On a whim this past Friday, and without cable thanks to our new and improved budget, I searched for a Redbox. I thought it would easily dispense a movie to me, and I was right! I remembered seeing one at the Cypress Creek McDonald's, but alas it was not there and I had a carload of tired grumpy kids wanting to chill out and watch a movie on a Friday night. My husband was going to be home really late, and I was dog tired myself. The thought of walking my dirty self and three dirty kids into a Hollywood Video or Blockbuster sounded worse than all three of my C-sections put together. I wanted to scream . . .
Then, Olivia said (in what sounded like a whisper from the spirit world), "Mom, I think there's one in the Walgreen's parking lot across the street." I manuevered my Kia deftly to the Walgreen's in Friday night traffic, and jumped out of the car with my wallet. The beautiful thing? My three kids were all buckled up inside the car and I, a preschool teacher and owner, could peacefully and unapologetically, without the sound of children, select a movie on the sidewalk beside a Walgreen's in complete silence. This was as good as using a drive-up Starbucks the summer of '06 when I had newborn Asa hooked to an apnea monitor and the two girls with me, loaded up in my husband's truck, just looking for somewhere to go before it got to hot, and before they got to "busy" in the house. I can get a lot done when my kids are buckled in their seats.
Anyway, Redbox is awesome, and here's why:
1. You can select movies by genre, read a synopsis, add things to your shopping cart--all on a touch screen.
2. Movies are $1/night + 8 cents tax. That's cheaper than cable on demand or a movie store.
3. No matter when you rent them, they are due by the next night at 9 PM. Now that's easy to remember.
4. You swipe your debit card, and your movie dispenses in seconds like a pack of peanuts.
5. The system is paperless--a receipt is emailed to your email address, as is confirmation of return.
6. You can apparently reserve movies online for pick-up at your local Redbox.
7. You can return the movies you rent to any Redbox!
8. The final screen suggests that you buy snacks in Walgreen's, but you don't have to march your kids past popcorn, sodas, and candy like in the movie rental stores.
Check it out! They had a lot of family movies!
http://www.redbox.com/home.aspx
I don't think my husband can believe I used something technological and efficient before he did!
I thought he'd understand what a desperate mother is capable of by now . . .
~Leslie
