It's May! Yay, spring!

Wisconsin Film Festival broadcast

The film festival broadcast was wonderful fun, and we want to thank all those people who showed up to participate and to watch. And as always, special thanks to the wonderful people at WORT.

Getting serious about the inventory process now

As usual, we were a little distracted by the film festival, and now by the better-late-than-never arrival of spring, but we're buckling down and starting to make real progress in choosing new titles to add to the sale inventory. We should be adding titles almost every day for about the next six weeks, so it's the perfect time to work on your personal collection.

Policy change for Four Star Unlimited subscribers

As you may know, we conducted a survey to ask how you would feel about our reinstating due dates for Four Star Unlimited subscribers on new arrivals checked out during their first 28 days in the store. The results were very clear. By a margin of almost 5 to 1, Four Star customers wanted to to see this change. We have therefore instituted the first policy change since we started the unlimited plan four and half years ago.

Starting Tuesday, April 2, 2013. new arrivals checked by Four Star Unlimited subscribers during the first 28 days they are in the store will be due five days after they are checked out. Movies returned after that date will be assessed a late fee of 99 cents per day, half the rate charged to non-subscribers. All movies subject to the new rule are located in a new section across the aisle from the New Arrivals and labeled "First 4 Weeks." Once the movies have been in the store 4 weeks, they will be moved into the larger New Arrivals section and will no longer be subject to due dates.

Our goal is to keep movies circulating during the period of highest demand so that they are more readily available to the entire Four Star community. We have placed all rentals subject to the new rule in their own section, and we remind subscribers about the due dates each time they check out one of the movies. Subscribers who prefer a more leisurely timetable will be able to check out new movies without thinking about due dates after the initial 28 day period, the same delay most new movies routinely have at other movie rental services. We believe this is a reasonable compromise which will benefit us all and improve the Four Star experience.

We hope everyone will welcome this change and try out the new system. It is not our intention to diminish the value of Four Star Unlimited or extract extra money from subscribers but rather to enhance the movie rental experience for everyone and strengthen our little community. Please feel free to discuss any concerns you may have with us, and thank you all for your support.

Sprout with us this spring

We're thrilled that spring has finally decided to show up, and that the seeds I planted in the planters outside the store with my nieces have started to sprout. We now have pea and greens sprouts growing outdoors and a wide variety of plants, soil, seeds and accessories inside. The herb and vegetable seedlings are arriving from West Star Farm, along with new air plants, terrarium accessories, Seed Savers seeds, and house plants. Bring a little green into your life today.

We are now located at 449 State Street

Despite the State Street address, our new storefront is located about a half block off State Street on Broom. There's a tea shop at the State Street corner of the building in which we're located, below Wasabi, next to Asian Kitchen, and across State Street from Mimosa and American Apparel. It's a very cool two story space with a spiral staircase and an elevator available for those who prefer not to use the stairs. Sprout has the front of the street level and Four Star sprawls out through the rest.

Drop box at Willy Street Co-op

We've been hearing great feedback about the drop box at the Willy Street Co-op (1221 Williamson Street). Now you can pick up those organic greens and drop off your movies at the same time. The box is located just to the right of the entrance doors and is available for drop-offs any time of the day or night. Return time at the drop box is also being extended to 10pm, though you may want to try Four Star Unlimited and forget about deadlines entirely.

Try Four Star Unlimited!

Four Star Unlimited gives you unlimited rentals for one low monthly fee. Movies rented during their first 28 days in the store will be due in 5 days. All other movies are not subject to late fees. Watch as many movies as you like and explore our fantastic inventory at your own pace. Check out these great options:
*3 out at a time plus 10% off used movies: $17.99 per month
*4 out at a time plus 20% off used movies: $24.99 per month
*5 out at a time plus 30% off used movies: $29.99 per month
*Automatic damage protection on all subscription rentals: $3 per month