Netflix Kills the Value for Customers
Are we the only Netflix subscribers seeing this?
I called Netflix a few weeks ago and apparently, since February, they have been restricting the number of simultaneous streams allowed per account. That wasn’t the case in December when we were still paying $8.99. So we learned to live with paying more (they did already increase the price, of our plan, to $9.99 this year) for less service. But then yesterday’s announcement came and now this is how we see Netflix:
This is what scares me: I am 100% confident they are fully aware of this, but either
- don’t see the need in helping current customers along Netflix’s growth or
- they do care, but the movie folks have Netflix over a barrel and Netflix is looking for a path to survival (i.e. Sony has already pulled all of its movies once)
Either way, more rate increases and cutting of services are bound to happen.
Our house is a cable-free one. We only get our news and entertainment over the internet, so streaming services are very important to us. So now we’re looking at using Hulu Plus (hoping RedBox can make something happen). Maybe we’ll look at iTunes or Amazon OnDemand.
I mean, why wouldn’t you bail on an entertainment expense that increases 77.75% in 8 months, while decreasing the services? Especially one that’s going to be having ongoing contract issues with all of the movie folks.
Perhaps I’d feel differently if I still saw Netflix as struggling against the industry and helping shake it up, as they once pitched themselves. But now they’re acting just like any other big spoke in the entertainment industry. And maybe they have to. Maybe they don’t. It’s a shame, either way.
(h/t s.enriquez for RedBox tip)
Mr. P’s has a livingsocial coupon today!
Just an FYI – It’s only for today, but if you buy-in for $12 (which over 650+ have), you’ll get $24 to spend on food and drink! Needless to say – we’re in.
Happy Monday!
Shopping Local
I’ve been reading Carrie Rollwagen’s Shop Small blog for a while. I am by no means a militant localvoare type guy, but I do believe that there are benefits to buying from locally-owned businesses. I’ve always wondered about where Rollwagen falls… is she a militant type? a buy-local snob?
Well, The Magic City Post has posted a quick video interview with Rollwagen and it answered all of these questions and more. She’s entered into the “life experiment” with a very honest and even approach. She seems to be giving both national chains and local shops the same fair consideration as she goes through 2011. She makes create points about Starbucks being able to offer insurance for a 20-hours-a-week employee. That’s a serious point that needs to be addressed, by all businesses.
But, as I have found too, there are many pluses to shopping locally.
So check out the video and think about thinking about shopping local. Maybe next time you are in need of something you can find a place closer to home.
Why Did It Take So Long?
This is one of those unsolicited cold medicine-induced posts, as I am just now coming out if the haze of this year’s summertime cold.
My wife brought these home last week and I have to ask all if the super-smart engineer/lab/doctor/business-savvy folks running the world: what took so long to invent the holy marriage that is Puffs Plus with Vicks? I mean products like this are why universities were invented.
So just a huge thank you to the chemical engineers for making this happen and to the legal lawyers for not screwing up the trademark paperwork and to my wife for introducing me to this box of fluffy menthol-laced goodness.
Out for a Walk
The weather has been GREAT for quick post-dinner/pre-bath time neighborhood walks. Hope you’ve been out enjoying it too.
Mr. P’s Butcher Shop Owner in the Bham News
Charles Pilleteri, owner of Mr. P’s butcher and sandwich shop, was quoted in a recent Birmingham News article. The piece focuses on the rising costs of food at the grocery stores. Scary stuff, if you think about it. Pilleteri rightly includes rising feed costs for growers as well as rising gas prices. It’s nice to hear from someone at the center of it all. And from one, like Pilleteri, who understands what real business is all about.
I wonder if we wouldn’t all be better off is small business owners and the experiences were included in some of the government and big business policy making…
maybe we should all meet at Mr. P’s for an Italian Sausage sandwich and talk about it.
Chapel Lane Extension in Bluff Park
Ok, so we’re new here, so the Chapel Lane extension was news to me. It sounds like that Jefferson County still needs to sell us the land, a sewer system has to be moved, the State of Alabama has to start the bridge/fly-over and the City of Hoover has to finish it. Wow.
I guess the seed for this is the parking lot that Patton Chapel is during rush-hour(s).That has to be it. I mean going down Patton Chapel isn’t bad during non-peak times.
I do hope that this does ease traffic and not bring more up into Bluff Park. And I hope all the folks living down Chapel Lane are on board. Though the map makes it look like it’s businesses, ball parks and city buildings. So maybe home owners won’t take a hit.
Has anyone seen an engineer’s drawing on this project? I’m really curious now, but I can’t find anything online. Please share if you know where to find something.
Discovering Alabama on iTunes
The long-time-running Discovering Alabama has made the jump to iTunes. This is great news for them and good news for us. We are always more likely to catch an episode if we can sync and take it on the go.
They currently have 98 episodes listed, with nothing more recent than October 2010. Their iTunes catalog seem to be a mix of audio and video offerings. Plus, a lot of the lengths of the pieces vary. So there should be something for everyone. Best of all… it’s free!
We originally ran across this over on BhamWiki who, of course, has a very informative write up on the series.
Tip Top Grill Featured
The site MyFoxAL had a featured post on Bluff Park’s Tip Top Grill. The food and view both get the notice they deserve. What’s also cool about this feature is that it was done by a local Bluff Park resident and blogger. How cool is that!? So swing by Grass Stains and check in on more happenings in Bluff Park life.
Hoover By the Numbers
So the Census data is out. It’s always fun to see if the numbers match up with real-world experience. That’s something we’re going to watch the first half of 2011. I do know that when we bought our house in mid-2010, there were 6 homes for sale on the street (including ours). Today there are none. They all have new families in them. So where are all of us new Bluff Park-ers coming from?
We came from Birmingham-proper. So we certainly support the new Census data, of Birmingham losing folks and surrounding areas showing big gains. Not sure about every one else.
Here are the Hoover Highlights of the Census:
- Hoover was the 2nd fastest growing city (by sheer bodies)
- Hoover added 18,877 new Hoover-ites
- Hoover readched a population of 81,619
- That’s a 30% growth trend over the last ten years.
Pretty interesting stuff. Now I’m going to dig around on the interwebs and see if I can boil the numbers down to just Bluff Park. If not, we may just do or own Bluff Park census. So if someone with a clip board going door to door, it’s just us wanting to do a nerdy blog post.
Have a good weekend!