Downloads killing the video stores

by Reece Baker,  5 April 2011

Local video storeowners are being forced to close their doors because of lack of business due to online rental technology.

Roxy Video located in Perth’s northern-coastal suburb of Cottesloe, says it is facing near bankruptcy due to emerging technologies within the entertainment industry, allowing people to easily access online rentals from home.

The last video store of the suburb is telling its customers they will be closing later this month.

Some local Cottesloe citizens say they are sorry to see the video store closing its doors.

For long time resident Val Delassio, her weekly trip to the video store is a family affair.

“I still like the old customer service and I like to be able to go in and look around at all the movies on the shelves, I can spend up to a good hour in the video store,” Mrs. Delassio said.

“You can only see so much online and I’m old school, I like to still come in and do it.”

Mrs. Delassio said at least two days each week she gets in the car with her daughter for a trip to the local video store because of the advice and attention she receives.

She said some of the employees at Roxy Video on Eric Street, where she regularly rents videos, have kids her children’s age and employees are able to provide good advice on what games and movies they think her children would like.

"You get to know them over the years and you bond with these people, so it’s rather sad to see them all closing,” Mrs. Delassio said.

Store owner, Jackson Rolley, who has managed Roxy Video since 2001, said that the store was facing closure due to lack of business in today’s declining economy.

“Roxy Video needs to realign its cost structure due to the ongoing changes in our industry.

“Online services such as Quickflix are not allowing us to compete fairly in a technologically growing market,” Mr. Rolley said.

Quickflix, an Australian company, allows its consumers to browse an online catalogue of films and television series.

Once they decide, consumers have the product delivered to their door within the next day.

“There’s nothing we can really do about it at this stage, it seems as if people are just getting lazier these days, preferring to use the internet rather than face to face interaction,” Mr. Rolley said.