Just about four months ago, I received an email from Blockbuster Online, informing me that my (at that time) current subscription plan would no longer be available. The discontinued plan included 3 shipped dvd's out at one time, plus unlimited exchanges at users' local Blockbuster store.

The idea of the unlimited exchanges was that subscribers could (instead of sending their received videos back to Blockbuster in the mail) simply take them up to their local Blockbuster store, exchange them, and have movies to watch while waiting for their next dvd's to appear in the mail. Personally, I think the real reason Blockbuster was being so generous to its subscribers was to use its resources (the local stores) to squash its competition--Netflix.

The email that I received four months ago told me that the subscription Blockbuster had to offer at the same monthly rate restricted instore exchanges to 5 swaps per month. Well, that really didn't bother me; I was running out of movies that I even had a desire to see each month. Admittedly, trying to remember how many I had exchanged throughout the month was a bit of a burden.

My father and brother-in-law who are also members were less understanding when they received Blockbuster's email. They acted as if they had just lost some government entitlement or something! I remained a member; my brother-in-law and father also remained members.

Today, just four months later, I have received another email from Blockbuster Online. Again, they are changing my subscription plan--this time raising the rate by $2.00 a month. The in-store swaps remain intact.

I don't know what surprised me more--that my dvd rental rate was going up, or that Blockbuster seemed to be changing their plans faster than credit cards change their rates!

I understand that prices are going up everywhere in the country, mainly because of the increased cost of fuel. However, I would be lying if I said that I wasn't going to be checking out what Netflix has to offer. I suspect that my father will be dropping Blockbuster's subscription; my brother-in-law will probably keep his.

I really do enjoy Blockbuster Online, however during a time when everybody is pinching pennies, I find it hard to believe that that Blockbuster can't figure out that it is a luxury item. In my opinion, now is not the time to be raising prices on luxury items.