The future lies in streaming movies, not plastic discs — Sukkur retailers learned this the hard way and have decided to switch over to the mobile phone business instead.
“It was the golden era for audio cassettes from the early seventies to the early eighties” said a DVD dealer Chandar Lal. The dealers who worked during this time made a fortune.
And then came the video home system (VHS) cassettes that ruled the market from the late seventies to mid nineties, Lal recalled. One movie would be recorded over three VHS cassettes since the size of its reel was shorter. During this time, the VHS retailers minted money, he added. “The video cassette recorder (VCR) and its cassettes were costly at that time, so people were ready to rent the VCR along with its cassettes for Rs800 to Rs1,000 for a 12-hour duration.”
This booming trade led to more than 250 audio cassette shops to open in Sukkur, Lal pointed out, adding that the downfall began when CDs and DVDs arrived in the market. The CDs replaced audio cassettes while VHS cassettes replaced DVDs, he regretted. The dealers, who had huge stocks of audio and video cassettes, were forced to sell their stock to the junk dealers for as low as Rs10 per kilogramme, he said.
As this new technology took over, most retailers have decided to change their fields all together — several retailers have opened mobile shops and are trading in cellphones instead of movies.
Not everyone agreed that it was the DVDs that put these businesses to an end. DVD dealer Jay Ram pointed out, on the contrary, that computers have marred their business. People now value convenience over ownership and it is clear that trying to steer people to buy ‘entertainment’ is not as easy as it was.
The streamers can attain ownership by downloading any movie or drama from numerous websites. “We just sit here showcasing the DVDs, otherwise there is no charm left in this business,” he admitted.
Giving an example of the early birds who were in the business of audio and video cassettes, Ram said they prospered within no time as that was the time when people were crazy about audio and video cassettes. “Now you can download everything on your computer and keep it there as long you want to,” he said. “What is the need to buy CDs or DVDs anyway?”
Ram is quick to add that he has nothing against modern technology but, he feels, it has surely rendered many people jobless.
Rashid Ali, who earlier was in the business of CDs and DVDs, is now making money at the mobile phone shop. For now, the mobile phone business is the best as a lot people keep exchanging their handsets, he said. “If we sell a mobile phone for Rs5,000 and the man wants to exchange it after a day or two, we will buy the same set for Rs4,500 and then sell it to someone else for Rs4,800,” he explained. “This is how we make money,” he grinned. “I do not understand why people keep changing their mobile phones but it surely is good for our business,” he said.
Ali said the police bother them unnecessarily, accusing them of buying and selling stolen cellphones. “This is business and every businessman has to face challenges, and we know very well how to tackle them,” he said. “The times are changing, and nobody knows what is going to come next, that is the nature of our business.”
Published in The Express Tribune, January 8th, 2014.