FAQs

A: There are five different ways that customers can access the most honest (and succinct) reviews of film around this county...via radio, via print at Amazon, via print here at this website, the blog and in-store.

A: KSCO AM 1080 on Thursday and Friday mornings at 7:45.

A: Yes, have been testing out doing the reviews there for a couple years to see if more wordy dissertations help or not.

A: I sometimes put short (very few words) capsules on whether a film is worth renting or not...usually the most offensive but to the point. Should you wish to read 2000 word reviews that drag on forever read the Good Times or Santa Cruz Weekly.

A: I have a blog that is accessible through the links section of this site. I try to keep an updated list of what I am watching on that particular evening.

A: As always the best a store can offer: face to face interaction. We keep the website and blog on screen at the front counter. The orange stickers placed on the bookend of a case is Steve`s personal choice (should I be too busy to converse).

But come in any time and ask me whatever you please about a film or the industry as it affects you the consumer. I will always make time to be honest and forthcoming with all that is bad and good about what we do here.

A: We negotiated a deal with Best Buy to resell the same products they carry in their store for the same prices here. I have always disliked that we never had a consumer electronics option in the Valley - now we do. BUT - we only sell the brands we trust here on the displays and the hardware.

A: Home theater help. I try to assist in any way possible to save someone a few bucks in doing their home installations. I install the players I sell and assist with any wireless gamin setups.

A: Several answers to that one. We offer our own in-store options for subscription plans, and as the largest inventory idiot in the US touts his inflated inventory (Reed`s numbers have NEVER matched the official DVD consortium`s release statistics) my little store carries 38% of what he does, so hopefully my small-town store vs. a conglomerate to that level proves something. Plus we keep our money here in the Valley to support the strained non-profits in this economy.

Secondly, there is hardly a way to compete against piracy from my level, except to teach kids what is right vs. wrong. I have soccer moms and 8 year olds coming into the store talking about how they get everything off the file sharing sights for free - the day stuff hits theaters. All I can do is hope society as a whole gets more idealistic about theft, but the latest numbers (Jul 2009) show 30+% of online users that would have rented just steal now.

A: Actually this is a tougher answer. Customers can be used to the butt-kissing they are always right mentality and we do not do that here. I try to teach people (both adults and kids) how to properly handle borrowed inventory and some people feel they do not have to treat my discs well.

I also do not subscribe to the give it away philosophy that online and desperate storefronts use. I charge a valid price for an excellent product. When people scream they can get it for nothing or cheap elsewhere, I always counter with you get what you pay for in this industry. We have the best maintained inventory anywhere - and the best selection.

Most people know my personality, and I do not tolerate BS in any form, if you want to be mean or an idiot - please use the other guy`s inventory for that.

A: SLV Video is an entire package deal - we offer sales, multiply exclusive services, electronics, hardware rentals, honest reviews through five different avenues, a no BS policy, a solid library, multiple return ventures (see returns section) and lenient policies that reward integrity and honesty.

A: Not a popular trend in some of today`s culture. But I employ the attitude of rewarding those that actually walk in the door - not those that phone shop. If you want to be served from the comfort of your armchair there are plenty of options. For those that choose to get off their butt and make the trip - I will take care of you.

If you want to trash my inventory through lack of kid management or laziness, then please use the next town`s trashed inventory - which both of the other stores are famed for having the highest rate of damaged discs anywhere.

A: Our industry has switched to more environmentally friendly cases, and the local landfill just started accepting the leftover cases this year.

A: I am phasing out all sales of plastic bottles. I have installed a very nice dispenser from Pure Valley Water in Scotts Valley. I am giving away the water for free to anyone that brings in their own environmentally safe container.

A: We have been reusing the paper rolls from both the point of sale machines and the credit card machine. We have not had to buy new rolls this entire year. I added up the weight and this has saved over 300 pounds of paper being uselessly wasted.

A: This has been the least popular option but I choose to not use the A/C unless absolutely necessary - and then when I do I still have it set for 77/78. Sounds unreasonable, but customers are actually cooled off when it is 95 outside and they walk in here. And yes, it is warm at SLV Video, but I added up the kilowatt hours I save by doing so - and I feel better because of it.

A: As most customers know about me and my store is that I work harder than anyone else around here to keep the inventory in pristine condition. When someone disrespects my discs(s) - I consider it to be against me also. I will work diligently to train and teach people how to maintain proper care of DVDs, games and BDs. But what seems to be happening is some people do not feel the need to care about any of this and still destroy the discs they borrow. I close those accounts and ask them to rent at the neighboring store that does not care.

A: I think this goes more to what people perceive as value in our industry and not caring about money being funneled out of local community to faceless corporations.

Movies used to have a noticed/acknowledged value to both the consumer and the industry but Netflix single-handedly destroyed that value and now people expect their movies to be free. I still subscribe to the theory that packaged media has a sustainable near future with no need for it to be further devalued by the mentality of giving it away for nothing.

I love what I do here and if someone feels the urge to "remind" me of how I should feel - I ask them to kindly leave. I was brought up a certain way by old fashioned parents, and part of that included treating business owners with certain kinds of respect, not depreciative spewings.

A: Several cases this week alone (Nov 3rd, 2009) of adult men feeling the need to verbally berate the girls that work for me, including derogatory names, yelling, threats of going elsewhere, etc.

I will not tolerate any of this, but it saddens me to know the loss of respect and common decency with how retail interactions have sometimes been lowered to in our small town. What surprises me even more is the customer being aghast of how I do not side with them (the customer is always right mentality). I do not dilute myself with those notions - take the personality issues elsewhere.

A: Just had to vent a little. I want to be able to look back at all of these movie retail years and feel good about how I did things here. Hope this makes sense.