Just before last weekend, I watched a movie from Netflix and mailed it back, as I’ve done hundreds of times. It wasn’t received, or I didn’t get the email it was received until Monday. Netflix sends you an email each time a movie arrives or departs from their shipping centers. I usually get the check-in emails in the morning, and an hour or two later, the notice my next movie is on the way, and when I can expect it.

What got my attention last Monday was that the subject on the email said, “For Tues: Rosencrantz and Guil…” Ros and Guil Are Dead is a great play and movie, and I highly recommend it, but that’s not why I’m posting. I got the email Monday afternoon, and it said “for Tuesday.”

I love my Netflix, and I really think for movie-rental fans, it’s as good as sliced bread. My only continual bitch is that it takes too long for movies sent from St. Louis (the closest distribution center,) to Champaign. My shortest time having a movie, according to Netflix, was 7 days from checkout to checkin, even if I watched it the day I got it and put it in the mailbox the next day.

So I was a little surprised the email sent at 4pm on Monday said I would get the movie on Tuesday. I was more surprised the next day when there was a Netflix envelope in my mailbox, and even more surprised when I opened it and found the return address was to a distribution center in Springfield, IL (splitting the distance between Champaign and St. Louis.)

As an experiment, I quickly watched R&GAD (what you’ve been is not on boats.) I also watched another movie I had whose return envelope was to St. Louis and dropped them both in the mail the next day (Wednesday.) I’m a gambling man… I wonder which will win and get checked in first?

I was midly annoyed, but not surprised, when I got both emails for the checked in movies at the same time on Friday morning. Now, Wednesday – Friday is pretty good, considering most of the first day they sat in my mailbox waiting for the letter carrier (Note to self: ask postal employee best place/time to drop off out of town mail for quickest CU-area departure.) And hour later, two “For Sat:” emails from Netflix. They arrived the next afternoon.

I’m really pleased Netflix opened a closer distribution center, and I look forward to milking it up as much as I can. I’m curious if it’s a full center, or if it just ‘caches’ the next movie in my queue so it’s quick-to-mail-close when I’m ready for it. And why did my STL and Spfld destined checkins take the same amount of time to arrive? Where is the bottleneck?

And in the shoe’s-on-the-other-foot department, I know that Blockbuster is testing using local stores as distribution centers, and the store 1/2 mile from my house is one for the Champaign area. Same $18/mo for three movies, and I think you get two in-store coupons for rentals. Reviewing my queue, nothing is that odd or esoteric that BB wouldn’t have it when Netflix does — and the ability to drop off or pick up my movies on the plan is damn appealing.

But, I _LIKE_ Netflix. I don’t want to leave it, especially if I see them trying to do better. If I had the time and money, I would subscribe to both and try it out, but I don’t have the time for that many movies and the extra $20 is not a good idea right now.

So, Netflix, keep impressing me. Blockbuster, keep impressing me. I will award the best with my money – although it might take me until next summer to have the time to evaluate what “the best” means.

PS. Yes, both of the Saturday movies are going in the mail tomorrow morning.