Video rental shop: Difference between revisions
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* [[Rogers Plus]] (1988-2012, formerly known as '''Rogers Video''') |
* [[Rogers Plus]] (1988-2012, formerly known as '''Rogers Video''') |
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* [[Video Library]] (acquired by [[Blockbuster LLC]] in 1989) |
* [[Video Library]] (acquired by [[Blockbuster LLC]] in 1989) |
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* [[West Coast Video]] ( |
* [[West Coast Video]] (1983-2009, some stores remain independently open) |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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Revision as of 18:54, 8 November 2013
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2009) |
A video rental shop is a physical business that rents home videos. Typically, a rental shop conducts business with customers under conditions and terms agreed upon in a rental agreement or contract, which may be implied, explicit, or written.
Overview
Typically, a customer must sign up for an account with the shop and give billing information like a credit card number. If items are returned late, the shop usually charges late fees, which typically accumulate day by day. Some shops now have policies where instead of late fees, they will treat overdue items as a sale after a certain date, and charge a price equivalent to a standard sale of that object (with appropriate deductions for the rental fee already paid and for its pre-opened condition).
While video rental stores primarily offer movies, many also offer music or video games. Some video rental outlets use a kiosk or vending machine to dispense and collect rentals.
In 2010, a report indicated that in the United States, public libraries collectively loaned more videos than the online rental outlet Netflix.[1]
History
Independently-owned video rental stores started opening in the late 1970s following the end of the videotape format war. Such stores led to the creation of video rental chains such as West Coast Video, Blockbuster Video and Rogers Video in the 1980s.
Stores initially sold home video recorded with the popular VHS cassette format. Rogers Video was the first chain to provide DVD rentals in Canada. Other chains and independent stores later transitioned to the newer format, and most including Rogers eventually discontinued the sale and rental of VHS. Similarly, many stores now rent Blu-ray Disc movies after the high definition optical disc format war was finished. Unlike the VHS-to-DVD transition, almost all stores continue to carry both Blu-ray and DVD.
West Coast as a chain ceased operations in the mid-2000s. Blockbuster and Rogers later withdrew from the Canadian movie rental business in 2011 and 2012 respectively.
Rental and copyright
The rental of books, CDs and movies is covered by copyright law[citation needed]. Copyright owners sometimes put warning notices on the packaging of products such as Blu-ray Discs or DVDs to deter copyright infringement. In some cases, the rights of consumers in Europe and the US are in fact significantly broader than described in such warnings.
Selection
There would typically be a two- to three-month delay between the time a movie was available for rental, and when the movie could be purchased by the consumer. In reality, the video was available, but priced for rental shops and film enthusiasts who wanted to own a copy of the film at the earliest opportunity. The pricing was between $70 and $130. This started changing with the advent of movie releases on DVD. Blockbuster refused to use the VHS strategy for DVD, so the studios began releasing DVDs at an initially lower price. During 1998, retailers would have the DVD version of a film available for sale the same day the VHS version was available for rent. This later changed, with release dates for VHS and DVD coinciding. In 2008, this also occurred when the Blu-ray Disc format was introduced as the successor to DVD. A movie will be available on Blu-ray and DVD on the same day.
Security measures
In some rentals the boxes are on the shelves, but the actual media (Blu-ray Disc, DVD, or video game disc) is kept behind the desk, therefore reducing any risks of theft (since the most someone can steal from the shelves is the box). The media is put into the box at the same time that the rent is signed. Or the case may be locked and can only be unlocked with a special instrument kept behind the video shop counter.
In some countries, a vending machine and a credit card are employed by the user to rent the Blu-ray Disc or DVD. In such cases, the card would be charged a refundable fee to cover the physical media cost.
Companies
Active
- Civic Video (Australasia and Thailand)
- Culture Convenience Club (Japan)
- Family Video
- Jumbo Video (Canada)
- Microplay, Jumbo Video's game-focused stores
- Le SuperClub Vidéotron (Quebec only)
- Video City (Northern Ireland)
- Video Ezy (Australasia and Thailand)
- Xtra-vision (Northern Ireland)
- Starland Video (Fremantle, Australia)
Defunct
- Blockbuster LLC (1985-2013)
- Movie Gallery (1985-2010)
- Hollywood Video, a Movie Gallery brand (1988-2010)
- Ritz Video, (a former UK chain of video rental stores, acquired by Blockbuster LLC, in the 90's)
- Rogers Plus (1988-2012, formerly known as Rogers Video)
- Video Library (acquired by Blockbuster LLC in 1989)
- West Coast Video (1983-2009, some stores remain independently open)
See also
References
- ^ Morning Edition (2010-07-30). "Libraries Top Netflix In DVD Rentals". NPR. Retrieved 2012-11-03.
External links
- "Video stores still making a go at attracting business (answer poll)." Gaston Gazette. September 24, 2010.
- Dawson, Jennifer. "The incredible shrinking video stores!" Houston Business Journal. Friday April 21, 2006.
- DVD Rental Store Locator United Kingdom.