Mammoth Video

For those of us more nostalgic, there is still a great place to come and browse for movies. In an era where local mom and pop businesses are disappearing, it’s refreshing to see a store like this still fighting the good fight. They’re customer service is a top priority and you can tell from the moment you walk in. If your a movie buff like us, you will be in heaven. The selection is fantastic. They get the new releases before anyone else, and have a niche selection of old stuff. A must see place to visit and support!

Okay, I know you’re confused… a video store still in business? What”s going on here?! If you’re like me you gave up on Blockbuster a while ago, but still, sometimes Netflix doesn’t cut it. Part of the fun of a video store is picking out terrible movies. I like horror, Netflix might have «The Ring» or «Signs» but good luck finding «Halloween 3». We still need a place for goofy fun and Mammoth Video is more than happy to fill the void. I talked to the new owner and she was very clear the direction she wanted to take the store, selection, selection and then even more selection. If it’s a movie, it’s here.
Staff was extremely friendly. Knowledge to a fan-​boy degree. And the entire place is discount on top of discount, you’re barely going to spend a few bucks and the (general) videos are good for seven days.
Make sure to «like» them on Facebook where they offer an additional crazy deal of the day. Who knows how long places like this are going to exist. Growing up, going to the video store for a few cheesy movies and a video game were the highlight of week. Yes, we are moving to a digital existence but this place is far from a relic.

I had a some extra time the other evening so I decided to stop into Mammoth Video of Belleville to see what some of the latest movie rentals looked like.
With the advent of Hulu, Netflix, Apple TV, Slingbox, and Pay-​Per-​View and all the other technologies available today, the old mom and pop video rental stores have disappeared. Even the larger chains like Blockbuster and Hollywood Video have hit the skids. I mean how do you keep up with a place like Netflix who seem to have unlimited availability and can get a movie to your mailbox within a day.
Mammoth falls somewhere in between the big guns and the old mom and pop stores. Their selection is OK, but really not over the top. The HD selection (BluRay) is poor, I guess it’s expensive to keep up with the times. As evidenced by the amount of customers in the store, I guess people really don’t rent videos much from stores anymore.
The place has a somewhat cold feel to it. A kind of «We’re here, please rent from the selection that we have, don’t ask any questions» feel. This feeling is only compounded by the door leading to the «Adult» room. Mind you that Mammoth is the only chain that rents adult movies like this. I don’t have a problem with a movie store renting these or even with people watching them; it’s just kind of creepy when you see someone going into the room in a «family» store. They adust their coats, look all directions making sure they don’t know anyone in the store, and then go in. Coming out the the room is similar… the door cracks open, they look in every direction … and then make their way out. Maybe «adult» movies shouldn’t be rented in «family» video stores.
I guess that I really don’t find much of a need for video rental stores anymore. It’s over. Time to shut down and accept the fact that Netflix will take over the world.