Chip Taylor

The tragedy of the commons

It crops up everywhere.

At first, managers of a group of Northern Virginia Blockbuster franchises loved the idea of dropping late fees -- until, that is, customers started complaining that the new policy had turned fellow renters into movie hogs. New releases such as "Batman Begins" would get snatched up early, and neither clerks nor impatient fans could predict when the movie would return to the shelves.

So, some franchises have brought back the late fees.