04:55
For all I know I may be the only .Org member working at a Video Store.
Hi, My name Is pever, and I work at a video store. To be precise, it's Blockbuster. (Not owned by Blockbuster in Australia anymore though, they got bought out) Now, we are the only well run video store for about 8km radius, so we get a lot of customers come in. I know how annoying some places and their staff are (The one up the road was terrible, they shut down though) but look at it from our side. Pending on what day it is, lets say....Monday! Like I worked last night.
Ok, so you come in with a coupon. i sincerly hope that the staff that are on dont yell at you, but some (read: 2) of the ones at my work will insult you. :laugh4: The customers know its a joke, so its ok. We take a look at the expiry date, its ok. Then we check if its printed off the internet, because those are damn easy to fake. We (Blockbuster Australia) accepts any valid coupons, so if we think its legit, it will go through.
Now in the time it takes to do this (longer than you think) we are fretting because we want to go home at the right time, which means returning, cleaning, buffing, checking and the two stages of putting away (disc out of case into draw, then onto the shelf). Now on this particular Monday, it has decided to have a lot of people like you come in and rent things out. No problem, I like serving people and giving them movies (I actually do, I enjoy helping the people out who find that movie they have been looking for), but we also have all of the 2 night hires from Saturday (where we rent out about 400 odd of them) the overnights from Suday (300-400) and the assorted other things that are returned. Thats close to a thousand things that take all up, maybe 3-4 minutes a disc. We need the time. The guy that closed on Sunday night stayed back two hours and only got everything ready to be put back on the shelf.
We need the time.
[/RANT]
We as customers thank you deeply for your curtesy and respect, pever. :bow:
Although accusing a customer of fraud just like that seems a bit weird to me, I'd just say I'm sorry but it's expired, the customer would most likely say oops and we'd leave it at that, it's better for everybody.
Exactly. And I'd leave a much happier customer like that, too. Had I not been accused of fraud right off the bat, I'd have been more than willing to pay for the movie anyway.
When I first started using this specific Blockbuster, the clerks were so nice and helpful that I got to know them on a first name basis and vice versa (like the staff at the GameStop I shop at), but the people they replaced them with makes facing down a Hunnic army look fun!
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