Reel Life South

I love this store. I live in the neighborhood, and sometimes stop in even when I don't want a movie! The staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and cool. Miss your movie-nerd bff and want to share random quotes from your favorite movie? Come here. They have a terrific selection, too -- new movies, obscure foreign and indie flicks, tv series, that awesomely weird horror movie no one else had ever heard of...you get the idea. The owners are awesome people who genuinely care about the neighborhood. Plus, the store is just so darn cute, and the location and hours can't be beat. Okay, I've convinced myself. I'm going to go rent a movie right now! Pros: well-curated selection more

""WORST ""VIDEO"" STORE IN THE WORLD!!! 1. Their staff, minus ONE girl, is horribly horribly rude. They give dirty looks, make faces, shake their heads when you walk in and just, for some unknown reason, actually think they are better then you. They are beyond A**holes and there are 2 in particular which are the worst. The girl w/the shaved blond head that thinks she's better then you, is rude, sarcastic and unhelpful. You have an extremely negative attitude and are a b**tch. One of the boys, Keith, you actually told TWO clients, in a most likely struggling business, that they should leave and go to Netflix. Are you so dumb as to send consistent customers to one of, if not, the largest corporation(s) in your industry in this country? The company taking over your entire field and livelihood? 2 Your owner probably isn't happy about that, and if he is, he's an idiot and an A$$ too. 2. MOST of their movies are on VHS. Who actually wants/needs or rents a VHS tape anymore? Almost every time I want a movie, they only have a VHS copy. It's not worth it anymore! 3. They have inconsistent store policies. What one employee tells a customer, the next says something different. 4. They treat LOYAL consistent customers as if they've never seen them before! As if they they didn't know them, that they didn't rent from them on a nightly basis. They don't care if your a local from the neighborhood or a bum stranger off the street. What a great renting experience! YEA RIGHT. STAY AWAY!!!!!! Pros: ABSOLUTELY NOTHING Cons: ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING more

I've been a member since the place opened, and it's definitely gotten consistantly better over the years. There have been some bad employees, but they don't last very long. Nobody who works there now that is anything but nice, and defnitely easy to approach.\r Their selection is the best in Park Slope. I'm a member at a few other places in the neighborhood, but I haven't been anywhere else in years and years. And if you show up at the right time (Anytime between when they open and about 6:30) you have no problem getting a brand new movie, no matter how popular it is. They also make sure to get in all the current criterion releases, too!\r To the lady who wrote the review about about the $50 late fee, you're what inspired me to write this review. That seems like an isolated incident and I don't think it reflects the store. No one I know whos a member has ever had any problems like that. Pros: Stocks obscure new releases (Criterion, etc.) right with the popular ones, improved staff, CHEAP rentals. Cons: Busy at weekend nights, and the aisles can get a little crowded. more

I would like to respond to the two reviews here, especially the most recent one. I live in the neighborhood with my family and have been a member of this video store since the year it opened. They've always had the most unusual, varied, interesting selection of any video store I've ever visited. The store was also always very user-friendly, with a drop box, reasonable rental rates, and quick service. BUT there were a few employees who marred the experience by being rude. No doubt about it. In the past couple of years though, my family and I have had nothing but the best interactions with sweet, helpful, and oftentimes scarily knowledgeable employees. At one point I even made a comment, about a year back, about how nice everyone was and how different it was. The employee I was talking to said, very seriously, that they had had some not-very-nice employees, who were now no longer at the store, and that they ""only hired nice people now, and people who know about movies."" Well, it shows, and in addition they've really re-organized to make things easier to find, and have expanded their selection. Also: they have two day rentals now! Probably my last concern was that it was hard to return the movies on time sometimes, especially with my younger kids. Now with the two-day rentals, it's not a problem! My family, and our friends in the 'hood, are now die-hard Reel Lifers! I would also like to add, that neither my family or ANYONE I have ever known who rented at Reel Life, has EVER received an erroneous charge on their credit card. EVER. Yes, it is a ""Mom and Pop"" store, and God knows those are fast disappearing in the neighborhood -- the city, no less -- and they should be supported. Especially when they are as fun and interesting as Reel Life! Pros: Short lines, personable service, unbelievable selection Cons: One day rentals were sometimes a pain, but now they're two day rentals! more

I looked at my bank statement recently and there was a $50 charge from Reel Life South. I googled them and realized it was a place I had rented a few movies from in Park Slope, but I hadn't been there in months. I called to find out about the charge, and they said it was for a movie, ""Babette's Feast,"" that had been rented in June 2006 and returned almost a year later. I've never seen the movie, nor did I rent it. My roommate and my boyfriend are also on the account. My boyfriend lives out of state and was not in the state at that time, and had never seen the movie. My roommate had seen the movie, liked it, but has never been to Reel Life and saw the movie years ago. I spoke to one very rude employee and one courteous employee about the charges. It was upon speaking to the owner that I realized how awful this place is. The owner yelled at me, told me that I was ""stealing from a mom and pop store"" and said that either I or my roommate or boyfriend was lying. Coming out of nowhere, this whole episode ruined my day. I really don't like to be yelled at in this manner. Only after I threatened legal action did the owner agree to refund the charge. DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR CARD NUMBER - they will charge you without notifying you, and probably for a movie you never rented. \r Also the few times I went in there the employees were rude and seemed to feel that they were doing the customers a favor by speaking to them. Also the movie selection isn't that great - I just went there because going to Blockbuster is a downer and it was in the neighborhood. I enjoy shopping at local businesses, many of which are disappearing at an alarming rate. But I will be thankful never to deal with the people from Reel Life South again. Pros: looks fun Cons: isn't fun more

Pretty good foreign film selection in particular (though a lot of these are on VHS). \r \r However, the staff are terrible. Not particularly knowledgeable about movies, and appallingly unfriendly and unhelpful. They're much more interested in watching TV than answering questions.\r \r I quote a Citysearch review of another rental place in the neighborhood, Video Gallery: ""I USED TO go to Reel Life South, but got acid burns by their glares one too many times."" Exactly. Pros: Good foreign film selection Cons: The employees are jerks more