Chapter 78 Chapter 78 Are you going to open a new store?
In her previous life, Liu Mianmian had heard from her elders that video halls were popular all over the country in the 1980s and 1990s. Cities and towns, big and small, and even the alleys were filled with video halls of all sizes.
However, within a few years, it was associated with negative words such as "bad place" and "smoky and foul", and became a gathering place for bad youths, so ordinary people naturally stayed away.
Later, as people's living standards improved, televisions entered thousands of households, and video halls naturally disappeared in the long river of history.
It emerged because of the people's demand for watching movies, and disappeared because this demand was met through other channels.
But Liu Mianmian feels that it should actually have another attribute: social entertainment attribute.
Some entertainment venues that were once popular in later generations, such as karaoke rooms, escape rooms, script-killing games, etc., their success is certainly due to the fact that these entertainment activities are favored by a certain group of people, but isn’t it because they adapt to the social entertainment needs of this group of people?
After a busy schedule of studying or working, people always need a place to relax and connect. Some enjoy singing together, others enjoy solving puzzles together, and of course, some enjoy watching movies and TV series together.
The cinema is certainly a good place, but the environment of a cinema is naturally limited. Even chatting about the plot for a few more words will affect other viewers.
This is not the case with video halls.
It can be turned into a private space for couples and friends to have fun and communicate in their spare time.
Especially in the 1980s and 1990s when there were not so many social entertainment activities.
Therefore, the first batch of celebrity video halls used the best quality and highest definition televisions and VCRs on the market. The venues were decorated in a uniform style of freshness, brightness, cleanliness and comfort, with gentle lighting and soft seats. Every customer who came out of the halls could not help but sigh that this place was like a movie theater, or even more comfortable than a movie theater.
Since they were the first to open a video hall in South City, Liu Mianmian felt that they had the ability to define the three words "video hall".
And, apparently, their definition is success.
Because it is loved by all groups of men, women, young and old, everyone feels that it is no different from going to the cinema to watch a movie. The only difference is that a TV series is too long and requires more time.
But for those who don’t have a TV at home, instead of shamelessly going to their neighbors’ houses to watch TV, it is better to save some money and go to the video hall to watch it openly. After all, this money is insignificant compared to the money spent on buying a TV.
For couples, the space in the video hall is smaller, the chairs are closer together, and the length of time they watch is entirely up to them. Compared with the cinema, it seems to be more suitable for dates.
For example, the young couple Qu Lihui and Zhang Niannian have become accustomed to using the Star Video Hall as their "dating sanctuary".
Martial arts dramas are their common hobby. In the past, they would have disagreements when choosing movies, but now they have no disagreements at all. Every time after watching a movie, they would have a long and heated discussion, and their relationship has become better and better.
Influenced by Qu Lihui, Zou Hao, who worked in the same office, also became a frequent visitor to the Star Video Hall, but his home was in another direction, so he often went to the No. 3 store.
But that day, Zou Hao suddenly said, "There's a shop near my house being renovated. It's also going to be a video parlor. It's owned by the owner of the Metropolitan Ballroom. I heard from their workers that they have more movies than the Star Video Parlor."
Qu Lihui thought of the smoky atmosphere of the Metropolitan Ballroom and was not very interested: "The Star Video Hall is quite good, clean and comfortable, and the environment is not bad."
Zou Hao smiled and said, "Okay, okay, okay. I know you don't like the Metropolitan. I'll go check it out when the store opens."
Qu Lihui nodded and left work.
Zhang Niannian had to work overtime today, so Qu Lihui had nothing to do that night, so he went to the video studio alone. As he entered, the staff handed him a slip of paper: "On June 18th, the Star Video Studio flagship store and convenience stores 10 to 17 will have their grand opening. Purchases at store 1 will receive a free snack platter. The couples' and private rooms can accommodate celebrations like proposals and birthdays. At each of the eight convenience stores, customers will receive a free two-hour movie ticket and a box of melon seeds. There's no discount on service, but ticket prices are 20% off."
Qu Lihui asked in surprise: "Are you going to open a new store?!"
Opening eight stores at once was already astonishing enough. In just one month, they were actually going to open nine more stores, and they were both flagship stores and convenience stores. Qu Lihui was a little confused and didn't understand.
However, he heard about the couples' room and the private room, as well as celebrations such as proposals and birthdays. He thought about the scene of proposing or celebrating a birthday in the playback room, and it seemed quite romantic.
Moreover, Qu Lihui is sure that Zhang Niannian must like it very much too!
They have been dating for quite a while, and Qu Lihui has actually wanted to ask about marriage for a long time, but Zhang Niannian is a woman with very fashionable ideas. She insisted on having a free love relationship for a while and said that she couldn't marry him casually.
June 18th sounds like a good day.
Qu Lihui's heart moved, and he asked carefully about the couple's room and the private room.
The people who followed him in line to enter were also curious and asked what it was.
The staff simply explained it in more detail. The Couples Room is a theater with double sofas, while the Private Room is smaller and suitable for gatherings with friends or private celebrations. Both types of theaters are currently only available at the No. 1 flagship store.
"This sounds really fashionable, but the price must be high, right?" someone said.
The staff smiled and shook their heads: "It will definitely be more expensive to rent a whole theater, but other fees are the same. The main purpose is to provide everyone with a better viewing experience."
When the people in the queue heard that the price was the same, they decided to go and have a look.
Some people also asked: "Didn't you advertise in newspapers and on the radio when you opened last time? Why didn't you do that this time?"
The staff member continued smiling. "Last time, everyone didn't know what a video parlor was. Now everyone knows, so there's no need to advertise. Our flagship store may be large, but the number of theaters and seating is limited. The boss hopes everyone will come gradually and not all at once. The promotion lasts for two weeks, so regular customers can arrange their own time to visit and experience it."
"Oh, you're worried there will be too many people and you won't be able to accommodate them all!"
The person who spoke thought again and felt that the other person's concerns were not unreasonable.
For the past month or so, all eight of the Star Video Hall stores have been packed every day. That flagship store sounds so interesting, even if it's just to satisfy curiosity, I have to check it out, right? It's sure to be packed.
"You have to go early on opening day," someone said.
"No wonder eight stores were opened before, but the ranking is two to nine. It turns out that store number one has not opened yet!" Someone suddenly realized.
"Then what are convenience stores and why are ticket prices 20% off?" someone asked.
The staff kept smiling: "Convenience stores focus on high quality and low prices, and are close to the people. The store is a little smaller and the decoration is a little simpler, but the viewing experience is the same."
The others immediately understood. It’s just that the environment is worse and the place is smaller, but the price is cheaper, so it seems pretty good, right?
Qu Lihui didn't listen any more. He went into the theater to watch an episode of a martial arts drama, but he couldn't get into it at all. He simply marked the time and came out again.
On the other side, at the Metropolitan Ballroom, Sun Zhou was also listening to his subordinates reporting to him about the Star Video Hall No. 1 flagship store.
Sun Zhou is in his thirties, short and fat, with yellow teeth from long-term smoking. He doesn't look good, but he has thick gold chains around his neck and hands, and his eyes are gloomy, so he looks like someone who is not to be messed with.
After listening to his subordinate's report, Sun Zhou spat and said, "What a mess! Video halls in Guangzhou are not like this."
Ever since Wu Heng started doing some dancing at the disco, the number of customers at the Metropolitan has dropped a lot. But Wu Heng's grandson is more timid than a mouse. There is nothing illegal in the dance hall, so he can't do anything even if he wants to.
So Sun Zhou had no choice but to continue sending people to keep an eye on him.
At first, he only knew that Wu Heng seemed to be doing some new business, but unfortunately he never understood what he was going to do. It was not until the video hall came out that Sun Zhou asked someone to calculate the customer flow and realized that this business could make money.
He immediately went to Guangzhou City, and sure enough, this thing was available in the market. After visiting several stores and finding out the details, Sun Zhou came back with the videotape that his aunt had helped him get.
It’s just a few TVs, a few VCRs, and a venue. It’s simple.
What's so good about martial arts movies? He got XXX movies and "that kind of" movies from Hong Kong. I guarantee that once you enter his video hall, no one will want to leave.
The venue? That's the least important thing.
Sun Zhou had seen a video hall in Guangzhou. It was located next to a construction site where sewage was flowing everywhere. The area was full of shacks where workers lived. Every night the video hall was packed with people and filled with the unpleasant smell of smoke and sweat. However, just from this video hall, one could earn hundreds of dollars a night.
Therefore, Sun Zhou could not understand Wu Heng's approach at all. The money earned was the same whether the environment was good or bad, so it was really unnecessary to do something fancy.
"Boss, should we also set up a couple's room?" asked the subordinate.
Sun Zhou glared at him and said, "Do I have too much money and nowhere to spend it? Why would I build this ridiculous couple's room?"
The men immediately fell silent.
Sun Zhou not only felt that those fancy things were useless, he even felt that those promotional methods of giving things away were unnecessary. He simply gave a 20% discount on the price of the Star Video Hall and moved up the opening date originally scheduled for June 20 to June 16.
The subordinates flattered him and praised him: "Boss, you are really awesome. We opened the business earlier than them, which is like cutting off the market."
On June 16th, the Metropolitan Video Hall opened, and the 20% off ticket prices attracted many people to go in and spend money.
Many of those who go to the video hall without free coupons have consumed in celebrity video halls.
Zou Hao is one of them.
However, after queuing up to enter the video room, Zou Hao quickly felt the difference between the Metropolitan Video Room and the Star Video Room.
There was no "convenience store" at the entrance, only a man guarding a large bucket of melon seeds, with several boxes of soda at his feet. Zou Hao originally wanted to buy some melon seeds, but when he heard the person who had just bought some in front of him say that the seeds were a little damp, he gave up.
The lights in the corridor were dim. Zou Hao followed the crowd into the screening room and found that there were rows of long benches inside. Several people sat on one bench. If someone walked around, he had to be careful not to fall to the ground.
Looking at the TV again, its size and clarity are far inferior to those in the celebrity video hall.
The most important thing is that the screening room is of similar size, but it can accommodate almost twice as many people as the celebrity video room, and the air is extremely turbid and smelly.
Not to mention a 20% discount, Zou Hao felt that given the environment, he wouldn't come again even if there was a 50% discount.
After reluctantly watching one episode, Zou Hao immediately got up and left.
Fortunately, this store did not offer movie recharge cards, and payment was based entirely on the actual viewing time, otherwise the recharge money would have been wasted.
There were people like Zou Hao who left quickly out of disappointment, and there were also people who didn't have high requirements for the environment and were happy as long as they could watch TV series, so the revenue of the Metropolitan Video Hall on the first day of its opening was actually quite good.
The next day, when the news spread, the number of customers was even greater than on the first day.
In just two days, Metropolitan Video's ten locations generated a combined sales of 70,000 to 80,000 yuan. Because each theater held twice as many people as Star Video, even with lower ticket prices, their single-day sales exceeded those of Star Video's opening.
Sun Zhou naturally became even more proud.
He felt that Wu Heng was a coward who couldn't make much money even with a good project, unlike him who had everything under his belt.
I heard that Wu Heng was partnering with a woman. For such a small business with such a small investment, he was partnering with a woman. Sun Zhou felt that this man was not capable of doing big things.
On the third day, the new Star Video Hall opened.
Liu Mianmian naturally heard that the Metropolitan Video Hall was originally scheduled to open on the 20th, but later changed it to the 16th. This was obviously aimed at them.
She also heard that the Metropolitan Video Hall had a turnover of 70,000 to 80,000 in two days. Sun Zhou said that their revenue far exceeded that of the Star Video Hall, and they were the undisputed number one in South City.
Liu Mianmian guessed that he was only concerned about the money and probably didn't know that many people's evaluation of the Metropolitan Video Hall was: the environment was poor, the equipment had low definition, and it didn't look like a video hall.
Some people even directly called the Metropolitan Video Hall a "fake video hall."
This is the significance of Liu Mianmian's first eight video halls. As emerging things, they defined "video hall" and made people in South City feel that video halls should be like them. If they cannot achieve this, they are not worthy of being called video halls.
And now, it's time to rub the Metropolitan Video Hall.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
