Being the owner of a business in town can sometimes be entertaining and sometimes it is just trying. I actually had a guy come in last week, who I hadn’t seen in many, many years. He and his family used to rent from us when we were in the old corner building, so that gives you a time frame. He walked around for a couple of minutes and then stopped at the counter and said: “I AM SURPRISED YOU ARE STILL HERE”. I wasn’t really sure how to respond to this statement. It wasn’t a question, It was just a statement. (Well thanks for sharing) There were many things running through my mind, but none really appropriate to say to a possible customer. As he left, without renting a movie, I wanted to say: Now you come back in 10 years and see if we are still here….but, of course, I didn’t.
Do you rent from your local video store? With the advances in every day technology, video stores are becoming a thing of the past. You are now able to get movies on demand with the push of a button. Is there still value in renting from your local video store? Of course, being the owner of a rental store, my answer is yes. Most of the time when purchasing a movie on demand you are getting a movie that has been out on video for over 30 days. Plus, we rent movies for or less. With movies on demand, you will pay, at least, .99 and up, plus tax. In addition, our local store carries much more than the newest latest videos. We have a classics section, western section, childrens section, award winners section and many more older movies you can not get with movie on demand. If you just look at the money the value is still there. If you look at the selection, are value can not be measured.
What else do we have to offer? Coming from a small town of under 5000 people means there are not a lot of large businesses in town. I would say McDonalds would have to be the largest with every other business being locally owned and operated. As such, when it comes time for the schools, churches, scouts, little leagues, and more to look for businesses to support their cause, it is the small businesses that they go to for donations. Let me say here, I am happy to help when I can. I feel it is my obligation to support my town. My point is, try to get a donation from your local cable company that is making money when you purchase a movie on demand. So, as a small town business, we offer support to our town. Are you getting the picture? We need you, our customers, to stay in business and you need our business to help support our town. I think this is a pretty good value to encourage renting from your local store.
In closing, I would like to encourage everyone to support your local businesses. Whether you live in a small town or a large town, the local video store and other businesses are probably privately owned. By supporting them via renting your movies there or making purchases, you are in turn supporting your entire town. Hey, It’s just my opinion.
Written by Catherine White
Owner of a small town video store. Active marketing professional.
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