Continued from Page 10

g@oesn't seem to be affecting his business at all.

© He says he knew 18 months ago the company planned to
# locate across from his five-year-old shop and he considered
a selling the business. He decided to stay on and he hasn't
m regretted the move. Asa matter of fact, he says he’s planning to
# spend more money to improve his store shelving and update

™ the premises.

# “I’m not jumping off a bridge, by any means,” says Robinson
4, whose business provides a living for five members of his family.

- “We're a low-profile, family operation.” Robinson says his
= customers are “wonderful” and their loyalty will keep him in
& business.

: Robinson admits he was a bit miffed when he found out Mega
P Movies planned on opening across the street from his small
B shop.

E “There used to be honor among video store operators but
i apparently not any more. I'll tell you one thing - I wouldn't
want to be paying the rent they're paying over there,” he says,
pointing to the neon-lit monolith across the street.

The building where his business is located is family-owned
and he pays modest rent.

Robinson says his Fast Eddies Video has picked up several
= new customers in the past few weeks when people going to
4 Mega Movies for the first time weren’t impressed by the
| company’s security procedures.

Free home deliveries on movie orders of more than $6 helps
Robinson stay in business. He has a half page ad in the Yellow
Pages pointing out that-he deliveres to hotels and hospitals.
Beta tape rentals are another part of the business that
Robinson says helps out. The superstore across the street
doesn’t offer Beta movies.

Robinson said he’s
heard rumors of other
video superstores
moving in to the Vic-
toria market. He says
it seems to be common
knowledge that Rog-
ers plans to open
here.

Ed Robinson says
he likes to keep a low
profile. Video stores
would do well to “not
wake up the giant”.
The “giant”, as far as

ye S SS a ~ gees h ; d 5 th
B PIC A FLIC’s Graham Croft keeps a a es

things in line at the popular Cook chain.

Street video sfore. “I would try not to
get these people teed

off. Eighty-eight cent movies would cripple everyone, he says,

referring to periodic price wars that have been initiated

elsewhere by Crazy Mikes trying to get its market share.

Cut rates for “B” titles, especially on weekdays, is one way to
get traffic in the store at the slow times of the week. Pic-A-Flic
on Cook Street was one of the first to initiate the practice in
Victoria and it has been popular. Renting movies at $1.18
Monday through Thursday keeps the customers coming in and
when they’re in the store, there’s a chance they might pick up a
higher-priced new release.

Owner Tom Coward says the entrance of Mega Movies in the
marketplace hasn’t hurt his business so far “and I don’t think it
will.”

“There always seems to be room in the marketplace. There
are never enough new movies out there for the customers. It’s
certainly not saturated yet.”

Pic A Flic recently opened its second location in the Gorge
area and Coward said business is great.

Coward has also heard the rumors of even more super stores
opening in the Greater Victoria market and if it happens, it’s
bound to eventually hurt “the little guy.”

“Some of the little guys will go under because they're not
doing such a great job to start with. Some of these small places
have very poor selection. People want selection.”

Coward says his store does well because it has the kind of
movies people want to see. He has a large selection of
“nostalgia” which goes over well with the older folks and he
prides himself on the store’s collection of “esoteric” films, the so
called “art” films that most mainline video rental store just
wouldn't carry.

“People keep asking for them and we bring them in.”

Travel films and foreign titles are also a big part of the
Pic-a-Flic selection.” :

Seven-day rentals isn’t something Coward will rush to
introduce at his operations. He says most of the tapes at Mega
Movies in the seven-day rental category are “schlock”.

“T don’t know if I'd keep any of that stuff for a week.” He says
Mega Movies rental rates are “confusing” and the seven-day
rental policy is bad for the customer because it’s easy to forget
to bring a movie back. “After it sits around the house for a few
days it can get lost.”

Coward says the returns from the video rental business can
be peers but you certainly won't get rich quick in the
trade.

“It’s like everything else - location, location, location appears
to be the secret,” he said.

And judging from the way things are going here and in other
B.C. centres, operators will be scrambling, in the coming

months, to find a great location for yet another video store.

This Week February 14, 1990.

REBECCA AND GARY BRAILSFORD

Ocean City’s top realtor and MLS Platinum Award Winner —
: “Business Built by Referrals” |

__ FULLY EQUIPPED CHAUEFEURED LIMOUSINE OFFICE AT YOUR SERVICE WITH JUST A PHONE Au

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YOU CAN SELL _
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| e ADVERTISE WEEKLY IN THE REAL ESTATE VICTORIA.

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e AND CFAX RADIO ON THE MORNING NEWS

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Ta Ve a

» COURTESY OCEAN VIEW TOWNHOUSE AND AUTOMOBILE WITH TELEPHONE TO KEEP IN TOUCH

aSS-LIMO (6466) . residence aboard the MV 727-LIMO (5466) ... all you need to know for
; “BJ. Sixpack” berthedin an edge on Victoria’s real
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