Can Used Media Stores Avoid Extinction?

 In an era of convenient online shopping, downloads and e-books, how can brick-and-mortar resale shops compete?  Everywhere one looks, used book, music, movie and now even gaming stores are closing their doors as e-books, e-retailers and torrent download sites expand their domination in the media market.  Cries of “shop local” and “recycle” have become commonplace bohemian chic, but in this fast-paced world in which convenience is king, are there enough brave souls willing to forsake e-commerce to save America's used media stores?

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.

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.

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)