The Evolution of Renting Movies
written by Amreen Omar
As a busy mom of two small children, I'm always making lists, schedules and trying to find the time to do a multitude of errands. Today I've got banking to do, bills to pay, travel plans to confirm, birthday cards to send and research to do on potty-training (my three year-old son is resisting, and we need an intervention!). Sounds like a lot of stuff? Definitely - but, the great thing is that it can all be accomplished from the comfort of my home computer.
Times have changed, and the home computer has become the center hub for accomplishing a myriad of tasks: For example, on-line banking has eliminated the torture of long queues, travel sites enable you to scan multiple destinations and travel options within minutes, and the infinite sources of information on the web make research quick and easy. Because I can accomplish a lot from home, this liberates my time for doing other, more enjoyable things, like taking my kids to the park or going to the gym (unfortunately, they haven't found a way to exercise online!).
This leads me to my newest online indulgence - web-entailed movie rentals. For a self-confessed film junkie with a propensity for accumulating staggering late fees, I cannot fully convey the magnitude of this discovery. Tired of the embarrassing moments at our local video store, when faced repeatedly with the query as to why our movies are weeks overdue, I decided to try out Zip.ca, Canada's leading online DVD rental service. When I discovered that there were no late penalty charges, and that the movies came right to our door, I was hooked.
Here's how it works: you surf Zip.ca's collection of over 40,000 films to find titles of your choice and then you merely click on the movies to add them to your "ziplist". There are a number of plans to choose from, which enable you to decide how many movies you'll rent per month, and how many movies you will have at home at any given time. The movies are sent to your home in the order of your choice. After you finish viewing a film, you mail the movie back in a postage-paid envelope provided to you, and when Zip.ca receives your film(s), the next movies from your list are mailed out to you.
Zip.ca has a vast library of films to choose from, which is necessary for today's consumer who has varied tastes, and demands variety in all forms of consumption. My film choices, for example, include new releases, classics, Bollywood films, and obscure indie titles - not to mention television serials and music DVDs. Prior to using Zip.ca for my film rentals, this variety of film appetites would have had me running around to the big chain rental store for my new releases, the small independently-owned quirky shop for my indie films, and the local Indian grocery store slash movie rental source for my Bollywood flicks. Zip.ca consolidates these libraries into one gigantic film resource, with the added benefit of easily-accessible film reviews and ratings.
Zip.ca has recently become one of Canada's leading online sources for Indian films - not only does it carry an extensive array of Bollywood films, but it also has Hindi classics from our parents' generation, crossover East-West films (think Bollywood Hollywood and Monsoon Wedding), and art-house films that stray from the beaten path and address controversial and contemporary topics. I'm enjoying this new and easy access to a diverse collection of cinematic offerings. I encourage you to indulge yourself and try it out.
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