The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

lose, not loose, and their, not there (x2)

I'd say that brick-and-mortar video and dvd rental outlets are (thankfully) going the way of the dodo because of their outdated and high-overhead business model - neither Apple nor piracy have anything to do with it.

Try online-only DVD rental competitors, and uncertain availability of a pathetically small stock, as the main reasons they're going out of business.

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And you run a DVD Rental Store VanillaSpice??

I do.

I can tell you, for a FACT, piracy IS our biggest problem. The amount of people I have in here bragging about what they just downloaded or bought from a market and watched is not funny. It's not funny for me, and it's not funny for the WHOLE INDUSTRY in Australia, right back to the studios, so sure.. you carry on in denial about the affects of piracy, but in the end... it's YOU, the consumer that is going to be affected.

As for online rental stores.. look at the facts... QuickFlix are losing money faster than water can run down a drain, and I'll bet the other online rental stores are probably doing the same.

And Apple selling TV shows? That doesn't faze me in the slightest. At $70 for a season of Scrubs, when I can sell it for $30, or rent it for $10, isn't going to be losing me business or sleep.

Maybe where you are located, rental stores are a waste.. but out here in the country, it's still one of the cheapest (and to many, the only) forms of entertainment in an economic environment that is seeing petrol, interest rates and food all going up in price, my prices haven't gone up though.

What I find really funny is that these same people that come in here telling me about how they illegally watched a movie, are the same ones coming in a week later asking for a job. You can guess what my answer to that is!!

I'm sure DVD rental stores can live without your business, but just think, we're a physical store with jobs going... without us, there's even fewer places to employ people!!

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If you think piracy is not a major issue for stores, you have not really looked into the issue. You are just voicing your own belief. I have been in the industry for over ten years and I can tell you that piracy the number one concern. Figures at store levels continue to plummet, and it began with the digital introduction

As for Apple; TV shows are just the start, Movie Rentals are next and they will also take more business away from us. (As Nick said though; pricing for TV is quiet high, so that will help us until it’s not.)

As for your points:

High overheads, that is beyond our control. DVD prices are fixed by suppliers, wages are set, rent and running costs are set, Insurances, like any business the expenses are high, and that is why our prices are what they are. If you owned any type of business you would realize this.

As Nick pointed out, Online Rental store that deliver are not as reliable and are losing money, they cannot guarantee a title on time. We can; if you book a movie 99% of the time it is available for the customer. I have had several customers come back from these types of places, and they will not use them again.

Lack of stock is due to decreased revenue, again which
goes back o lack of cliental. You cannot expect a store to carry stock that is not going to make its money back.
For you to actually be happy that your own countries businesses are closing makes you extremely unpleasant person. Don’t worry that this is a family’s income, and also all the staff that they do employee, plus charities they help in the community, when they go the way of the dodo, it will be ok, I’m sure they community and families won’t lose much.

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What a surprise - people who run video stores are blaming piracy and Apple, and not themselves and their business model, for their downturn.

Your mistake is assuming - without any evidence except hearsay - that your ex-customers are now pirates, ignoring the likelihood that they are now customers of someone else with a better business model.

No wonder we are EX-customers, we obviously never had your respect at all. And didn't we bloody well know it, why do you think the exodus has been so rapid, otherwise? Oh, right - you're blaming everything on the piracy so you don't have to face up to facts.

Nothing to do with you, your staff, your vanishingly small stock, your business decisions, your lack of service, your price, your stupidly high fees and penalties (often applied unfairly), your occasional outright refusal of potential customers ... just the piracy, and piracy alone, right?

For the record, I work in a small business in a small country town. Don't go yelling "jobs" at me, I know how important employment is. But it is economic idiocy to prop up bad or outdated businesses (or to try to guilt us into buying from them) for the sake of jobs - that money is much better used creating MORE overall employment in sustainable industries. That is not me being "unpleasant", that is actually economics 101.

Why should someone else go unemployed because we are being forced to unnecessarily support you? For you to actually be happy about their unemployment makes you an extremely unpleasant person. Don't worry about their income, and also all the staff that they might employ, plus charities they could help in the community, I'm sure their community and families won't lose much. (You see how rubbish - and insulting - that argument of yours is, yeah?)

You have both demonstrated exactly what it is about video store owners and employees that has prompted consumers into such a frenzied rush towards alternatives as soon as they became available.

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What a load of absolute dross.

"Your mistake is assuming - without any evidence except hearsay - that your ex-customers are now pirates, ignoring the likelihood that they are now customers of someone else with a better business model."

Without evidence? Coming from the very mouths of people that do it is pretty much evidence in my book.

"No wonder we are EX-customers, we obviously never had your respect at all. And didn't we bloody well know it, why do you think the exodus has been so rapid, otherwise? Oh, right - you're blaming everything on the piracy so you don't have to face up to facts.

Nothing to do with you, your staff, your vanishingly small stock, your business decisions, your lack of service, your price, your stupidly high fees and penalties (often applied unfairly), your occasional outright refusal of potential customers ... just the piracy, and piracy alone, right?"

Obviously someone didn't return their movies, and got charged for it!! And if you don't return movies to the online rental libraries... do you think they'll not charge your credit card for those missing movies? If you hire a car, and return it a day late, you'll get charged for it. Why is hiring a movie, and not returning it on time (so someone else can rent it) any different? If it doesn't come back when it's time, then the customer should pay for the lost income. I only apply this rule to brand new movies, but they are the ones that people come in looking for.

You don't personally know our businesses, so who are you to put them down? You couldn't be farther from the truth in terms of respect and service in my store.

You mention US being "insulting", and then you write all this drivel, insulting our businesses without any evidence of your own.

As for economics 101 and employment, it makes sense to shut out 1000's of video stores employing several people, to be replaced by a couple of online rental businesses employing a handful does it?

I've been running various "small businesses", successfully I might add, for over 15 years, and have employed quite a few people in the process. In this business alone, I have increased turnover by 75% over the last owners.. and guess what I LOWERED THE PRICES AND BROUGHT MORE STOCK IN.

But obviously you're far more important, superior, arrogant, demeaning, respectful and economically smart and switched on than anyone else eh? Or just a know-it-all-idiot.

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Thank you Alex, you got in B/4 I did; I guess Vanilla did have a bad experience with her local store, which must mean we all are that way. Far from the truth at my store also, however I guess she has her views and I they will remain that way. So be it.

And just for the record, never did we say that it was simply Piracy that was the only reason, but it is one of the highest and if you think it is not I would suggest looking into it.

BTW: If you work Overtime do you get paid? Why is a rental any different?

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