Browsing used to be a favorite
pastime of the resale and consignment crowd, but nowadays, in an age when many
people are either too busy or lazy to go bargain hunting (unless it's on the
Internet, of course), how can resale shops survive? How can they compete with the clout and
convenience of powerful online retailers that don't have to contend with the
costs and hassles of brick-and-mortar facilities, not to mention the often
arduous task of dealing with the fickle emotions of face-to-face
marketing? There is an old business
adage about turning perceived or even real weaknesses into strengths, and I
believe it is in this wisdom that used media outlets should take their refuge.
Sure, online retailers have quick
accessibility and name recognition on their side, advantages with which
mom-and-pop retailers simply cannot compete; but there are several key
advantages in brick-and-mortar's favor, advantages that harken back to America's
halcyon days of genuine customer service and hospitality. Resale shops offer a friendly, hassle-free
atmosphere in which employees often know their customers by name; they help
keep consumer dollars and jobs in the local economy; they allow people a
vehicle for recycling their unwanted media back through the community; and they
treat consumers like people, not numbers or dollar signs. People browsing resale shops can see and
touch the merchandise while engaging in friendly human interaction and barter. Don't most of us occasionally need to turn
off the internet and become human again, if only for the brief time it takes to
pop down to the local record shop to check out the latest acquisition of
Beatles albums?
I understand and even appreciate
the friction-free consumerism of the internet, the frugality of free downloads,
and the environmental and space-saving benefits of
e-books. But I don't want to live in a world in which most activity is mediated by some sort of computer screen. I believe people still yearn for real human interaction, and there is ample evidence. They still go to the movies in droves: Last year was Hollywood's highest grossing year on record, with $10.84 billion in profits; and the sheer number of tickets sold in the first four months of this year alone (1.17 billion) suggests that 2013 will far exceed the most attended box office year of the past three decades (1.58 billion in all of 2002). And it's not just movies people are flocking to. According to a recent Nightclub & Bar survey of bar owners, the majority of respondents indicated revenue increases exceeding 10% over the past few years, while only 3.4% reported revenue declines. Add to that all the sold-out music concerts at record-high ticket prices and you can only come to one conclusion: recession and higher prices be damned, Americans' appetite for entertainment can never be satisfied.
e-books. But I don't want to live in a world in which most activity is mediated by some sort of computer screen. I believe people still yearn for real human interaction, and there is ample evidence. They still go to the movies in droves: Last year was Hollywood's highest grossing year on record, with $10.84 billion in profits; and the sheer number of tickets sold in the first four months of this year alone (1.17 billion) suggests that 2013 will far exceed the most attended box office year of the past three decades (1.58 billion in all of 2002). And it's not just movies people are flocking to. According to a recent Nightclub & Bar survey of bar owners, the majority of respondents indicated revenue increases exceeding 10% over the past few years, while only 3.4% reported revenue declines. Add to that all the sold-out music concerts at record-high ticket prices and you can only come to one conclusion: recession and higher prices be damned, Americans' appetite for entertainment can never be satisfied.
So let's not sound the death
knell for resale just yet, especially if used media outlets can add
entertainment to their list of commodities.
Discounts and sales are fine, but entertainment—the right kind of
entertainment—will get them in the door nearly every time. Such entertainment can take many forms: live music, free food and drinks, trivia
nights; book signings, book club meetings and open mic nights for poets and
prose writers. Our bookstore recently
hosted a simple kids' face painting party with free snacks, and there was a
long line of kids for the entire duration of the event. We can bemoan the growing asocial nature of
our society all we like, but I choose to believe, along with author Don
Delillo, that “The future belongs to crowds.”
Simply put, if used media
retailers provide compelling reasons for consumers to come to their shops, they
will ultimately sell more products. What
they are really “selling” when they offer free public entertainment is good
will and camaraderie, something unfortunately in short supply these days. Of course, if some shopkeepers don't care to
offer entertainment to their customers, they can always at least offer free
wi-fi.
wi-fi.
Paul Garrison is Manager of
Frugal Muse Books, Music & Movies in Darien, IL
You can visit them at
frugalmusebooks.com
Sources: Entertainment Weekly
(EW.com)
The Numbers
(the-numbers.com)
Nightclub &
Bar (nightclub.com)