The New Year is a time for resolutions, and Blockbuster Video gave its customers their best one yet: no more late fees.

Blockbuster announced on Jan. 1 that there will be no more late fees for its videos, DVDs or video games. Blockbuster is the world's largest video rental company with more than 9,000 company-operated and franchised stores throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Half of them are in the United States.

Many Blockbuster customers have seen the commercial that the company released on Jan. 1. After seeing people celebrating among a slew of balloons in slow motion, you might have wanted to get a few buddies and do the same.

However, customers must eventually return their rentals (darn!) after a one-week grace period for games and movies -- except for new releases, which the customer only has two days to return. Didn't hear that in the commercial, huh, guys?

Nevertheless, such a grace period is just what we need! If customers want to keep a product for a few more days they can, stress-free.

But if a customer fails to return a rental after the allotted grace period, Blockbuster will automatically sell the product to the customer, less the rental fees. If a customer does not want to purchase the movie or game, they can return it within 20 days for an in-store credit.

In addition to print ads and commercials, Blockbuster is cleverly promoting its "no late fees" program by honoring babies born "just a little bit late" on New Year's Day.

As the media honors the New Year's first born baby by naming he or she "The New Year's Baby," Blockbuster is celebrating that "late can be great" by recognizing the second-born baby in more than 40 cities.

The company is working closely with local hospitals in those cities and will be delivering gift baskets full of Blockbuster merchandise to the family of each second-born baby.

In August, Blockbuster offered a monthly rental service that allows customers to keep up to three movies at a time for an unlimited amount of time in return for a monthly fee -- a service similar to a competitor, Netflix.

In a statement released Jan. 1, Blockbuster said that it will continue to offer this service in addition to the individual rental policy.

In its statement, the company said it estimates spending $50 million to market and implement the "no late fee" system.

Also in the released statement, the company said that next year's late fees would have generated $250 million to $300 million in revenue. To make up for this cost, the company said it plans to lower its marketing, operating and promotional budgets.

"In no late fees test markets, the increased retail transactions and retail sales offset the lower level of revenues resulting from eliminating late fees," the company said in its statement.

Mike's Movies, 210 E. Calder Way, is also a local option for State College movie lovers with three locations in the State College area and one in Bellefonte.

"Every video or DVD in the store is $1.49 plus tax, per night," Mike's manager Adam Savit said.

Savit also noted that most of the people that come into Mike's Movies are students. "Eighty percent of our customers are students," Savit said.

Still, students seem to enjoy Mike's Movies and Blockbuster.

"I go to both Mikes Movies and Blockbuster," said Jennifer Rubritz (freshman- hotel, restaurant and institutional management). "They're both inexpensive, and convenient."

There are two Blockbuster stores serving the State College community, 1101 N. Atherton St. and 2290 E. College Ave.