Redbox etiquette

[TheAdvocate]

Date with the wife tonight, sitter for kids, so I reserved a flick for the kids at the machine thats on my way home.

Pulled up to the machine. There's a late 40s woman with a weird mesh safari hat that weirdly looks a little bit like a trucker hat. She's wearing capris and red stitched snoopy socks. She is on her phone. I figured she was asking her husband which flick.

Fast forward 20 minutes of multiple people waiting behind her in 100 degree heat during which time she hss read the movie description and cast of at least 30 movies. Despite multiple polite requests to let people return movies or get reservations, she refuses to step aside and continue her conversation to the side. One guy even offers to pull up the machines inventory on his tablet. She refuses.

I finally gave up and went homs. Kids will react predictably and I am out a buck, but screw it. When people started leaving she accused us of being rude.

So ATOT, who's out of line? Her or us?

 

[Soundmanred]

I'm just surprised there was only one machine. I've never seen a lone Redbox machine.

 

[lxskllr]

In a just world her head would be planted in the machine, and her wallet looted so people could get free movies due to waiting behind her. I bet she was fat too.

 

[veri745]

Definitely out of line to sit on the phone in front of the Redbox machine. Browsing through movies for 5 min before picking one is acceptable. Spend half and hour choosing your movie and you deserve any amount of insults that people have to give.

 

[BoomerD]

Wait...there's such a thing as "Redbox Etiquette?"

For me, the only possible "etiquette" would be to allow someone to return a movie if it's almost 9:00 so they can avoid a late charge...then go back to scrolling through the movies and reading each and every movie description over the phone...otherwise...get in fucking line...or go elsewhere.

 

[goog40]

Should have smashed her phone and punched her in the ovaries.

 

[zinfamous]

I am completely oblivious to this RedBox thingy.

 

[PottedMeat]

Fast forward 20 minutes of multiple people waiting behind her in 100 degree heat during which time she hss read the movie description and cast of at least 30 movies.

at this point you should stand close, look over her shoulder, and loudly voice your opinion on each movie she looks at. maybe let out a nice fart or two.

 

[zerocool84]

That's why I don't do Redbox, you have to get there early to get any decent movie, plus wait forever in line, I just do Netflix streaming.

 

[BoomerD]

That's why I don't do Redbox, you have to get there early to get any decent movie, plus wait forever in line, I just do Netflix streaming.

Or...you could just reserve on line...then wait 30 minutes while the lady reads the description of every movie...

I usually reserve movies on line. Only if it's a "spur of the moment" choice when I'm at the grocery store do I stand there and look through the choices.

 

[AstroManLuca]

She was absolutely in the wrong. It's one thing to take five minutes to look through a few movies in order to decide, but sitting on the phone and reading all the descriptions is very rude.

That would be like going through a checkout lane and then holding up the line for 15 minutes while you decide whether you want a Snickers or a Kit Kat.

Luckily, most people seem to have the courtesy to let you through. If I have a big cart full of groceries and someone walks up behind me with one thing, I'll let him through, and the reverse is usually true as well.

 

[WT]

I have probably 6 Redbox locations within a 5 mile radius so I can usually find and reserve what I want. Probably only 25% of the time that I've gone to one somebody was there when I pull up.

 

[Childs]

That would drive me crazy, although I'm not the type to browse. I would go there knowing what I want. I have noticed these machines everywhere, so I would probably just go to another one. Every supermarket and 7-11 seems to have them, and there are probably over 10 in a square mile around my apt.

 

[Dirigible]

I'm just surprised there was only one machine. I've never seen a lone Redbox machine.

I've never seen a Redbox machine at all. :shrug:



But to answer the question in the OP, I'm going with her being in the wrong tying the machine up so long with people waiting, especially given the guy offering her use of the tablet so she could keep looking at the movies while other people don't have to wait.

 

[Newbian]

For some reason this showed up to me as "Redtube etiquette". :awe:

 

[TheAdvocate]

Sorry for typos. On my tablet while wife chats up sitter.

I could have found another machine, but I had a reservation and not sure other machines have that flick.

Am enjoying the responses.

 

[blankslate]

I am completely oblivious to this RedBox thingy.

Think of a red vending machine with a touch screen that lets you rent a movie for $1 a day.



anyway here's a webpage for them

http://www.redbox.com/locations/

 

[Perknose]

OP, I'm sure that the full 5-7 minutes you waited and fumed seemed like 20 minutes. It would have for me.

For the record, she was out of line. Although, literally, once you left, you were also "out of (the) line."

 

[Aikouka]

Well, she's certainly allowed to spend however much time she wants perusing the selection, but that doesn't really excuse ignoring the fact that you're inconveniencing other people. The point of those machines is to speed up and simplify the rental process.

I know this may be a strange concept to some, but at times, you need to consider other people before yourself.

I'm just surprised there was only one machine. I've never seen a lone Redbox machine.

What about a lone active machine? The closest Redbox to me has two machines; however, typically only one is open.

 

[Fingolfin269]

Redbox really needs to come up with some way for people who order online to get to their movies without waiting behind the people you describe OP. Something on the side of the box with a mini screen to enter your order # or something. What you have described is one of the reasons I tend to avoid Redbox unless it's the last option.

 

[TheAdvocate]

It was actually 20 minutes. That was my breaking point.

 

[Doppel]

Date with the wife tonight, sitter for kids, so I reserved a flick for the kids at the machine thats on my way home.

Pulled up to the machine. There's a late 40s woman with a weird mesh safari hat that weirdly looks a little bit like a trucker hat. She's wearing capris and red stitched snoopy socks. She is on her phone. I figured she was asking her husband which flick.

Fast forward 20 minutes of multiple people waiting behind her in 100 degree heat during which time she hss read the movie description and cast of at least 30 movies. Despite multiple polite requests to let people return movies or get reservations, she refuses to step aside and continue her conversation to the side. One guy even offers to pull up the machines inventory on his tablet. She refuses.

I finally gave up and went homs. Kids will react predictably and I am out a buck, but screw it. When people started leaving she accused us of being rude.

So ATOT, who's out of line? Her or us?

Damn, I have never experienced that kind of bitchy behavior at redbox.

They should institute a time limit. Most people would never know it and those who hit it, well they are crap customers.

 

[Platypus]

rude, self-entitled wise and beautiful woman.

 

[Pulsar]

This brings up a couple of other situations that are similar.

#1 People who go through the drive through at any restaurant and can't figure out what they want.

#2 People who go through the drive through and order 10 different meals for their office mates, stopping the line for 10 minutes.

#3 People waiting in any cashier line who, upon reaching the cashier, have to start digging through their shit (this is usually a female) to find their money and their coupons / store card. You've been in line how long, and can't get your shit out in advance?

#4 People (usually younger folks) who pick up some stuff at a gas station and are paying in coins - then don't have enough.

#5 People who get an item up to the cashier at a supermarket with a cart full of stuff and then want to argue about how their $2 was tagged $1.89 and rang up wrong. There are 10 people behind you. If you really want to bitch, DON'T buy the item. Jesus.

I hate people.

 

[Fayd]

Date with the wife tonight, sitter for kids, so I reserved a flick for the kids at the machine thats on my way home.

Pulled up to the machine. There's a late 40s woman with a weird mesh safari hat that weirdly looks a little bit like a trucker hat. She's wearing capris and red stitched snoopy socks. She is on her phone. I figured she was asking her husband which flick.

Fast forward 20 minutes of multiple people waiting behind her in 100 degree heat during which time she hss read the movie description and cast of at least 30 movies. Despite multiple polite requests to let people return movies or get reservations, she refuses to step aside and continue her conversation to the side. One guy even offers to pull up the machines inventory on his tablet. She refuses.

I finally gave up and went homs. Kids will react predictably and I am out a buck, but screw it. When people started leaving she accused us of being rude.

So ATOT, who's out of line? Her or us?

i'm pretty sure after 5 minutes of waiting you're legally authorized to kick the back of her knee and slam her head into the wall.