The only real shortcoming to the whole redbox system is that when you snag a movie while you are out doing errands one day, you have to go back out the next day to return it, whether you were planning to or not. If there were some way to return it from your home, that would pretty much be perfect, but would also drive the overhead – and thus costs – for the company through the roof.
Anywise, I had to go to Wal-Mart yesterday to drop off a movie and pick up some business card blanks for this weekend, and was waiting in line to check out when the following conversation transpired:
Son: Look, dad, they have an American flag and a Tennessee flag!
Father: Yup, they sure do.
Son: Why d’you think they are hanging sideways in here, instead of outside?
Father: That’s a very good question.
*At this point, I turned around and smiled at the kid, being somewhat amused by the question myself. In fairness, that Wal-Mart does fly an American flag outside, and the American flag inside was hung higher than the Tennessee one.*
Father: (To me) They say that an average five year old asks somewhere around 437 questions a day… I totally believe it.
Me: Well, at least that one can be categorized as a good one.
Father: Yeah… I am probably going to be spending the rest of the evening answering questions about what’s on your hip…
Me: Oh, I’m sorry…
Father: Not at all! I actually appreciate you doing it.
*My turn at the cash register came up, after which I we exchanged the standard parting pleasantries between strangers ("Have a good one.") and went our separate ways.*
I was, of course, openly carrying, given that I was outside of the house and wearing my pants. The father was pushing a buggy with the son in the basket and a roughly-equivalently-aged daughter in the child seat, and neither he, nor the cashier, nor anyone else panicked, called the police, or otherwise overtly reacted to my lawfully and peaceably carrying a firearm on my hip.
Why, it is almost like the anti-rights cultists have no idea what they are talking about.
You do know you can return the disk to ANY Redbox right? It does not have to be the one you got it from. That makes it much easier for me.
Also, great story!
Great anecdote.
It is amazing how people were able to tell you weren’t about to rob the place or shoot it up just by your actions.
I don’t know what it says about me that I thought the “wearing my pants” link was going to go to Robb Allen’s blog, but there you go.
Netflix at $10/month is great for me. i get seasons of TV shows streamed along with movies
Imagine that.
Since I’ve started OC’ing here recently I’ve even noticed how much nicer and more helpful people are at the stores I’ve frequented with a gun on my hip. I think it actually makes me a more polite person as well.
@ JP: Yup, no worries, we know that, but we are also kind of out in the semi-sticks, so no redbox is convenient.
@ Bob S.: Kind of interesting how these anecdotes are starting to pile up…
@ the pistolero: Means you have been hanging around us freaks for too long
.
@ PT: Eh, yeah, but we do not rent 10 movies a month, and we have TiVo for our television needs…
@ kirkosaurus: I am generally a polite, respectful person in public, and I know that carrying a firearm only makes me moreso – we cannot afford to not be, given that losing our tempers while armed could literally send us to jail for the rest of our lives.