Faq

What are your store hours?
What does it cost to rent a movie?
I hear you have 2 for 1 rentals on Wednesdays. How does that work?
When are rentals due?
What if I can’t return my film on time?
What’s the fee if I’m late returning rentals?
When do you charge late fees?
Can I return my rental when the store is closed?
I don’t remember when my movies are due! How can I find out?
What does ‘RBA’ or ‘Rental By Approval’ mean?
How does a deposit for RBA titles work?
What do I need to sign up for a rental account?
Can I add friends and/or family to my account?
If I already have an account, what do I need to have to be able to rent?
A DVD I rented is skipping/freezing/being a pest. What should I do?
Do you or can you rent to me through the mail?
Do you take reservations for films?
Is your rental inventory online?

I’m having trouble finding a movie…
Can I reserve my video through the website?

Do yo have movies for sale?

• What are your store hours?

A: We are open seven days a week, 364 days a year.  Our hours are:

Sunday through Thursday   11am–11pm
Friday and Saturday    11am–Midnight

The only day Scarecrow is closed is Christmas Day. Occasionally we will close early for store meetings, on some major holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, or during a Snowpocalypse.  Look for signs posted in the front door windows that will alert you to any possible early closures. We’ll post that information on this site as well.

• What does it cost to rent a movie?

A: Video rental rates:
New Releases: $4.50 for 2 days
Catalog Titles: $4.50 for 7 days
Family New Releases/Second Take (older New Releases): $3 for 4 days
10+ hour titles, box sets or full TV series: $11 for 7 days

There are some exceptions to all these pricings; any film that doesn’t fit these price points will have a sticker on the front of the box telling you what it costs to rent. If you have any questions, feel free to ask us in the store.

We also rent multi-system (PAL, SECAM, NTSC) region free DVDs players, multi-system VHS players, Blu-Ray disc players and for you old school folks, LaserDisc players. Machine rental rates are just $4 a day.  Machines do require a security deposit to rent, please see us in the store for details.

You can save money by pre-paying for rentals. We sell 10 rental credits (or “punches” as we call them) for $40, a savings of .$50 a rental or $5 in total! We just add the punches to your account and use them as you rent. Something to note: A “punch” is worth $4.50, which covers the price of a standard rental. $11 rentals use 3  punches,  $3 rentals use 1. You might want to pay for these rentals separately and save your punches.

• I hear you have 2 for 1 rentals on Wednesdays. How does that work?
A: We do have 2 for 1 rentals every Wednesday. Here’s the details: Only one New Release per pair. Free movie must be of equal or lesser value (yes, you can pay for an $11 rental and get another $11 rental for free). Good for up to five pairs per day. The 2 for 1 offer is only good for the initial rental period—renewals are allowed but at the regular rental price. Cannot be combined with any other offers. Feel free to ask at the counter if you have any questions.

• When are rentals due?
A: Rental items are due by 8:00pm. There is a one hour grace period - so ‘technically’ rentals are due back by 8:59pm. At 9:00pm the rental(s) will show up as late on your account.

• What’s the fee if I’m late returning rentals?
A: Gulp. Here’s the bad news: Late fees are the full rental cost per day*, per title—for example, if you have two $4.50 rentals out and are two days late, your late fee would be $18.  Now the good news: We understand  no one is perfect and occasionally you won’t be able to make it in exactly on time. You are always welcome to bring movies you know to be late to the attention of a manager and discuss the matter.
*Late fees for $11 rentals are only $5.50 per day.

•What if I can’t return my film on time?
A:  An easy way to avoid late fees is by renewing your rentals. Just contact the store before 9:00pm on the due date and we’ll check them out to you again. Standard rental fees apply when titles are renewed - you can pay via credit card or use pre-purchased credits. Titles on reserve for other members cannot be renewed. Movies rented on Wednesdays cannot be renewed at the 2 for 1 rental price.

• When do you charge late fees?
A: Late fees are charged when late items are returned. All late fees are automatically charged to the credit card on file when late titles are returned. If you’d prefer to pay your late fees a different way, please return your late titles to someone at the counter and let them know. We must collect any outstanding late fees before you are able to rent more titles.

• Can I return my rental(s) when the store is closed?
A: There is a safe, secure night-drop located in our front doors for returning DVD and VHS when we are not open. LaserDiscs, machine rentals, and large multiple-disc sets must be returned during our normal business hours.

• I don’t remember when my movies are due! How can I find out?
A: Just give us a call. The number is (206) 524-8554. Our phone number can also be found on the security sticker on your DVD (check the middle ring) or VHS/Laserdisc/machine (the shiny sticker). Call during regular business hours and we’ll let you know when to bring things back. If you’re renting and would like a receipt with your due dates on it, just let us know and we’ll print one out.

• What does ‘RBA’ or ‘Rental By Approval’ mean?
A: Films labeled RBA are either extremely rare or out of print and require a cash or credit deposit to be rented. These films are marked with a RENTAL BY APPROVAL sticker on the front and you’ll find the deposit amount on the spine or back of the video. The typical deposit is about $200 - we do have a few films that require deposits that are over $1000. These rare titles are what makes Scarecrow … well … Scarecrow. By requiring deposits on these titles, we’re able to keep them safe and in our inventory available for rent (as opposed to finding them on Ebay). The deposit amount reflects how hard it would be for us to replace that title if it was damaged or stolen. Please feel comfortable renting these titles - we RARELY have to claim deposits and are aware of normal rental ‘wear and tear’. Don’t panic if something happens to your RBA rental, just bring it in and let us know the situation. A note to collectors: We do not sell titles from our rental inventory so please don’t offer.

• How does a deposit for RBA titles work?
A: You have two deposit options: 1) Credit - We run an authorization on your credit or debit card for the deposit amount. An authorization is a quick check with your bank or credit card company to see if your card would be able to be charged the deposit amount. Your card is never charged and the authorization will not show up on your bank or credit card statement. Banks do freeze the deposit amount while processing, so you will not have access to those funds/credit during that time (this is especially important for debit card users). The authorization is automatically removed from your card in about seven business days by your bank / credit company (some companies may take less or more time), regardless of when you return the rental. Don’t worry, if you’re a day late, we aren’t going to charge you for the deposit. 2) Cash - You can leave us cold hard cash in the amount of the deposit of the RBA’d title. We’ll give you a receipt for the deposit. When you return it, make sure to bring your receipt with you. Bring the rental(s), the receipt and a picture ID up to the counter and we’ll return your money. We will not return cash deposits without a picture ID and the receipt from the rental.

• What do I need to sign up for a rental account?
A: All you need to join is a picture ID and a Visa/Mastercard/American Express card or a debit card with a Visa or MasterCard logo. If you don’t have a credit card, you can still open an account but you will need to leave a cash deposit for each title that you rent. There is a minimum of $25 cash deposit for each title. We will go over some of the polices, get your address and phone number and then you’re good to go.

• Can I add friends and/or family to my account?
A: Yes, you can add as many friends or family to your rental account as you want. Please remember that you are responsible for ALL of the additional people on your account. This means that if all six of your roommates and your little brother go on a vacation to Denmark for a month and forget to return their rentals, you will be charged for all of the resulting late fees. That’s an extreme scenario but something to consider. Plus, you are also giving he/she permission to use the credit card on file for deposits and rentals.

• If I already have an account, what do I need to have to be able to rent?
A: We don’t have a membership card; just bring in a valid picture ID. If someone is authorized to rent on your account , he or she will need to know what name your account is under and have his/her picture ID ready. If you haven’t rented in awhile, please be ready to update your credit card number, address and phone number.

• A DVD I rented is skipping/freezing/being a pest. What should I do?
A: Ah,  we’re sorry about that. We regularly check all DVDs for defects we think might interrupt your viewing. If you experience a problem, take note around where in the film it happened (“Right before they go into the Fire Swamp” for example). When you return it, please bring it up to the counter and let us know what’s up. If you’re on the go or need to return it in our after hours drop, please tuck in a note if you can. Any info we can get as to what happened and where it happened is helpful and much appreciated.

• Do you or can you rent to me through the mail?
A: We do not rent videos or machines through the mail. However, you are welcome to return videos to us via the mail. Please make sure to pack the videos well and opt for insurance if you decide to do so.

• Do you take reservations for films?
A: You can reserve any catalog titles up to 2 months in advance via the phone or in person. If you no longer need a title you reserved - please call and cancel your reservation as soon as possible. We do not reserve New Releases or titles that have not yet been released.

• Is your rental inventory online?
A: It is! You’ll find it here.

• I’m having trouble finding a movie…
A: If you’re having trouble finding a film in our online rental search,  try just typing in just a bit of the title (like “Last Year” for “Last Year at Marienbad”) and then use the sort functions at the top of the search list. You can also click on the room,  section and year for each title, so you can see everything in the Classic Science Fiction section or that was made in 1999.

If you’re still having trouble or if you’re not sure of  the title of the film you’re looking for, feel free to give us a call or email us at scarecrow@scarecrow.com.

• Can I reserve my video through the website?
A: Not yet; please call us during regular store hours to reserve a film. We can hold New Releases for an hour, most anything else we can reserve up to two months in advance.

• Do you have movies for sale?
A: Why yes we do! We have an eclectic selection of hundreds of new and used titles for sale in our store. We also have many of them right here on our website. We always price our new DVDs for sale AT LEAST 10% below the suggested retail value and can special order most anything in print.