Despite fewer students, video rentals heat up

While most area retailers see a sharp decline in business during the summer months when most students are away, video stores are reporting a steady flow of customers so far this summer. Although there are fewer students in the area, local video stores such as MegaVideo and Video Library now rent more videos more often, according to both store owners and student renters. Video Library, located in the Warehouse on the 4000 block of Locust Street and on the lower level of Houston Hall, has experienced only a slight decline in business overall and an actual increase in business on weekends, assistant manager Mike Eidle said yesterday. "Fewer people are coming in," he explained, "but they are renting more movies." College junior Tom Andrzejewski said he and his friends definitely rent more videos during the summer, for a variety of reasons. "When I'm in school, I don't have a VCR," Andrzejewski said. "Also, there is less to do during the weeknight -- I have no homework during the summer." Andrzejewski said he rents one or two movies a week during the summer, compared with none at all during the school year. He said he tends to rent "family movies like 'L.A. Story' " and comedies. Other students take advantage of relaxed summer schedules to catch up on the movies they miss during the school year. "Summer is a great time to catch up on the pop culture that has been happening around us during the year," College junior Danielle Kane said. Kane added that she rents movies several times a week and has had a membership at MegaVideo, located in the mall on the 3900 block of Walnut Street, since early this summer. "It is something you can do without spending too much time and money," College junior Jane Sung said. "There isn't anything else going on and you don't have to do school work." Some students disagree, noting that they would rather spend their leisure time on other hobbies. Engineering junior Donna Koczaja said she rents more movies during the summer, but not that many more than during the school year. "There are things I'd rather be doing than sitting around watching TV all day long," Koczaja said. Her list included cross-stiching and other hobbies that she doesn't have time to pursue during the school year. Matthew Agin, who graduated in May with a dual degree from the College and Wharton, said he also rents fewer movies during the summer. "During the summer we would be working, so we had to wake up much earlier than during the school year," Agin said. "So we didn't rent as much." Eidle, who has worked at Video Library for three years, said that rentals increase as the summer progresses. He theorized that people become more discouraged by the Philadelphia heat and are less willing to go out in July and August. "When people get sick of the hot weather, they start renting more stuff," Eidle said. "They would rather sit in an air-conditioned room watching a movie than go out."

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