In an age of Netflix, RedBox, Hulu, cable, and illegal Internet streaming of video content, a national chain of video rental stores has managed to not only stay afloat, but also to prosper.
With over 775 stores nationwide, Family Video is the largest movie and game rental chain in the country. New stores are being opened all the time, according to www.familyvideo.com.
The Hillsdale Family Video is no exception to the chain’s success.
“Hillsdale [Family Video] is classified as ‘a big store.’ In busier months we do anywhere from $50,000-$55,000 in revenue,” said Store Manager Keith Court. “We’re a high medium store, and we’ve been trending upwards. We’ve been trying to get the store more involved in the community as well and getting regulars to keep coming back.”
Family Video claims its secret to success is the emphasis each store puts on customer service.
“Since the store’s beginning, they have tried to bring in talent that harbors great customer service,” said Court. “To get people to come in, whether new or coming back, is by talking about movies, showing customers where things are at, being pleasant in transactions, and going above and beyond with every single customer.”
Hillsdale junior and former Family Video employee, Laura Wonders, agrees that customer service is heavily emphasized at the Hillsdale store.
“They’re all about customer service, so it was fun getting to know regular customers and being able to call them by name and know what kind of movies they wanted,” Wonders said.
This has allowed them an edge over other chains, as well as impersonal carriers like a Netflix or RedBox, Court said.
“There was a Blockbuster here; it closed in 2011,” Court said. “When pitting us against them, one of the reasons why we’re still in a town like this is that they did not approach customer service in the same way Family Video does. That’s why we’re able to stay in a community like this.”
Court said that locally, outlets like RedBox and Netflix are the biggest competitors for the store, but Blockbuster still has a big portion of the national market.
“Netflix recently tried to repair their image over the past couple of months,” Court said. “They had approached customer service poorly, which cost them and brought us business.”
Greg Silm, a fifth-year student, belongs to the Hillsdale Family Video, which he has frequented at least once a month since he was a freshman. Silm also belongs to the Family Video in his hometown of St. John, Mich., and said three of his four roommates also frequent the Family Video.
Silm cited a larger selection than Netflix and RedBox as reasons for his membership. He mostly rents new releases, and attested to the low prices and helpful customer service he has received there.
Across the board, students, Family Video employees, and community members rave about the low prices and deals the store provides. Family Video rents new releases 30 days before places like RedBox gain access to them. The store also offers rent-one-get-one-free deals for game rentals, and half-off deals for special cardholders.
“Families on a tight budget can come in at the end of the month and get several movies for two, three dollars,” Court said. “Kid’s rentals are free. It’s something we take pride in as a company.”
Places like Netflix require a credit card, even for the free one-month trial. Wonders thinks Family Video’s free membership is a big hook for low-income families in Hillsdale.
“A lot of people in the community don’t have reliable credit cards, and the fact that they can just come in and set up an account for free is probably the biggest thing,” Wonders said. “[Family Video] gets tons of customers who don’t have cable, don’t have this, don’t have that, and come in and rent a ton of dollar movies.”
Despite a strong presence in the Hillsdale community, Court admitted he does not see as many college students renting movies as he would like.
“I definitely feel like there could be more,” Court said. “I took about 1,500 coupons and stuck them in the mailboxes recently. The tough curriculum plays a part in that, but I am trying to grow the student membership. We do have quite a few that come in, but I feel that’s something we can grow. There are a lot of college gamers, for sure.”
A tough curriculum definitely accounts for a significant percentage of Hillsdale students’ time. Wonders said that most students don’t have time to devote multiple nights a week to renting and watching movies.
“[Hillsdale students] are not a huge source of [Family Video’s] revenue,” Wonders said. “Kids are going to rent one movie a week because they are only free for the one night that they don’t have homework.”
There are other outlets that compete for students’ movie rentals and purchases. Mossey Library circulated 10,201 DVDs and videotapes to students, faculty, and other MeLCat users in the state from July 2011 to June 2012.
“Our collection of videos tends to be on serious side,” said Linda Moore, librarian for public services. “We have film classics, documentaries, things that support the curriculum. So a lot of what we have here isn’t available at Family Video. They have a different kind of purpose. If you’re looking for the latest Bruce Willis movie, you’ll probably not find it here. But we do have some kinds of things here that aren’t as action-based; Pulp Fiction is a movie [Bruce Willis] is in that we would have.”
In addition to a collection that includes Japanese anime and foreign films, Mossey purchases the Library of Congress’s 25 films listed as “national treasures” each year.
Last year brought a drop in movie borrowing at the library, Moore said.
“Prior to [last year’s drop, borrowing] had really increased almost every year, so we don’t really know if that’s a trend. Of course, students can get things other places now. They watch things from Hulu or YouTube; there’s other ways they can get things they want to watch. We will have to reevaluate the collection after June, whether it’s the start of a trend or a one-year blip.”
Sophomore Vince Cook uses the internet screening service of Netflix, but mostly to watch TV shows, since his off-campus house does not get cable. When it comes to movies, of which Cook is an enthusiastic fan, the football player owns over 140 movies.
Cook doesn’t rent from Mossey Library or Family Video. Cook purchases most of his movies from Disc Traders in Lansing, Mich. The store buys and sells used music, movies, video games, etc., and sells movies for $2 each, Cook said.
“I like the satisfaction of having movies. I’m weird about that. It’s the same thing with music and books. I don’t like going to the library to rent books. I prefer to have the books,” Cook said. “It’s the satisfaction of having the movie, of having the disc in its case. It’s a small joy, but it’s something I like. I enjoy collecting movies.”
While Cook may be an exception to many students on campus, for which movies are merely entertainment and not a passion, Family Video continues to be a major player in this entertainment industry, especially in Hillsdale.
