The Clarion Ledger, our hometown paper, recently ran an article extolling the wonders of Netflix, an online video rental service. The article mentions my family’s video store, Video Library, noting, “[At] least one Jackson company, Video Library, has entered the movies-through-the-mail business.”
It’s a shame that’s all the Clarion Ledger had to say about Video Library … because, as a local company, VideoLibraryToGo.com offers Jackson-area residents real advantages over Netflix.
Want your movies the same day you order them? With Video Library’s FastPass service, you can order online and pick your movies up at the store in under an hour.
Want next-day delivery? With the VideoLibraryToGo.com “Movies by Mail” option, most Jackson residents can order movies online and receive them the very next day.
Want to rent just one movie, without getting bogged down in a subscription plan? Nextflix won’t offer you that option, but VideoLibraryToGo.com will.
We even stock Pickpocket — the movie the Clarion Ledger article claims isn’t carried by any local video store.
Sigh.
You know, Video Library has been in business in Jackson for twenty-five years. In an industry dominated by big chains, Video Library has survived by offering better service and more movies than the competition can offer. And the company continues to innovate — moving to a more streamlined store, offering customers the option to browse movies from in-store terminals or online, and shipping more than 500 movies a day through our online rental service.
That’s a real success story, by any standard.
So why, then, is our hometown newspaper shilling for a faceless corporate giant instead of helping Jackson-area residents connect with a local company offering better service?
(Hey … do you think someone at Gannett, the company that owns the Clarion Ledger, offered the folks at Netflix an opportunity to buy an “advertorial” in local papers to help offset Netflix’s plummeting stock price?)
“shilling for corporate…”:Why?1. Because they are lazy.2. Because they cannot see beyond their headlines.3. They are dodos.
Interesting: Why give Netflix any good press when it is operating much like LoveFilm.com in Europe which we are members of….and here is the wonderful experience: Make your 20-40 movie list online, and look out for the 41st movie on your list to arrive pronto. Watch it, send it back, and wait for the 67th movie on your list to be sent to you. A FREAKIN JOKE! I know Netflix slowed the distribution to heavy renters, but this new policy of distributing from the bottom of your list is frustrating.
DO YOU SHIP INTL FROM YOUR STORE? Perhaps you could figure out a program fee that would be a bit more than we have now to pay for the extra shipping costs…but would give us the service and selection we desire.
One problem: Format of DVDs…but we could get a multi-region player to solve that.
One bonus: We will tell all our friends who love the American titles that are so difficult to get here in the UK.
Another bonus: The pound is strong against the dollar and that means the extra postage might be cared for in the exchange rate (from our perspective) and maybe you could charge a premium in dollars (your perspective)
Seriously think about it. We would love to change providers….!
Cheers,Todd