Rental Rage.
Much of my work day is taken up with the sale and rental of adult videos. Therefore, it should come as less than surprising that I get to field a fair bit of stress because of it. Nine times out of ten, money is the genesis. Some customers are shocked by the cost of the movies. Some customers are dismayed by the rental terms.
We are not Blockbuster or some large mainstream video chain. Complaining to me that we don't operate in the same way as them just annoys the hell out of me. It's like bitching to a dominatrix about her not accepting Blue Cross since your physical therapist will accept it. There may be similarities, but we're a different species.
Welcome to Incredibly Simplified Porn Economics 101.
Production companies don't have the distribution of cinema companies. True, it is the rare adult film that has the budget of the usual box office offering, however, that mainstream film is going to hit the market so widely the per capita cost of each copy is going to be lower than an adult movie is ever going to able to match. If you're looking at gay porn, the cost is even higher. Consequently, porn is more expensive.
Rental customers beat the fuck out of our movies. No pun intended. Very few people are going to have the same viewing habits watching "Hide the Salami #12" as they do when they sit down to watch "Platoon". On average, they watch with one hand on their remote skipping this, repeating that, fast forwarding the other. Oddly enough, that has an effect upon the dvd or vhs. So we tend to be a little more aware of wear and tear on our materials. Sure, it's going to happen and that isn't going to be a big deal. Major damage is something else again. Ma and Pa's Rental Rodeo may not bat an eye-lash when you return "Robin Hood; Prince of Thieves" in six glittering shards of former dvd. We will. It represents a larger investment than Ma and Pa have.
All of which boils down to a quietly simmering rage when customers feel entitled to treat their rentals in whatever manner whim takes them. If you checked out a book from the library, would you use a few pages as toilet tissue? And if you did, would you honestly be indignant and shocked that the library billed you to replace it? How many people would lend their car to someone who brings it back covered in scratches and dents and not be upset about it? I don't think our expectations are unreasonable in this.
If you can't exercise a bit of care and respect for store property, the store does not need to keep you as a customer.
We are not Blockbuster or some large mainstream video chain. Complaining to me that we don't operate in the same way as them just annoys the hell out of me. It's like bitching to a dominatrix about her not accepting Blue Cross since your physical therapist will accept it. There may be similarities, but we're a different species.
Welcome to Incredibly Simplified Porn Economics 101.
Production companies don't have the distribution of cinema companies. True, it is the rare adult film that has the budget of the usual box office offering, however, that mainstream film is going to hit the market so widely the per capita cost of each copy is going to be lower than an adult movie is ever going to able to match. If you're looking at gay porn, the cost is even higher. Consequently, porn is more expensive.
Rental customers beat the fuck out of our movies. No pun intended. Very few people are going to have the same viewing habits watching "Hide the Salami #12" as they do when they sit down to watch "Platoon". On average, they watch with one hand on their remote skipping this, repeating that, fast forwarding the other. Oddly enough, that has an effect upon the dvd or vhs. So we tend to be a little more aware of wear and tear on our materials. Sure, it's going to happen and that isn't going to be a big deal. Major damage is something else again. Ma and Pa's Rental Rodeo may not bat an eye-lash when you return "Robin Hood; Prince of Thieves" in six glittering shards of former dvd. We will. It represents a larger investment than Ma and Pa have.
All of which boils down to a quietly simmering rage when customers feel entitled to treat their rentals in whatever manner whim takes them. If you checked out a book from the library, would you use a few pages as toilet tissue? And if you did, would you honestly be indignant and shocked that the library billed you to replace it? How many people would lend their car to someone who brings it back covered in scratches and dents and not be upset about it? I don't think our expectations are unreasonable in this.
If you can't exercise a bit of care and respect for store property, the store does not need to keep you as a customer.
posted by Lanius at 7:19 PM
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