What if video stores vanished.

[Lord_Stewie]

hey,

searched this but couldn't find it.

So how would you feel if video stores vanished?

There’s one thing that this summer has proven: People still love going to the movies. Movie grosses are actually up this year from last year, to $4.25 billion from $4.2 billion last year. And while studio executives are probably pleased with this development, one thing that hasn’t been as encouraging is the DVD market. While DVDs used to account for a huge percentage of a film’s revenue, that percentage already plateaued and is being supplanted by a number of other competing forces. The format itself is under attack, as Video-on-Demand and DVRs continue to take hold in American households.

One of the signs of the times has been the struggle of brick-and-mortar stores to stay competitive. With Netflix and Redbox offering consumers a cheap and easy way to get movies, it’s difficult for companies who are paying massive overhead renting physical space to continue to operate profitably. Last week we reported on how Blockbuster might be closing 960 of its stores, which comprise 20% of its 4,400 outlets. Anecdotally, I’ve seen three separate Hollywood Videos close in my area, which was actually kind of sad, as I used to enjoy browsing through the endless aisles of DVDs/Blu-Rays and chatting with the occasionally knowledgeable staff member. While video rental stores may never entirely go away, we are certainly witnessing an industry in the midst of a sea change, and in 5-10 years, the video rental store landscape will probably look completely different than it does today. Would you be sad if video rental stores vanished?


This week, our colleagues over at the Totally Rad Show, (who recently re-launched with a completely new design and brand new graphics), discussed this exact issue. In their most recent episode, they wax nostalgic about VHS (who among us DIDN’T love storing 8 hours of footage on a single cassette tape?) and Dan Trachtenberg concludes that while there were positive aspects of the video store experience, a lot of what people are holding onto when it comes to the demise of video stores is actually some romanticized notion of what the rental experience was like, rather than reality.

So guys, what do you think? What has been your experience at video rental stores? Have you found them an enjoyable place to hang out and chat about movies? Or have they only served a utilitarian function for you to get your movie and then get the hell out? More importantly, if video stores went away, would you miss them?

Enjoy.

[Diesel]

So guys, what do you think? What has been your experience at video rental stores? Have you found them an enjoyable place to hang out and chat about movies? Or have they only served a utilitarian function for you to get your movie and then get the hell out? More importantly, if video stores went away, would you miss them?

Get my movie and get the hell out
I've never been in a rental store around here and saw more than 4 people (excluding the worker and myself) inside. I'm amazed that they've stayed open this long in my area.

I wouldn't miss them really. I don't rent blu-rays or games so it wouldn't affect me much. If I do rent a movie, I rent the dvd and play it on my computer or a regular dvd player (I have a thing about putting rented discs in my PS3 ). If they were to go away, I guess I would just rent off of the PSN, Amazon, iTunes or from Directv when I felt the need to rent something.

[McGarnigal]

Every video store did close in my 10 mile radius or so. Every BallBuster, Hollywood Video, Grocery store chain video, etc... Everyone makes due with a redbox in their place in addition to netflix type services

[Uniquely]

I thought video stores disappeared a few years ago. Between netflix and streaming and digital downloads... I haven't gone to a brick and mortar to rent a movie in a few years.

[Blu-ray Fanatic]

Originally Posted by DVDave

I just read that Blockbuster is closing down another 650 stores. The Video Store is about to become a relic of the past like the Drive-In theater.

Why Blockbuster? The Blockbusters in my area get plenty of customers. Hollywood Video and the lower budget stores are most likely to go out of business.

[Anthony P]

I only buy, so I don't care if rental places continue or not.

[tommyboy81]

Originally Posted by Blu-ray Fanatic

Why Blockbuster? The Blockbusters in my area get plenty of customers. Hollywood Video and the lower budget stores are most likely to go out of business.

Originally Posted by DVDave

Blockbuster is consolidating because they known digital download and streaming services like Netflix are going to replace them.

I've seen Blockbuster going the Redbox route. With the $1 rentals. I've only seen it in 1 Grocery store. Awesome looking booth to.

[Dotpattern]

I haven't been in a video rental store since 2002!

[ManUtd]

I still rent at Blockbuster on occasion so for me this means that I would need to find an alternative, Netflix maybe.

[tommyboy81]

Originally Posted by DVDave

My parents live out in the middle of BFE and the nearest video store is 30 miles away. They absolutely LOVE their streaming Netflix subscription.

Just imagine driving 30 miles to Blockbuster and not finding the copy of Glitter you were looking for.

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by tommyboy81

Just imagine driving 30 miles to Blockbuster and not finding the copy of Glitter you were looking for.

Or worse yet,

Imagine driving 30 miles to Blockbuster and finding the copy of Glitter you were looking for

[FindYourWay]

In my world, they have already vanished. There is a Blockbuster I occasionally walk by...and it is always deserted. It's a huge one too and in Los Angeles no less.

I guess the only ones that get any regular business would be independent video stores that rent porn. There is a neighborhood one and that is their main business.

Course, GreenCine (online movie rental) rents porn.

[tommyboy81]

Originally Posted by Diesel

Or worse yet,

Imagine driving 30 miles to Blockbuster and finding the copy of Glitter you were looking for

room full of Glitter

[Psychonaut]

Haven't been in a video store for years but I see the empty ones everywhere.

[toef]

This site is becoming a filter of slashfilm and aintitcoolnews. I swear tons of articles from each are reposted here every day.

Cool name for a movie store though.

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by toefer

This site is becoming a filter of slashfilm and aintitcoolnews. I swear tons of articles from each are reposted here every day.

Cool name for a movie store though.

Screenrant is where its at

[CAB]

Originally Posted by tommyboy81

I've seen Blockbuster going the Redbox route. With the $1 rentals. I've only seen it in 1 Grocery store. Awesome looking booth to.

I agree. When there's something i won't buy on Blu releases, I use Redbox when it's convenient.

[toef]

I would be a little sad if video stores vanished, but I don't really see a reason for them to stick around. Movies are so cheap these days that you can walk into BestBuy and I'm sure they'll have a random old movie for $5 that you haven't seen before. Pick that up, and it's the cost of a rental, and you get to keep it afterward.

Originally when VHS tapes cost a trillion dollars (not exaggerating) it made a lot more sense for someone to make a business out of paying that high price to purchase them, and then renting them out to people for a few dollars.

That being said, I do remember a small local movie store, which later got bought out by a regional chain.

When it was just a local store, it was awesome. The kid's section was sectioned off by fake castle walls, so you felt cool walking into the kid's section.

In the back of the store there were two side rooms. The entrance to one had the appearance of a haunted house in the front (built to stick out from the wall a bit, and the doorway to the room was the door of the house), and was where the horror movies were kept. Inside they always had some eerie music playing, and fake spider webs, and other scary'ish stuff. And it was pretty dark in there. I used to fear that someone would jump out from behind one of the shelves and kill me.

Next to that section was the adult section, which was made to look like a saloon, at least from the outside, because that's all I ever saw of it, though I would often try to peak inside whenever someone would swing the saloon doors open.

When it got bought out by the regional chain, the store was renovated and looked like a plain office building that sold some movies.

[jadedeath]

Originally Posted by toefer

I would be a little sad if video stores vanished, but I don't really see a reason for them to stick around. Movies are so cheap these days that you can walk into BestBuy and I'm sure they'll have a random old movie for $5 that you haven't seen before. Pick that up, and it's the cost of a rental, and you get to keep it afterward.

Not only that, I'm sure it's the same down in the 'States, but up here in Canada, some of the On Demand services are starting to release the movie for download to your PVR {as a rental} the same day as they get released on home video.

Which sorta makes little to no sense as the one chain that's up here owns some of the video stores, and the cable company that's doing the releasing early... kinda shooting themselves in the foot on that one.

Logan

[Lord_Stewie]

The road is well paved for rental stores to face evolution and diminish as well since 2002.