...and Netflix is still standing...

Dinner and a movie has taken on a whole new twist. With the economy in recession, Americans are cutting back in every way possible. The new and growing trend... Netflix. Netflix has thrived in the struggling economy because so many are refusing to spend over $40 at the movies for tickets and snacks. Americans have even resorted to cancelling their cable to ease the struggle. Netflix offers an escape from reality for hardly any money and without even leaving the house. Subscribers pick the movies they want to see and a dvd is promptly mailed to their house. Once they are finished they simply mail it back and receive another movie on their list. In February, the company had established over 10 million customers and counting.

Plans are offered at a variety of levels, ranging from $4.99 to $16.99 per month. However, despite the low-cost entertainment, couples have found this to be a new source of arguements. The battle over who chooses the next dvd has escalated into sometimes a full blown out war. Because of this reoccuring problem, a new tool has been added to the site that allows members of the same household to add a profile. They are given an allotment of discs and movies from each list are sent so that each member gets what they want, in an equal amount. The tool acts as a third party and randomly selects from each list, hopefully resulting in less arguing and more movie watching. There is also a problem of unwatched discs. Members often continue to pay the membership fee each month and forego sending back the unwatched disc for another.

Original Article from nytimes.com:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/fashion/29netflix.html?pagewanted=1&ref=fashion