Netflix experiments
Netflix envelopes have this little barcode window on the back that can line up
with the DVD sleeve if you put it in right. Is this used for sending or for
receiving? This question is debated extensively online.
So I decided to run two little experiments. One theory is that Netflix has
contracted with USPS to scan DVDs so that they know the DVD is in the mail and
can send you out a new one sooner. To test this theory I put two DVDs in one
envelope. Only one barcode was showing, so if USPS scanned it only one DVD
would be checked in sooner. Both checked in at the same time. A second test of
this theory was to send two DVDs with different return addresses (Albuquerque
and Denver) at the same time. The Albuquerque one got checked in first by a day
or two.
Another hypothesis, that I myself had formed, is that they probably use the
barcode to facilitate things at the Netflix facility. So I sent two DVDs in
separate envelopes at the same time, one with a barcode and one without. The
confirmation emails came in one minute apart. I conclude that it's not
important to put the DVD in the envelope such that the barcode lines up.
I performed one more experiment while I was at it. As you saw above, some
movies come from Albuquerque (my nearest Netflix facility) but occasionally one
comes from somewhere else, e.g. Denver or Seattle. The return address on the
envelope matches where it came from, but says "Nearest Netflix Facility". This
has led some to hypothesize that USPS would route it to the truly nearest
Netflix facility, disregarding the return address. I was dubious, but decided
to test it for completeness. The experiment I mentioned above indicates that it
does indeed travel all the way to Denver or Seattle before being checked in.
I also performed an experiment that you won't care about. I put one DVD in my
mailbox at home and one in a blue mailbox at school. Both arrived on the same
day. So I just do whatever's most convenient for me now.
So, if you want to get the fastest turnaround from Netflix, make sure it's
going back to the truly nearest facility. Print your own return address labels
if you like (don't forget to cover the old postal barcode), don't worry about
the barcode, and just get it in today's mail any way you like.