In 2011, Tuscaloosa dropped to 53rd place in renting romantic comedies from Redbox. In 2010, the city was ranked third and subsequently was named the third most romantic city in the United States in 2011, according to Redbox.

Renting movies from Redbox has become increasingly popular among college students. Even if Tuscaloosa is no longer Redbox’s third most romantic city, students still enjoy the convenience and affordability of renting from Redbox.

“We used to rent movies from Redbox whenever we got bored,” Sarah Martin, a freshman majoring in nutrition, said. “ I don’t rent from them as much anymore because I am busier, but whenever I rent a movie, I always go to Redbox.”

Martin and her friends even dressed as Redbox kiosks for Halloween one year.

“My friends and I wanted to be really creative for Halloween, and we were coming up with ideas for costumes, and we decided to go as Redboxes,” she said. “We wore red jumpsuits and laminated DVD covers and safety-pinned them to our suits.”

Redbox is not only a creative costume idea but also a fully automated video rental store contained in 12-square feet of retail space. Tuscaloosa has 14 Redbox kiosks, located at Walmart, Winn Dixie, Kangaroo Express, Dollar General and CVS.

The first fully automated Redbox kiosk was created in a McDonalds in 2002, and Redbox has since rented more than 1.5 billion discs.

“You just pick a movie, and it is really cheap,” Martin said. “It’s only a $1 a day, so if you only want to watch a movie for one night, it is a great deal.”

Students said they prefer to use Redbox to other rental services such as Netflix.

“I like it more than Netflix because they have newer movies, and you don’t have to wait for them in the mail,” said Andrea Muñoz, a sophomore majoring in athletic training. “I like that you can go and turn it in at any location, and you don’t have to go back to the place you rented it.”

One benefit of Netflix is that has more options for movies, and they also offer TV shows, Josh Hill, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering, said.

“I don’t watch a lot of TV, but when I do, I use Netflix,” he said.

Redbox does offer video games and some TV shows, but their selection is much smaller.

“We occasionally offer TV shows, but it’s difficult to keep different seasons and episodes in stock,” Kate Brennan, senior public relations manager for Redbox, said. “For example, if someone finishes watching season one of Mad Men and goes to rent season two, it may not be in stock when they want it.”

Redbox does not require a membership, and there are no monthly subscription costs, unlike Netflix, which does require a membership and monthly subscription.

“I like that you don’t have to make an account,” Shaun McLaughlin, a sophomore studying athletic training, said. “[Redbox] is cheap, easy to use and pretty convenient.”

To find the closest Redbox kiosk and reserve titles for quick pickup, you can download the Redbox app for iPhone, Android-enabled devices and Kindle. You can also join the Redbox text club by texting ‘REDBOX’ to 727272, which offers a free rental each month.