Video Stores in Pittsburgh (Liberty, Bloomfield: rental, wedding, movies)

[Elder18]

Anyone know of a good place to rent movies in the 'Burgh?

And by good, I mean indie and foreign films, not your typical Blockbuster fare.

We have a great one here in Bowling Green, Ohio, and I'd like to pack it up and take it with me. Alas...

Any suggestions?

[pghlibrarian]

We haven't rented anything from a "brick-and-mortar" video store in ages. We love NetFlix (www.netflix.com) and this keeps us pretty occupied with DVDs. NetFlix has a great selection of indie and non-mainstream titles as well. According to their website, they have more than 75,000 movies available.

[subdivisions]

I second the vote for NetFlix. I signed up about 6 months ago and love it. They have all kinds of movies that you can't get in the stores, and you don't have to go down there twice to get the movie and then return it - just visit your mailbox!

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by subdivisions

I second the vote for NetFlix. I signed up about 6 months ago and love it. They have all kinds of movies that you can't get in the stores, and you don't have to go down there twice to get the movie and then return it - just visit your mailbox!

One question about NetFlix... I'm lucky because I have a door mail slot; my mail drops right into my house...

But the mail at the complex I clean is rather easy to access if you should choose.... and recently we've had a spate of NetFlix theft -- they use tweezers to pull the NetFlix envelope out of the outgoing mail slot, and rip open the envelope and steal the disc....

Do they "punish" you for that?

(About a month ago, I started finding the white return envelopes strewn about the lobby.... I love people.)

[pghlibrarian]

Originally Posted by Tallysmom

One question about NetFlix... I'm lucky because I have a door mail slot; my mail drops right into my house...

But the mail at the complex I clean is rather easy to access if you should choose.... and recently we've had a spate of NetFlix theft -- they use tweezers to pull the NetFlix envelope out of the outgoing mail slot, and rip open the envelope and steal the disc....

Do they "punish" you for that?

(About a month ago, I started finding the white return envelopes strewn about the lobby.... I love people.)

Tallysmom-

No, if you do not receive the movie, you report it as lost and are not charged. Here's the info from NetFlix's site:

Q: What happens if a movie is lost in the mail? Will I be charged for this movie?

A: We are aware that a movie may occasionally be lost during the shipping process through no fault of the customer. Therefore, it is our policy to replace lost movies at no charge. If an excessive amount of lost DVD reports are filed on an account, we will place the account under review and notify the customer via email.

I guess if you report a lot of these lost DVDs they may flag your account. I'd also call your local post office and let them know that the theft is occurring. The post office is pretty serious about postal theft, and will do their darndest to make the problem stop.

[Mr. Mon]

I can't think of the name of it, but there is a small indie video store behind Crazy Mocha on Liberty Ave. in Bloomfield.

[Elder18]

Personally, I'm more interested in going to the store and renting the movie.

I guess I'm fond of the store I go to now because it's a small company and I like the whole indie aspect of it.

That, and the sullen video clerks really add to the experience.

One time one of them smiled at me, and I knew I had been accepted into a vast and greater world.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by Elder18

Personally, I'm more interested in going to the store and renting the movie.

I guess I'm fond of the store I go to now because it's a small company and I like the whole indie aspect of it.

That, and the sullen video clerks really add to the experience.

One time one of them smiled at me, and I knew I had been accepted into a vast and greater world.

Brent, my husband, buys a lot of monies up the street at the pawn shop. He says when he walks in the clerks practically fall all over him because they know they will make a sale....

Doesn't hurt that occasionally I will go in and look at jewelry....

Last year, I found my stolen wedding ring -- on our 23rd anniversary.... we bought it back for 75 bucks...

I'm still looking for my diamond anniversary band...

[barneyg]

Originally Posted by Mr. Mon

I can't think of the name of it, but there is a small indie video store behind Crazy Mocha on Liberty Ave. in Bloomfield.

It's called Dreaming Ant, and they have two locations (the one mentioned by Mr. Mon and the other on S. Craig St.). I regularly go to the Liberty Ave one, and I think it's pretty good. Mostly indie stuff, with lots of foreign stuff (including all the famed French, Italian and British directors). It's small but they get a good number of new arrivals each week so you can't ever get bored. Here's the link:

Dreaming Ant - Pittsburgh's independent, documentary, gay, lesbian & foreign DVD rental source

[fadein2us]

Depending on where you live, Family Video isn't bad. I think Hollwood Video is too expensive anymore. Netflix is okay.... just hard to get the new releases sometimes.