Video stores are on the brink of extinction. According to Red Flag Deals, Rogers Plus will cease renting movies. Remaining stores will shut down completely or convert to a wireless store only. Link: http://goo.gl/Sbhgc
I enjoyed renting from a local Rogers Plus on a regular basis. I enjoyed conversing with staff while browsing movies and completing a rental transaction. In my early days store staff helped me discover great titles such as: Mallrats, Reservoir Dogs, and Evil Dead 2. Yes we have access to movie recommendations from countless online friends/critics, it’s not the same.
I’m going to miss the deals at a video store which seem to be absent in the online world. If I say to you “7/7/7” some of you may remember this AMAZING deal, “7 movies, 7 days, 7 bucks.” Good luck finding that via iTunes! Another deal I’ll miss, “Previously viewed DVDs/Blu-Rays.” Can I buy a discounted “previously viewed” on demand title??
Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate VOD (Video on Demand) services such as iTunes and Shaw Cable. VOD allows smaller movies to reach a wider audience. There are benefits to VOD: no late fees, no travel, open 24 hours, wide selection and it’s fast!
This morning I rented “Merantau” from Xbox Marketplace. I didn’t have to put on my shoes, hop on a bus, pick from a shelf, pay and return. I logged in to my Xbox, click “Rent” and boom the movie started. The picture quality is surprisingly great too. My only complaint is Dolby Digital only for VOD. I realize uncompressed audio would add a hefty amount to the 8gb download, but it’s nice to dream.
There are few video stores left and I’m sad to see them go. I’m sad to see people get replaced with VOD and redbox kiosks. I hope all affected employees find jobs elsewhere and flourish. Pictured below is your new “store employee.”
As always I will access what is available to me. Here I come iTunes, Xbox Marketplace, Netflix and Shaw Cable. I hope you have all the titles I want!
Video stores are nearly extinct. Where do you go for rentals? What will you miss the most about video stores?
Here are your answers:
@Chris_Withers: this could end up being a renaissance for indie video stores. there are tons of places to get new releases. It’s back catalogue that’s the issue. i think iTunes is good.
@noahphex: Netflix, On Demand, Vudu, Redbox - I won’t miss them at all frankly. I hate having to leave my house to do anything. If I could have everything delivered I would so it’s not a loss for me.
@DominosQuadra: I’ve been just buying movies for years, instead of renting.
@PulpTruth94: I go to @FamilyVideo They’re still alive and kicking. Discussing films with the workers, recommending films to renters, and physically holding a disc in my hand. Love that human interaction.
@BTSjunkie: A lot of the marathons I attend wouldn’t be possible w/ out video stores. Too hard to find movies across 10 diff services.
@Salsalito: the good local one (back before I moved out here have not found one here) that makes recommendations. You could build a face to face relationship at a store. At a minimum understand weather you had the same tastes.
@HernandezGanas: What about the hugely successful Pic a Flic on Cook?
@lacouvee: we get most of our films on DVD at the @gvp - Blu Ray too! Great selection. Up to date reasonably. I have to say - have greatly reduced rentals and Shaw on demand. Fantastic service!
@rainbow_goddess: I don’t rent videos. I don’t have a credit card and no one, store or online, will rent to me without one.
@soundjam69: Crazy Mikes on shelbourne and cedar hill xroad or pic a flic in cook street village
@j_ceperley: Used to split my rentals between the 1 Blockbuster in town and the Rogers near my house - sadly both are gone now:(
@donholio: I have been doing a lot of VOD lately. Also lots of purchases of BR. I haven’t rented from store in 3+ years. Won’t miss em. Even more so when you have kids. Tough to leave the house even when they are asleep. I can put on a video and pause if needed
@gianniguessguy: they always had really big, usually rare candy. Sometimes I would just go get that and not rent a movie…..#willmissthat my old store always had candy and sodas from the UK because the owners were from there! SUPER awesome!
Erik: I was a video store employee and I am sad that video stores are almost gone. Some still hang on because they did it right all along, basically becoming libraries of our films, like Pic-A-Flic. The last ‘rental’ I made was from the library which has done very well in the face of this fading media. However, I don’t rent because I am savvy enough to not have to. If I have to see I movie at home because I missed it in theaters, well, I get a hold of it somehow. Nuff said.
Teg: Yo! Video is the shit. They carry a lot of really great foreign/horror/indie films, and have for years. I always liked it because the clerks always had really great ideas about what to watch and would tailor their suggestions based on what you felt like watching. The internet is great but it’s hard to find the good shit, especially if like me, you like watching films that are bit off the beaten track so to speak.
Ryan: Also Pic-a-Flic in Cook St. Village, still an amazing place to rent from (possibly a better selection than Yo!, but both are amazing stores).
Thank you to everyone for participating in my poll. Feel free to add comments in the section below if you missed your chance to chime in.
