Today is International Independent Video Store Day

[Shaka Zulu]

What is that, you ask? Well, it's just like Free Comic Book Day and Record Store Day, and it's being done to give video stores a lot of love that they're suffering a lack of due to video-on-demand and streaming services like Netflix , and is further explained here:

30 years ago, someone invented the VCR and “home video” was born. Enterprising entrepreneurs bought pre-recorded magnetic tapes featuring Hollywood movies and rented them to the public to watch at home. Studios cried foul but were ultimately shot down in court and an industry that has spanned decades flourished and forever changed the way we watch and appreciate movies.


Big business, smelling success, muscled it’s way in with bags of money and ultimately soured the milk for independent retailers and customers alike. Now, the high-speed connectivity of the internet has again brought upheaval and change to the home video marketplace, knocking the corporate players in the teeth and creating a pervasive cultural malaise regarding the viability of hard copy product as a desirable item for consumers. Who’s gonna pay for milk when the cow is giving it away for free?

But the Independent Video Store didn’t die off. Although many of our brothers and sisters had cashed out, laid down or given in, many of us are still here! Thriving on customer service, eclectic selections and a voracious dedication to the media. Carving out a niche market, feeding the needs of film lovers looking for something other than the mediocrity spoon-fed to them by mainstream media outlets.

In an attempt to consolidate the power of the thousands of independently owned video stores still in operation across the continent and worldwide, we’ve created VIDEO STORE DAY! This international event will be celebrated and observed the third Saturday of October each year. It’s purpose is to promote the idea of supporting your local, independent video stores. Stores owned and staffed by human beings who can be relied upon for reviews and recommendations and who truly love what they do – otherwise, why else would they still be doing it?

International Independent Video Store Day

Article on this day's events from a Toronto perspective

List of participating U.S. stores

List of participating Canadian stores

The Facebook page

 

[Taylirious]

I remember when I was in middle school my friend and I would go to a local video store and try to sneak into the adult room. Good times.

 

[T'Girl]

Can't remember the last time I saw a video store, must be at least three years.

The last one was a Blockbuster retail place across the street from the Renton Washington airport, I think it's a Asian BBQ place now.

 

[Aldo]

It's been about three years for me too. The last place I saw one was near my College. It went out of business shortly after I started going there.

 

[publiusr]

I like to go places and brose--I can't be the only one.

 

[FPAlpha]

I remember when I was in middle school my friend and I would go to a local video store and try to sneak into the adult room. Good times.

When i turned 18 i finally was able to go into this separate room.. red headed and praying i wouldn't encounter anybody i knew

I regularly rented videos there (VHS tapes at first, DVDs later) but since the proliferation of the Internet all of them closed up and i haven't seen such a shop in years.

Friend of mine has one around the corner but it's automated, i.e. he has a card, puts in the movie he wants and returns them to a slot. I guess it's the only way to keep such stores by pushing down costs.

 

[tharpdevenport]

In my county we used to have a dozen video rental places, from Blockbuster, to Movie Gallery, to non-chain places done by locals. Over the years they all went belly up except one, a local-owned place next to an old folks home. I suspect they're primary business is from the home.

Nobody seems to enjoy getting out of the house and browsing anymore, meeting people, etc. If I had tons of money, I wouldn't pay somebody to get my food, I'd still go out and do that.

What good are "If you like this you might like" based on somebody else's suggestions? It narrows down thousands of movies to a small number.

Maybe you'll see a cover and remember a film you'd like to see again. Maybe you'll see one you are unfamiliar with and be curious enough to watch it. I could go on, but there's no need.


Even libraries and pawn shops have changed. None of them are taking VHS tapes anymore (well, I think Goodwill might still do that, if donated). Hell, most pawn shops won't even take DVD's anymore and have hundreds sitting around.


I don't think you can buy a VHS player at Wal-Mart anymore. One day you won't be able to get a DVD player (or even Bluray) there either.


I don't own a TV or VHS player and the DVD player I have is kind of crap anyway, so I can't support the one place here left (if they are participating), since it's no good to watch things on hte computer; they never look good. And even stuff that looks good, say newer things like on Hulu, there's always skips from ads loading, skips if you move you mouse too much, and even though this is high speed there is still some rare buffering (and the ads are often way too fucking loud compared to what I was watching, hurting my ears and likely one day destroying the speakers).

 

[Shaka Zulu]

VHS decks are still being made and still being sold at places like Best Buy, but these are combo units that also have a DVD player in them (some are a combo of a DVD recorder and VHS deck for transcribing what you have on tape to DVD, but you can also buy a DVD recorder [the ones with a HDD are best] and hook that up to your VHS deck and do the same thing.)

I live here in Toronto where this was started, and sadly, all that's left of rental places in Toronto are four or five places, all in downtown Toronto (although many corner stores have rental kiosks depending on location.) One good thing about all of this, though, is that one can still buy video if they need to and want to do so.

List of world locations/participants

 

[Sparkle Fabulosa]

I miss video stores. It was fun looking through all the aisles to find something interesting, and then buying some snacks. Streaming is very convenient but it's just not the same.

 

[Melakon]

There's a local chain of used music stores that also sell used videos. There's one three blocks away, I visit it several times a year.

 

[Mudd]

The independent video store was such an 80s thing. I miss it. But hell, I miss Beta.

 

[Shaka Zulu]

I still rent, but sporadically (old TV shows on DVD, some new movies) from Queen Video here in Toronto.

 

[martok2112]

There used to be one Blockbuster store remaining several miles from where I live, but alas, I believe it is gone now.

Used to love going to Blockbuster, Hollywood Video, and other video stores. They were like gold mines.

I'll believe that physical media is on its way out when there are like only a dozen titles left in any store that still bothers selling them. Til then, it looks like physical media is still here for a good while.

Still doesn't stop me from watching Netflix though.

 

[Mudd]

The big chains - Blockbuster, Hollywood - began their national dominance in the late 80s or early 90s. Back in the mid-80s, just about every strip shopping center around here had a "Mom and Pop," independent video rental place. Small businesspeople, the first to jump on a trend.

Video rental was exciting at the time, because not many years before that one's choice for television entertainment was the three network programming grid and low-budget local fare (largely syndicated reruns of older network shows). Now suddenly a family could plan an evening around staying home and watching Ghostbusters or something.