Are alternative renting methods killing mom 'n pop movie stores?
We've already polled the audience this year to see if you all still visited the tried-and-true rental store on any sort of regular basis, and most everyone made clear that the act of driving out to rent a movie was simply old hat. A new writeup over at the Press of Atlantic City takes a look at how close these establishments are to caving to alternate forms of renting. These days, consumers have a copious amount of options: VOD via their pay-TV provider, Netflix (by mail and online streaming), Hulu, VUDU and tons more internet-based alternatives. It doesn't take long to realize that driving out to get a movie isn't required anymore. Interestingly enough, not everyone expects the mom 'n pop rental shops to close up in the coming years, with an increasingly aging population still sticking to their roots and doing things the ways they always have. What say you? How long does the B&M rental outlet model have before it's overtaken by newer methods?
Filed under: Industry, Blu-ray, Other formats
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
David Hildreth @ Jan 2nd 2009 7:34PM
I had no idea there were any left. Redbox and Blockbuster are probably a much bigger threat then Netflix... and VUDU isn't threatening anything.
I think these stores can survive if they learn some lessons from the remaining independent record stores, they fill a niche interest and can do very well by remaining small and focusing on selection and service.
Rob @ Jan 2nd 2009 7:56PM
"mom n pop?" What are you talking about. Blockbuster, for some strange reason, killed off the mom and pops video stores. Then, Walmart came along selling DVDs for $5 or less. I never understood why people chose to pay $4 for the same rental available at the "mom and pop" store for $1. People have finally come down to their senses and realizing that rentals should not cost more than $1. So, I guess we have RedBox to thanks for that. Netflix has been my favorite for the last few years. I keep on going back and forth with Blockbuster Online. But, their service is proving to be a disappointment time after time.
RLP @ Jan 2nd 2009 8:00PM
mom and pop stores were killed off about 15 years ago when Blockbuster came into everyone'
s neighborhoods. I worked at my uncle's video store and it went out in '91. They seemed to last for a good 10 years though before that.
maybe you mean local smaller video chains? but those are going out too.
tone @ Jan 2nd 2009 8:33PM
I must admit I useed to Visit my local Blockbuster store, but now they themselves are online that's where I head now, but I am sure the majority of the population still does it by visiting the stores for now.
The stores will die out I predict over the next 10 years, but they still have some life left in them for now.
NorthCranky @ Jan 2nd 2009 10:16PM
Oddly enough (just last year I think) our local video store couldn't stay in business as well as the 2 most local Blockbusters. Course, there's like 4 more or so within ~5 miles radius.
Garst @ Jan 3rd 2009 12:21AM
I still go to the local "mom & pop" rental store in my town. And I actually usually walk there; it's only nine blocks. If it seems reasonable that they will have the movie I want (and usually do), I have no second thoughts about going. I did use iTunes to rent "Soylent Green," because the store didn't have it. But that's not going to happen too often. Until it takes less than two hours for me to download a movie, I'm going to get a little exercise when I want one that I doubt I want to keep. Unfortunately, I don't get too much exercise renting movies, because it seldomly happens twice a month, which is why I can't justify Nexflix.
YouFaceTheTick @ Jan 3rd 2009 1:17AM
I signed up for netflix in 2000 and haven't been to a video store since. Of course, between 92 and 2000 I had no idea where a local video store even was. All we have in San Diego seems to be Crapbuster.
My parents - in their 60s - are signing up for Netflix as soon as my dad settles on the BR player he wants (Samsung most likely as he wants streaming). I think as long as people have broadband, there's a very real threat for all rental shops to close. .
Dustin @ Jan 3rd 2009 1:24AM
I'll agree with everyone else and say the mom and pop video stores were dead some time ago. Oddly enough, I had an uncle that ran video stores up until the mid-nineties (probably somewhere around six stores at his largest). He was smart enough to get out when the large chains started moving in.
Anyway, my wife and I are Netflix subscribers (2 unlimited, w/ the Blu-Ray +$1, eh... for a total of around $15), but we recently received a couple Blockbuster gift-cards. My wife ran up the street to our local Blockbuster, picked up a DVD (no Blu-Ray sadly) and proceeded to spend about $5 of one of our gift-cards. I tell you what, they won't get $0.01 more than what we have left on the cards with that crap. We can watch AT LEAST 10 movies a month for that $15 we're paying Netflix—not to mention the new instant viewings they've started with Tivo. I just don't see how brick and mortar locations will be able to keep up with the lower prices and added convenience that comes with subscription-based rentals. I give them five years... max.
BananaBoat @ Jan 3rd 2009 1:56AM
My local mom and pop died over ten years ago. They used to rent me SNES games for a week for two dollars, and movies indefinitely (on the honor system that you'd watch them soon and return them) for a dollar. Then Blockbuster came to town, and beat their prices for the month it took to run them out of business, at which point they raised the price of games to 5 dollars for 5 days (or something along those lines) and 3-4 dollars to rent a movie for 3 days. Now it's more along the lines of 8 dollars for a game for 5 days, and 5 dollars for a 3 day movie. Atleast there are no late fees anymore, right? Meh.
Not to mention that my local mom and pop never charged late fees....ever. It's completely the fault of the people in town that flocked to blockbuster despite the perfectly fine alternative right next door. Oh, did I forget to mention that blockbuster opened literally right next door to the mom and pop? Yeah, they did. That's how greedy the local planning commission is.
I use a combination of Redbox and Netflix now. Netflix for anything that isn't new, and Redbox for anything that is. Redbox will soon be the death of blockbuster, and hollywood video, because they simply can't compete with 1 dollar per day rentals.
GhostDoggy @ Jan 3rd 2009 6:15AM
Maybe mom and pop should retire, get with the times, or find another line of business that is less likely to be competed against by an Internet solution.
GhostDoggy @ Jan 3rd 2009 6:16AM
Then again, maybe they can ask for a Billion dollar bailout and claim to have run their business better than GM.
lee @ Jan 3rd 2009 10:42AM
There has not been a mom and pop show around my neighborhood for a few years now, there isn't even a Blockbuster anymore that is convenient for me. I live in NYC near the UN, all the video stores have closed except a blockbuster in the 50's which is like 15 blocks away, so I really have no other choice other than netflix but if there were I mom and pop stores I would still go.
JM @ Jan 3rd 2009 10:46AM
Once the library of instant watch HD movies grows to a considerable size I believe no rental store has a shot of sticking around for long. Just wondering whats going to happen to all the people who aren't tech savvy going to do.
nate @ Jan 3rd 2009 11:44AM
The "mom and pop" stores around here survived in the face of Blockbuster by stocking things that Blockbuster wouldn't (art house, indies) and couldn't (adult). But the alternative methods (ie, the internet) meant that even those niches can no longer sustain them.
LonnieDvD @ Jan 3rd 2009 11:03PM
I can vouch for the tough times movie stores are going through. My local video store just went out of business, after being in town for decades. Curse the luck, now I have to buy any movie that I didn't see in theatres. My connection is too slow for digital downloads, so I am out of luck.
TVGenius @ Jan 4th 2009 12:24AM
Actually noticed most of ours seem to have vanished in the last couple months. Hastings and the other chains are still doing well, and Redbox and DVDPlay machines are getting very popular (only got here about 4 months ago). Problem is that WAY too many people sit and browse everything in it while there's a line behind them. My mom gets really annoyed because she ends up waiting 10+ minutes to pick up reservations most of the time.
Ordeith @ Jan 4th 2009 2:03AM
They seem to be killing blockbuster and that is just fine with me.