A users comparison (Score 1)

I used both Netflix and Blockbuster online at the same time for about 5 months, I ended up canceling the Blockbuster account, even though it was cheaper, and price is usually a very big thing for me. There are a couple of reasons I chose Netflix. Living in the Boston area, both Blockbuster and Netflix have a distribution center near me, in the same city. Supposedly Blockbuster has a deal with the US Post Office so that when they scan in your movie being returned, they will ship out the next in your list, even before your returned movie gets back to their distribution center. I had this work once in 5 months. Normally it took 2 days for them to receive my movie, so it wasn't a big deal. If I shipped it on Monday, they got it on Wed, and I would get it Thurs or Fri, usually Thurs. Netflix on the other hand is a day faster. If I sent a movie back on Monday, they receive it Tues, and I have a new movie by Wed. I always dropped them both off at a post office on the way to work, and both distribution centers are in the same city near me, so that makes me think its the processing centers at those distribution centers that cause the extra day, although it may be the post office. My second gripe was the web page. I wanted to rent Napoleon Dynamite but all I could remember was Dynamite. I tried typing just Dynamite into the Blockbuster search, and it found nothing. I went to Netflix, and it found quite a few movies with Dynamite in it, Napoleon Dynamite being one of them. The BLockbuster search is terrible. If you don't type in almost the entire movie name it can't find it. The movie selection is very similar, if you are looking for popular releases. For the more obscure titles Netflix has many more. I think Blockbuster pads their numbers a bit, although I can't prove it. I think they count Shrek(Widescreen) and Shrek(Pan and Scan) as 2 movies, that would make up for the lack of obscure movies. Blockbuster's queue system is funky too. Just about every movie in your queue says available now, but its not true. You don't always get the first movie in your list, even if it does say available now. You just get your second choice, and your first still says available now. So the status in the queue means nothing. The 2 coupons a month at any Blockbuster store is very nice, you can use it for anything, including games. I don't go too near a blockbuster store, since the closest one is in the opposite direction from work, but it was nice to use them when I had visitors and we could go rent a game or 2. Thats why I chose Netflix, Blockbuster just isn't ready yet. Netflix has had a couple years head start, so its understandable, but for now, I prefer Netflix.