I have been a Netflix member for over a year now, and I wanted to see if I was actually saving money by using Netflix instead of my local video store. So, I made this Excel spreadsheet to determine:
- -How long I kept each DVD, on average
- -How many DVDs I get in a month
- -How much I’m paying for each DVD
- -How much (if any) I’m saving each month by using Netflix
Netflix is kind enough to email you your complete rental history if you ask them to. Assuming you’re logged in, go here and click the “send full rental activity” button at the bottom of the page.
Just copy and paste the listing from the email you receive into this excel spreadsheet: NetflixAnalysis.xls
The Excel file grabs the dates out of the pasted-in data, and tells you how long you kept each DVD, then performs the calculations described above. Directions are at the top of the spreadsheet.
I’m currently saving about $6.89 a month over going to the store for every DVD I currently Netflix. However, I wouldn’t watch nearly as many DVDs if they didn’t come in the mail - there’s no way I would make 6 trips to the rental store in a week. This spreadsheet also doesn’t factor in the savings in gas and driving time over going to the store, nor the value of avoiding the frustration of the store not having the movie you want.
If you aren’t a Netflix member, you might consider trying it.
The spreadsheet also doesn’t take into account the impulse factor — for instance, when you’re in the mood for a comedy, but a tragedy has just arrived in the mail. Only a local store offers the ability to browse for a new title, in any particular genre, to satisfy an immediate, unanticipated hunger.
great stuff. i just did a similar analysis last month. we gave up cable in 2002 and subscribed to netflix, and so i was curious to see how much i was really saving each month.
This is great - I am a new convert to Netflix and love it.
The savings would be a great marketing scheme for Netflix, especially if you could add the price of gas, etc.
I’ve avoided Netflix since I don’t spend $20 on rentals anyway. An alternative is Peerflix, especially if you don’t have time to watch 6.3 movies per month and/or have more DVDs on the shelf than you’ll ever want to watch again. The project just came out of Beta, may still have a few blips, but for $1 plus postage they broker DVD trades with other users. You send a DVD off, you get different DVDs back, and are credited appropriately. Worth a look if you’re saving per rental isn’t what you want.
[...] bscription Worth It? Posted in fyi, links at 12:42 pm by emad Someone did the full analysis here. An Excel spreasheet is provided so you can do your own [...]
Great Netflix Slowdown Part Deux
I recently bemoaned the fact that Netflix has been gradually slowing the rate at which my movies are returned and shipped again. Over at Geektronica there’s a post with a spreadsheet that lets you calculate whether you’re getting you’…
I use Blockbuster Online and have found it to be great. I have the three at a time package too. I find this to be good because of the coupons they give subsribers. I currently get 2 FREE In Store Rentals, One Free Used Movie, and one Buy One Used get 2nd at $5 per month. I don’t know if everyone gets the free movie but they do advertise that the 2 FREE In Store coupons are part of the deal. In trade, this almost pays for itself each month.
Does Netflix offer coupons? I recieve a few damaged discs in a month but they send the replacement copy as soon as I report it. Do you have this problem with Netflix. Appreciate the post!
THANKS,
DAVE
Blockbuster online is the way to go. 2 free in store rentals, speedy movies. Smokes Netflix.
I think Netflix is worth it IF you don’t plan to keep DVD’s for an average of 14 DAYS! Who takes that long to watch a movie. I kept my DVD’s for an average of 3 days (what I would at a Blockbuster store) That brought my cost per disc to around 1.75 - 2.50. Month to month it changes because of my selection may have been more new releases vs titles that have been around for a while. When I got down to 2 or 3 in my list I would simply “cancel” my account until more of my favorite movies became available. Plus, where I live, Netflix have more movies, with a faster turnaround.
Netfliz is great for people withoutlives. But people who actually enjoy human interaction and don’t need to see movies that they would not nomally watch are not going to get their money’s wrorth. Seriously, think about this the next time you gt a movie that you didn’t really want but you had to put something on your list. Would you go into a store and buy a food that you don’t like just because it is there? And in the process of doing so, would you guarantee a nice pasty white skin tone, and no chance of talking to, and therefore getting laid by, a human female?
I love Netflix and think they have a loyal customer base. I think they’re perfect for the movie buff or tv show freak. If you watch a ton of indie or foreign movies you have the netflix 5 or 8 at a time plan. Who can watch that many movies? Nobody. But a lot of people watch that many tv shows. When you factor in the 6 discs of all those shows you love this a pretty awesome way to watch all in the span of 3 days. Then you can return it because who needs to watch a TV show multiple times, watch something new. You can even invite people for a little interaction.
What’s up with keeping each movie 14 days? Man, when I get my movies from Netflix, I keep them for about 3 days. This is how you do it: TV sucks these days, nothing but commercials and garbage, HBO might be the only thing worth watching. Luckily for us they release all of their series on DVD. CANCEL YOUR CABLE AND ONLY RENT FROM NETFLIX. Your life will be so much better, plus you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that you aren’t giving into the monopoly monster that is the cable company. All of the TV shows that are “critically acclaimed” are on DVD anyways. My girlfriend is currently watching desperate housewives, she likes the DVD because… no commercials! SCREW TV, RENT DVD!!!
I just switched from Blockbuster to Netflix because Netflix has a wider range in movies to choose from. Also, there’s a Netflix distribution house in my city (Des Moines, IA) so I always get the movies the day after they ship.
What about factoring in the cost of DVD-Rs…oh wait….nevermind. lol, I never keep a flic from Netflix for more than 2 days max.
To those that say Blockbuster is better, do a comparitive search for some more non-new release stuff, they’ll get smoked everytime. If all you want is new stuff fine, but some of us are building a library of classics.
i switched from netflix to blockbuster a while back as well. their site is better (more up-to-date new releases), you get two free in-store rentals, and it’s cheaper. and ever since i got a dvd burner…
As Rob mentioned, 14 days is probably on the higher end of the average length for keeping a movie, but hey, you’re paying $20/month to keep ‘em as long as you want, so do what you wanna.
For those who download the Excel spreadsheet, you may want to tweak a few numbers.
Currently, the 3-at-a-time rate at Netflix is $17.99, down from $19.57 in the spreadsheet.
I also think the rental rate formula is high for most places. Where I live, Blockbuster DVDs are $2.99 (I think… I rarely visit Blockbuster), so the price of $4.17 skewed things, too.
After changing these two numbers, plus the fact that my turnaround time is way under this guy’s 14 day average (mine was around 6 days, but still dropping), my savings per month were considerable.
My wife and I tried Blockbuster before we signed up for Netflix (because it was a few dollars cheaper, and you get the in-store movie rentals.) We found that we seldom used the in-store rentals for a number of reasons (didn’t have the coupon with us, didn’t want to drive 25 miles to the nearest blockbuster, etc.) We both like Netflix better because the movies arrive much faster (it took Blockbuster movies three days to arrive after they were shipped, we get Netflix movies the next day) and the website is MUCH easier to use.
This is one nice thing about Blockbuster. They give you 2 printable coupons for free rentals every month.
Netflix + DVD Shrink = one good deal
I loved Netflix when I had it. It was a great way to keep up on the movies that always slipped by me in the theaters. The onyl problem was that after about a year and a half with them, I was having trouble finding any movies that I wanted to see anymore. I’m sure that by now they’ve gotten many new selections, but I’m sure that the same thing would happen in due time.
I am bitter against blockbuster and hollywood video for all those years of late fees. Netflix is a organization with vision. I will never switch back.
I live in the country and it takes entirely too long for me to get the DVDs. Everybody I know loves it -if they live close to one of the shipping centers. If I get a movie on Saturday and watch it, drop it in the mail on Monday, I won’t get another til the following Saturday. Yes, I realize I get 3 dvds, but what am I supposed to do during the week? And I have to select a huge number of movies -many I would not normally watch and I have no clue what’s coming or when. When I get home on Friday, it’s very disappointing to see that I just received 3 movies that care nothing about. For me it’s no saving- especially since I need satellite anyway. Get broadband for me out here in the boondocks and let me me have movies on demand for the same price as Netflix…. now that’s service.
For everyone that says Netflix is faster than Blockbuster in shipping movies, you obviously aren’t renting that many movies. Once your first month is over and you start renting “too many” movies they slow your shipments from 1-2 days to 3-4 days. This really pisses me off. My kids watch two movies a day, not to mention the wife and I.
I was using both Netflix and Blockbuster, just cancelled Blockbuster, Netflix has more movies and you get new releases faster.
I love Netflix. I get 3 movies, back them up, burnt them, and mail them back out the following day. I get an average of 6 movies a week.
I had to make some adjustments to the Excel formula because you were expecting 8 spaces when it looks like they’ve changed to 4 space (tab conversion). Great otherwise. =)
Georgia Boy,
I’m confused by your comment. You said:
For everyone that says Netflix is faster than Blockbuster in shipping movies, you obviously aren’t renting that many movies. Once your first month is over and you start renting “too many†movies they slow your shipments from 1-2 days to 3-4 days.———
So… People that say Netflix ships faster are wrong because they eventually “throttle back” the speed of their shipments. Thus Netflix = bad.
But then your next bit says:
I was using both Netflix and Blockbuster, just cancelled Blockbuster, Netflix has more movies and you get new releases faster.
Buh?
So why then did you cancel Blockbuster? Am I missing something?
I’ve been with Netflix for about four years now and I love it. I’m in a city with a Netflix distribution center so I get my movies very quickly. I also love the fact that Netflix has an awesome collection of TV shows on DVD, foreign films, foreign TV shows on DVD, and lots of obscure stuff. I watch six to ten movie or TV DVDs a month so the service makes perfect sense to me.
Improved “days out” formula:
=IF(ISBLANK(A3),”",DATEVALUE(RIGHT(LEFT(A3,24),8))-DATEVALUE(LEFT(A3,8)))
It works for us. Original member so get 4 at a time for 3x price. used to pay tons of late fees. distro center near us most times within a day turnaround. Can segregate account so kids can pick separately up to preset rating limits. never a prblem. BB and Hollywood lines, new release sometimes not available especially with DVD at that time. see no reason to switch
Blockbuster has scam written all over, it seems every special they run has some small print that ends up screwing customers in some way. The “No late fees” thing was so easy to see through and I knew with the blockbuster dvd rental I knew the pricing was not going to last and they would have to raise rates to compete and profit. Plus my buddy says the packaging is flimy and tears off too easy.
Been using Netflix for 7 years and don’t plan to stop anytime soon…..ps. DVDshrink is pretty nice :-0
Why don’t all of you peel yourselves away from the damned television, read a good book, play with your kids, take a walk! Your children will appreciate it.
I use netflix mainly for the wide selection of movies. My local DVD place has a pretty limited selection of older/classic movies. Blockbuster & Hollywood Video are both 20-25 minute drive so I don’t even bother with them. I also live near a distribution center so my DVDs arrive usually the next day.
Blockbuster is cheaper and has the 2 free in store rentals for the i need it now person.
also the savings would be much larger than your spreadsheet reflects since you keep movies an average of 14+ days. you did not calculate for late fees from the renal location.
I brought up the Blockbuster thing last night but was not taking any jabs at Netflix. Here’s another spin on things…I have a Gamefly account and now they have a rapid return and send thing with the post office. As soon as the post office scans your returned game in they instantly send you the next game. Wouldn’t that be nice if Netflix or Blockbuster did this! Personally, I wouldn’t mind paying a few more bucks for this service. (On average I keep a movie about a day and a half)
Thanks for your input!
Rick needs to take a valum or a laxitive..
Netflix doesn’t mean you spend more time watching movies, just makes it more convenient for those who choose to do it.
We also use netflix, not only to pre-screen films before we let the kids see them or we buy them for our home DVD collection. Going to the theater is expensive these days for a family of 5, so we had started just buying DVDs since that was cheaper than taking everyone to the theater. But we ended up with a bunch of junk films that weren’t worth having in the house. Now we can watch them with Netflix and send them packing. When a good one shows up we can buy it if we like or just hang on to the netflix for awhile longer..
it’s a great program.
I also tried blockbuster but I found their advertising to be very annoying and their selection was poor compared to netflix.
I have tried both. I really think for me at least that netflix is a better deal. Blockbuster is set to raise their prices on the online service. It is nice to get 2 in-store rentals which can be used on games as well as movies. But, for me it takes me like 2-3 days just to get a movie. There are more netflix distributors as far as i know. So for now i think netflix is a better deal. Just my two cents.
why rent for $4 ?? places like HEB or even McDonalds have $1 rentals of new releases..
[...] –¹æ³• flashã®ã‚¹ãƒ©ã‚¤ãƒ‰ãƒãƒ¼ã‚’å‹•ã‹ã™ã ã‘ã§ã•ã¾ã–ã¾ãªæ©ãã‚’å†ç¾ 定é¡ãƒ“デオ宅é…サービスnetflixã¯æœ¬å½“ã«ãŠå¾—？ é»’ã®iPo [...]
I don’t use Netflix as I’m in the UK, but I signed up for Screenselect (or DVDs365 as it was when I signed up) to curb the amount of DVDs I was buying (rather than renting) I had found myself buying DVDs and never watching them again.
I can now watch lots of DVDs, and only buy the ones that I really, really loved. Otherwise I can put them back at the bottom of my list if I want and watch again at a later date.
I only now buy some TV series on DVD and Films that I KNOW I’ll watch more than a couple of times.
It’s saved me an absolute packet.
Netflix allows me to fine tune my entertainment agenda without regard to the liberal, anti-American crap from Hollywood. That an an intangible but very rewarding return on investment. Watching libertarian sci-fi (B5, Firefly), SELECTED Showtime Bullsh*t episodes with Penn and Teller that rip apart the the eco-religion and gun control nuts - all very satisfying and not available on regular cable with 100 channels. The http://www.libertyfilmfestival.com/libertas/ blog has been a real help in keeping my queue sticked with quality flicks.
A previous poster was right-downgrade to basic cable or none at all.
I find Netflix to be superior in terms of breadth of catalog, foreign films, and ease of use of the queue. You also can manage your rankings and get suggestions for other films based on how your rankings match with other Netflix members. This is an especially good deal if you churn through your movies. I quit for a while because Netflix was delaying sending movies, but I think they fixed that now since I returned.
CaptnKirk-
The monthly fee and local rental price are intended to be changed by the user. That’s what they are for me, so that’s what I put in as the default value. If there is a Netflix shipping center in your state, you have to pay tax. $17.99 becomes $19.57 for me, but that will vary depending on your local tax rate (if applicable).
Thanks Geektronica…you saved me a few hours
My Netflix rental history wasn’t importing as expected so I modified the workbook to contain the history on one sheet and the analysis on another. I changed the formulas accordingly and modified the analysis page to compare potential savings with other account types.
After requesting my entire rental history, I plugged in all four years and faced the fact that Netflix has been about convenience for me and not about saving money.
View my results
One thing that makes Netflix an advantage for me was “mail return”. I am a “road warrior” for a living and even though the xls says I am loosing money, what it dosn’t take into account is returning videos. With a local store the videos have to be returned on time or there is a late fee. With netflix I can return it to any mail box and not have to worry about seeing the film before the due date comes. I can also let the films sit in the mail, I stop my mail when I am gone, until I am ready to see more.
Assuming $5 late fee for every 7 days late, and assuming that each movie standard rental period is 5 days, I would have spent over $10,000 at the video store over the same period that I had subsribed. I have spent $1,968.79 (rounded to a monthly average over the 4 year period I have been a member).
Long story short: Video srore = $7.02 per movie/day, Netflix = $1.34 per movie/day. GO NETFLIX!
[...] rth it? Posted on Tuesday 11 October 2005 This guy has put together a spreadsheet that lets you get your rental activity [...]
There’s always the Netflix $10-one-at-a-time package. I might have gone to Blockbuster 4 times a year. Now, for the same price I paid to receive HBO every month I can rent 2-4 movies — including hard-to-find stuff or indies that I missed seeing at the art cinema. And the convenience factor is a big plus.
Thanks for the tip. The valium helped me take a dump.
[...] online DVD rental services you should asking yourself if you are really saving any money. Geektronica is sharing an excel spreadsheet he’s created to help figure [...]
[...] ining Netfilx is in your mind, read this little article and see how much you save or not. read more | digg story Post a Com [...]
[...] Nearly 2,000 people downloaded the spreadsheet, and around 17,000 viewed the post about it after Lifehacker and Digg picked it up, so there is obviously interest in the feature. [...]
[...] Netflix is no longer emailing rental histories, so the previous Netflix analysis spreadsheet won’t work. [...]
WE LOVE NETFIX !!
we utilize Netfix- 4 DVD’s at a time , keep on an avg 2 days- send back - recieve 4 more new DVD’s in 2 DAYS.
We save monies. MO CHG:$26-unlim 4 at a time DVD’s /we AVG 21 DVDs@$4.16=$87.36 !! that is a $61.36 SAVINGS , SAVINGS !!!!!!!
We are pretty responsibe when it comes to returning DVD’s after watching them. Why keep them around if you are not going to watch them or if you have send them back and get your new ones - EASY
It’s just a walk from your computer to your mail box duh ?
Stop complaing about how the Netfix does not work - all you have to do is work it just like anything else in like !
If it does not make sense it is because you do not know how to utilize the product correctly.
[...] Then just last week while perusing Lifehacker, I found a link to a Netflix analysis spreadsheet created by Geektronica. My Netflix rental history wasn’t importing as expected so I modified the workbook to contain the history on one sheet and the analysis on another. I changed the formulas accordingly and modified the analysis page to compare potential savings with other account types. [...]
[...] If the question of keeping going to your local video store or joining Netfilx is in your mind, read this little article and see how much you save or not.read more | digg story [...]
NETFLIX SUX!!
I signed up for their program, ordered two DVDs and waited. Three months later, nothing was sent to me, according to their own website, and I was charged per month for three months for receiving nothing. After paying over $20 over three monhts to receive absolutley nothing I cancelled.
I could find no email address or phone number to contact anywhere on their site, including their “contact page”.
What a ripoff!
[...] the rate at which my movies are returned and shipped again. Over at Geektronica there’s a post with a spreadsheet that lets you calculate whether you’re getting you’re money’s worth from them or [...]
[...] Geektronica wondered if he was saving money using Netflix instead of his local video store. [...]