The next time you venture to Wal-Mart or Walgreens, take a look around and see if you can spot the massive red kiosk with a soccer mom standing in front of it (okay, the soccer mom is optional). That’s Redbox, and it’s one of the hottest options for people on the go who want to rent a movie.

In fact, the Redbox franchise is growing at such an impressive rate that it threatens to put a major dent in Netflix business for 2011, 2012, and beyond. As a longtime movie fanatic, I’m in favor of any option that allows me to save time and money.

How to Get Redbox Movie Rentals

I first tried my hand at Redbox movie rentals in 2011, and I was surprised by how easy it was. The Redbox franchise can be found in over 27,000 locations ranging from convenience stores and drugstores to restaurants and grocery stores. Heck, even famous landmarks like the Empire State Building have one.

Each kiosk takes up about 12 square feet of space, but it holds around 630 movies (usually around 200 unique titles, with the rest being duplicate copies). Expect the bulk of available titles to be of the newer variety, although a few classics will be slipped in on occasion. And, yes, you do have the option of seeing the latest Hollywood blockbuster on Blu-ray.

I like to avoid touching doorknobs and other public germ factories, so I always make sure to apply some hand sanitizer after my trip to the local Redbox franchise. If you’re like me, you’ll want to keep this in mind.

Once you approach the Redbox kiosk, you’ll notice a large touch screen. This is where you’ll conduct your business, and any movie can be touched to receive additional information. When you’ve found a title you like, just press “Add to Cart.” More movies can be added in this fashion, or press “Check Out” to complete your transaction. You can pay by credit or debit card, and within seconds you’ll be receiving your selections from inside the machine.

When you’re ready to return the movies, they can be dropped off at any Redbox franchise (there‘s at least one in every state). Just press the return option on the touch screen, and then insert the movie (case included) back into the kiosk. It’s that simple.

I hate going to the video store and finding that all 20 copies of the movie I want are checked out. Redbox allows you to avoid this by reserving titles online. Just visit the Redbox website, pick the movie you want, and pay for it. This will allow you to reserve a copy until 9 pm the following day. When you arrive at the Redbox kiosk, swipe the credit or debit card previously used to reserve the film, and you’ll get your selection straight away.

I prefer to reserve my movies in advance, because people tend to get impatient if you take too long to browse the available titles. If it’s taken care of online, it cuts down on the opportunity for Croc-wearing suburban mothers with cottage cheese thighs to show their dark side.

To find the Redbox franchise nearest you, just text “REDBOX” to 50101. To get a list of the latest movies released every Tuesday, text “NEW” to 727272. With the latter, just keep in mind that sometimes Redbox has to wait up to a month after a film has come out on DVD before they can stock it. You have the greedy movie studios to thank for that.

Cost of Redbox Movie Rentals

One of the major advantages of your local Redbox franchise is price. You can get a DVD rental for only $1 per day, while a Blu-ray movie from Redbox costs $1.50 (plus a small amount of tax for each). I’m always looking for a bargain, so this blows the prices of Blockbuster right out of the water (although readers looking at this article in 2012 may hardly remember the former king of video stores).

Speaking of bargains, the Netflix website offers a free night’s rental to customers who’ve made their first transaction. Just go to the Redbox website, look for the link labeled “Get a free rental” at the bottom of the page, and get all the details.

In addition to Redbox movie rentals, the franchise is also testing the waters by renting video games at select locations. If you can find such a kiosk, expect to pay $2 per day for the latest video game titles for all major platforms. I’ve always wished that Netflix would offer game rentals, so this is a big plus for me.

I’m not big on using my mobile phone, but even I couldn’t resist joining the Redbox Mobile Club. I just texted “REDBOX” to 727272, and now I get a free night’s rental on the first Monday of every month.

Can You Get a Redbox Franchise?

I would love to have a Redbox franchise, but that’s just not going to happen. For starters, I don’t own my own business, and there’s also the matter of Redbox requiring a potential location to have a certain amount of foot traffic per week. I live in a town of 10,000, and the only place that qualifies is the local Wal-Mart. Unless I buy Wally World, it looks like I’m out of luck.

In my fantasy world, however, I own a thriving comic book shop that draws an unusual amount of naïve and busty 18-year-old females. When I’m not busy staring at them inappropriately or debating who would win between Superman and Batman, I envision myself strolling out front and getting cheap-ass movies whenever I want. Yes, my imaginary life is pretty damned good.

So if your local video store sucks and you don’t want to commit to a Netflix membership, be sure to keep Redbox in mind. Even the cheapest cinema fan can afford $1 per day, and you might even make a love connection with a soccer mom while waiting in line (at least I did in my fantasy world).