With a few simple clicks and a cozy couch hogged by one person or a group of friends, scattered popcorn and spilled drinks are sure to be the remains of the end of movie marathon night. Of course, most of the population of earth worships Netflix and is popularly used for different events, whether it be scary movie night or a TV marathon. However, when people bring Netflix alternatives to the table, a  fired controversy starts to form and the final opponents of the debate is RedBox and movie stores. Both alternatives start to accumulate pros and cons within frequent video streaming watchers. So sit back and enjoy as RedBox and Movie stores go head to head (don’t forget the popcorn!).

What is a movie store? Good question. With the sea of technology designed for movie rental purposes, movie stores are forgotten. Even though movie stores are approaching the status of non-existence, a population of high schoolers have cherished movie stores from the time they went to movie stores grasping a parents hand from the time they earned their driver’s license. Now, PNHS high schoolers cross swords about the selection process and service about movie stores. When walking into a movie store, shelves with laminated covers of movie genres greet customers, satisfying interests. “ The selection process about movie stores is what I like the most, there’s so many to choose from,” said Alastair Allen (12). With the various titles available, some movie titles that are outdated appeal to many people who love munching on popcorn and watching scenes in black and white. “ I think movie stores have a larger selection because they have more of the classic films than RedBox, which, has more updated selections,” said Rachel Carson (12). Even with the larger movie selection, the service lures customers who want actual people to provide assistance for their trip to the store. “ The workers were always very friendly, and they sold candy at the movie stores at the same time. That’s something Redbox doesn’t offer, tasty treats,” said Austin Vanderwheele (9).  Many high schoolers also agree with the quality of the customer service, “Actual people help you find movies, and at RedBox you have to navigate things yourself and know how to use it,” said Carson. Although movie stores have positive labels, there are some negatives when going to movie stores.  “It’s fun to wander in a video store but it’s easier to use RedBox because it’s online,” said Alexis Thomas-Perez (10). According to PNHS, movie stores are losing their touch because the lack of technology used and makes renting time consuming. “Movie stores are definitely more time consuming because there is a large variety of things to choose from,” said Allen.

Now looking at the opponent, RedBox, it is definitely the place where most movies are in demand. “I like it because you can pre-order online and pick it up, making it far more accessible for some people,” said Carson. The movie selection is also enjoyable for those people who favor newly released movies. “I love RedBox. I frequently go there every week on the weekends, and the varieties of movies are usually more recent,” said Thomas-Perez. The rental process is also what attracts people to become users of RedBox. “RedBox is quick, it’s easier to choose from the inventory, and you don’t need to talk to workers,” said Allen. However, positives also come with negatives, a turn off for using RedBox are the consequences for being irresponsible. “Sometime irresponsibility can be an issue when using RedBox because there is a higher penalty. It may seem cheap when you get it, but the charges are high if you forget to return it,” said Thomas-Perez.

Overall, the winner of the dispute between RedBox and movie stores depends on what type of movie makes the customer content. Hopefully, the debate between either movie rental sources helps navigate people to the place that will guarantee satisfaction. When looking at the bigger picture, either physically going to a store or using a simple click of a mouse will get the popcorn poppin’ and kick off movie night to a good start.