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Online DVD rental services are starting to catch hold with consumers. Netflix has over 3 million customers. Walmart DVD Rental service will not disclose their subscription numbers, but most assume it is less than Netflix. Many are taking advantage of the free DVD rental trial period that both these companies offer. A lot has been written about which company is better and how best to choose between them. Most articles focus on two main points, price and selection, however they leave out one very important factor time!

For most people the movie selection that both these companies offer is sufficient. Netflix does have more movie titles, but the average customer is not concerned about foreign or rare film titles. I assure you that both Walmart and Netflix have a huge stock of new releases and popular titles.

Price should always be a factor when making a selection for a DVD rental service. The good part is both Netflix and Walmart offer a free DVD rental trial period of about a month. This allows you to test the services and see which one is a good fit for you. After the free trial period both offer 3 DVDs out at a time for under $20. Walmart is a little cheaper than Netflix. With that said, I would not make a decision on price and selection alone, because I believe the most important factor is time!

Yes, the deciding factor should be how long it will take to deliver the DVD title to your mailbox. Use the free DVD rental period to find out how long it takes for DVD turn around. Meaning, how long does it take once you drop the DVD in your mailbox until you get the next replacement? To help make your decision I have included the distribution center locations of both Netflix and Walmart DVD rentals services. I would highly recommend to try a free DVD rental trial with the company that has the closest distribution center. If both companies have a a distribution center close, then make a decision if price or selection is more important.

List of Netflix DVD Rental Distribution Centers
Alabama, Arizona, California (2), Colorado, Connecticut, Florida (3), Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York (2), North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas (2), Virginia, and Washington D.C.

List of Walmart DVD Rental Distribution Centers
Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Nevada, and New York

Several readers may be asking, what about Blockbuster and other online DVD Rental services? They have selection, and also offer a free DVD rental trial, why not list them also? Netflix and Walmart are the biggest and offer the best service overall. The only reason I did not include Blockbuster is that there is talk of shutting down the online DVD rental service. They are going to try and stick to the brick and mortar store front service. This is still all speculation and they may choose to stay in the online market. I think it will depend on how quickly they can turn a profit in the online DVD rental service, and how well Netflix and Walmart do at increasing there customer base. For now, take advantage of the free DVD rental trial offers from either Walmart or Netflix!

Article Update... May 2005

Walmart sold their online DVD rental service to Netflix. Netflix announced they have reached a deal in which Walmart would close its online DVD rental store and direct customers to Netflix. Current Walmart subscribers will be allowed a one-year Netflix subscription at the current Walmart rate. So it seems that the choice is much easier - choose Netflix!

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