MOUNT Gambier’s last video rental store will close its doors this month, marking the end of an era for those who still enjoy a nostalgic stroll through the aisles.
E-Time Mount Gambier (formerly Civic Video) has operated at its Commercial Street East premises since 2015 and at its peak serviced almost 1000 customers every week.
That number has dwindled to around 700, as potential customers opt to hit a download button or browse streaming platforms from home.
But it was not only the march of digital innovation that prompted the closure, with stock theft and thousands of dollars in unpaid customer debts adding to the store’s woes.
Store manager Bianca Hendy said outstanding overdue fees and the constant replacement of stolen DVDs had ultimately led to the decision.
“We have so many great customers who are really loyal, but we also have instances where people never return a DVD or never pay a late fee,” she said.
“Often when someone starts to rack up a debt they will just never borrow here again, so not only do we miss out on potential hire fees and the overdue fee, we lose that customer too.
“In terms of regular customers, we have around 692 through the doors each week.
“What is so disheartening is that the owner operates two other stores in Darwin and Cairns and they do really well – I guess there is just a different attitude in those places.”
E-Time has been Mount Gambier’s only home-entertainment rental store since the city’s Video Ezy franchise closed in 2016.
During the late ’90s and early noughties the city boasted several video rental stores, including a two-level Blockbuster Video (now Salts of the Earth), Video Ezy and the independently run Killara Video.
While the inevitable downward curve in its customer base correlated with the popularity of streaming platforms, Ms Hendy said many people still browsed the titles at E-Time regardless.
“Plenty of our weekly customers have Netflix, but they still enjoy wandering through the store and picking up an obscure movie or chatting to the staff about what they have seen lately,” she said.
“New releases are often in store before they hit Netflix.
“We have always tried to make it an experience and people who grew up in the ’80s or ’90s find it nostalgic.
“We see quite a few families come in every weekend and choose movies together and some of those kids are devastated.”
The store ceased rentals yesterday ahead of its imminent closure, however it will remain open for around two weeks with its entire collection of games and DVDs up for sale.
E-Time employs five staff, who will now seek alternative employment.
