# Video Rental **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 20, 2001, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-rental/77157 "2001-08-20T15:37:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Waneman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/71e660/32.png) [@Waneman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waneman)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2001, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-rental/77157/1 "2001-08-20T15:37:43Z")
Maybe this has been covered before, but isn’t there some sort of law about how long a video can be called a “new release” On a recent trip to several video stores I noticed a deluge of old movies still in the “New Release” section. Some of these movies were release on video in 1998! When a movie is released to video/DVD it happens on a very specific date. And I understand it is illegal for the video store to even shelve the video BEFORE the release date. So why can they keep movies on the “New Release” shelves for so long? It is obvious that the longer it is on the new release shelf, the longer they can milk every rental buck out of each title but this seems like fraud to me. Take into consideration the amount they bilk out of customers in a year using this scheme and you’ve got a huge crime! On a similar topic, I all too often see movies on new release shelves that are similar but not exactly the movie in theaters or soon-to-be released. Case in point: the move “Shaft”. The local Blockbuster had old “Shaft” T.V. series episodes on the “New Release” shelf as if to fool the unsuspecting customer. Again, I think this falls into the fraud category. So, my question is: Is there a law for these thing and/or should there be one. Ideas, comments anyone? -Waneman ---
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2001, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-rental/77157/2 "2001-08-20T16:05:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Waneman \* > **On a similar topic, I all too often see movies on new release shelves that are similar but not exactly the movie in theaters or soon-to-be released. Case in point: the move “Shaft”. The local Blockbuster had old “Shaft” T.V. series episodes on the “New Release” shelf as if to fool the unsuspecting customer. Again, I think this falls into the fraud category.** Normally in these cases you will see a shelf hanger reading, “If you liked this movie, you might like these as well.” > [@](#): > > So, my question is: Is there a law for these thing and/or should there be one. No, and no. ---
**Author:** ![Waneman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/71e660/32.png) [@Waneman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waneman)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2001, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-rental/77157/3 "2001-08-20T16:48:45Z")
So, **pldennison** you think it is okay for video stores to keep movies on a New Release shelf just to screw the renter out of more money? And as for the “If you liked this movie…” labels, yes, I have seen them but more often than not they are not noticeable or not there at all. This is a topic of interest I have been studying for some time. Other people I have talked to about this have told me that they or someone they know has inadvertently rented a video thinking it was the latest, only to get some old movie or TV episode. -Waneman ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2001, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-rental/77157/4 "2001-08-20T17:20:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Waneman \* > So, **pldennison** you think it is okay for video stores to keep movies on a New Release shelf just to screw the renter out of more money? :shrug: I don’t see why the hell not. If you don’t like it, rent videos someplace else. I don’t think there’s any standard as to what constitutes “new” in terms of video releases, though some large chains like Blockbuster probably have contracts or voluntary agreements with the video producers. ---
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2001, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-rental/77157/5 "2001-08-20T17:47:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Waneman \* > \*\*So, **pldennison** you think it is okay for video stores to keep movies on a New Release shelf just to screw the renter out of more money? \*\* Well, unless we’re talking about people who are blindfolded, led into the store, put in front of the “New Release” section and told to pick movies out randomly, I fail to see how people are getting screwed out of money in any manner whatsoever. I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but when I see a movie on a video store shelf, I know if it was something that was in theaters in the last year or is a couple of years old. I like to think that other people are at least that smart. Is someone forcing you to rent these movies? Are they charging more for movies on those shelves? Are there actually people out there who rent their movies by chronology rather than by title (“It’s on the ‘New Release’ shelf, so I **must** want to see it!”)? ---
**Author:** ![King\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7bcc69/32.png) [@King\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/King_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2001, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-rental/77157/6 "2001-08-20T18:56:25Z")
First off I’d just like to say that [Blockbuster Sucks](http://www.ihateblockbuster.com/forum.htm). Second, sometimes it’s hard to know what is official BBV corporate policy as opposed to what an individual store manger can decide on his own. It is my experience that a movie stays in the new release section for one year from the date it was released on videotape. If a movie still rents well the store manager may leave it in the new release section. This happens to a smattering of titles as there is only so much room on that wall and new movies come in every week. Sometimes BBV will temporarily put an old movie back on the new release wall when a sequel appears in the theaters. Example: Hannibal/Silence of the Lambs, The Mummy/The Mummy returns. So their milking it a little. I see nothing inherently wrong with this. By the way, Blockbuster was successfully sued over their late fee policies. [BBV Lawsuit](http://sns.chicagotribune.com/business/nationworld/sns-blockbuster.story?coll=sns%252Dbusiness%252Dheadlines) ---
**Author:** ![jonfromdenver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/82dd89/32.png) [@jonfromdenver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jonfromdenver)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2001, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-rental/77157/7 "2001-08-20T19:04:03Z")
> [@](#): > > _originally posted by Waneman_ > So, my question is: Is there a law for these thing and/or should there be one. Laws to keep people from getting screwed out of their money would be just too good to be true. and the extra dollar or two it costs to rent a new release as opposed to any other movie is so small, legal action will never be taken, i’m sure. ---
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2001, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-rental/77157/8 "2001-08-20T20:36:10Z")
> [@](#): > > Other people I have talked to about this have told me that they or someone they know has inadvertently rented a video thinking it was the latest, only to get some old movie or TV episode. Do they not read the box? At all? I honestly don’t understand why someone would just see a title, snag the film and not discover their mistake until they get home. Especially in those new rental boxes that just slip a clear plastic cover over the manufacturer’s cardboard case. Literacy: your friend as a consumer. As for stuff being on the New Release wall, well, don’t rent it if it’s on the New Release wall and that’ll cost you more money. There are obviously other people who _are_ finding the higher price worthwhile, or those films would no longer be on the New Release wall. Having worked at a video store, though, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that people confuse different versions. I remember that at least once per weekend, someone would ask us if we had the latest theatrical release in the store yet. Usually it was simple to tell them that the movie was just released in theaters, but some people didn’t understand why that meant we didn’t have the video… ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2001, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-rental/77157/9 "2001-08-20T22:50:56Z")
It is simple. Video stores have a formula for keeping things on the New Release wall. Every week they take a look at what got rented and how many times. The videos with the fewest rentals get kicked off the new release shelf, while those that continue to produce stay on. At first, this may seem pretty devious, but it makes a lot of sense. A lot of customers, the majority even, only look at the new realease wall when they come in to rent. If stores shelved older-but-still-popular releases, a lot of them wouldn’t ever get rented at all. It makes customers happier to be able to easily find the most popular movies, and it makes video stores a little more profit when they are able to charge according to the actual demand. It is not freud for a business to want to maximize its profits by selling items in high demand at higher prices. Release dates are a whole other issue. Those are a set by a contract with the movie companies, who need to keep the release date in sync with ad campaigns, theater dates and the release dates of other films. The customer has nothing to do with this. As far as look-alike movies and previous movies in a series, there is a higher (legitamite) demand for these. It also helps to hype up the newer movie. Customers are occasionally fooled, but only by their own shortsightedness. Videos are displayed with their cover boxes, and it is the customers responsibiliy to pick out the product that he or she wants. Video stores actually want to avoid this confusion because less confusion means less refunds and more profits. The stores do not set out to decieve. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2001, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-rental/77157/10 "2001-08-20T22:53:11Z")
Because there is no law that regulates it! ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2001, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-rental/77157/11 "2001-08-21T01:44:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by even sven \* > \*\*It is not freud for a business to want to maximize its profits by selling items in high demand at higher prices. > \*\* ^ The ultimate Freudian slip. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2001, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-rental/77157/12 "2001-08-21T03:54:03Z")
**even sven** pretty much has it. Another thing to consider is that video stores think of their store layours in a similar manner as supermarkets. There’s the **new release** section along the back wall – the equivalent of the staple goods, your VHS equivalent of milk, eggs, bread and meat. Even though a “new release” might have been released in 1999, if it’s still popular, it’s a “staple good,” so to speak, so it goes along the back shelf. If it’s not a New Release, it’s part of what’s called the **library** – the categorical sections in the middle of the store. In video, there’s the 90/10 rule – 90% of all rentals are for 10% of the videos in a particular store. Videos in the library don’t rent all too often, but they are necessary – to maintain claims of having 10,000 videos or some such number, and provide a rationale for the large floor area of the stores. They’re not necessary, but in the eye of the video renter, it’s nice to have “just in case.” Tradition is also involved – not too many people rent _Casablanca_ or _Citizen Kane_, but you can’t imagine a video store without them. With the new releases along the back wall, forcing store traffic through the library would make the older videos more visible, and thus inspire a potential rental. ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2001, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-rental/77157/13 "2001-08-21T05:01:01Z")
We used to do the same with books. God forbid if Sara Breathnach wasn’t somewhere up there on the wall. I agree with **elmwood** about the 90/10 rule. I’ve recently discovered two heavily damaged films which appear to be sitting on the shelves just for show, and a large number of covers which have been mysteriously checked out for months now. There should not be a law about this. Instead, I acted like the other half of the American people and bitched about it to the management in the hope that I would score a free rental. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Frink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Mr.Frink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Frink)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2001, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-rental/77157/14 "2001-08-21T06:25:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Waneman \* > > So, my question is: Is there a law for these thing and/or should there be one. > > Ideas, comments anyone? > -Waneman \*\* I’m the furthest thing from a Libertarian. I feel that there is a place for government regulation of the marketplace, and very often these types of laws act in the best interest of consumers. **However** , I think it is the height of absurdity to think that Congress should take the time to research, develop and pass **laws** regulating how long videos should remain on the “New Releases” wall at the video store! I just think there are better uses for our court system than for lawsuits over how long “Joe Dirt” has been on the “New Release” wall at Blockbuster!