Some of you who know Chris might recall that he worked at a video store for several years. The following is an interview he did for a neighborhood newspaper where he was promoting the then-new online video rental service; courtesy of Lawrenceville Main Street.
LIFE ON MAIN STREET
Name: Chris Robinson
Occupation: Manager, Four Star Video
Location: 2651 Main Street (and
www.myfourstarvideo.com)
What were you doing before I came in?
We’d just received a bunch of online orders, which I was processing.
Do you live in Lawrenceville?
Yes, I grew up in Lawrenceville.
Are the people that come into the store during the days in the summer pretty evenly split between kids in summer camp and neighborhood kids?
For the most part they are local kids, but we get kids from the summer camps as well who will come over in a group after practice for soda and candy.
Four Star seems to have been in the Village forever. How do you manage to do well when you see bigger stores failing?
We have a large inventory for an independent store (approximately 7,500 titles), where the trend seems to be that the bigger chains have about half as much inventory for their size and high employee turnover, which doesn’t help them to grow very well. We’ve gotten to know our customers needs very well over the years.
What is your best selling genre?
Our biggest selling genres usually have broad appeal—dramas and comedies.
You give away popcorn, and you sell a lot of candy and even ice cream. Are these really just the ultimate things anyone would want when catching a movie, or personal favorites?
They’ve come to be synonymous with the home theater experience, so when people come in for videos, they’re usually looking for those items as well.
If you could narrow it down to the two most requested titles, what would they be?
Every weekend there’s always one movie that everyone needs, so we try to be prepared and anticipate the titles in demand so we’re not turning people down.
What do you like best about working in the Village?
The people are very nice in the area, and there’s access to almost anything you could need.
What is the premiere mode of transport to the video store? Walk, bike, or drive?
Most of our customers live fairly close by, but usually arrive by car.
What would you equate the VHS videocassette format to?
A species that has survived exceptionally well but is looking at the possible twilight of its existence. It’s hard to tell because trends can be unpredictable.
How many kids sneak over here, just to buy candy?
More than you’d think.
Each day??
That’s safe to say—we have a lot of candy varieties.
Does your computer keep track of how many times a particular movie has been rented? If so, what holds the record?
I couldn’t tell you why, but there are several: Napoleon Dynamite, Clerks, and Reservoir Dogs.
Four Star Video just started delivery of movies to residents. How much of the Village do you deliver to, and will you deliver in the rain?
You can order movies online 24 hours a day at www.myfourstarvideo.com. Movies are generally delivered the next day via the US Postal Service to anyone in the Lawrenceville area, with the exception of Sunday since mail isn’t delivered on Sundays. We have subscription plans as well as the ability to rent one movie at a time available on the website.