Regional R18 shops

[fraser]

Went into "Private Lines" in Glasgow. Very poor selection of original R18s and a whole load of copies.

Also their DVDs are ?30 each - is this consistent with other shops out of London? Also the thug behind the counter almost ripped my head off for moaning about the prices. Went into the market next door and bought a copy of two films for ?12.

Incidentally, do any Scottish guys remember a large stall in an upstairs market in the Barras market which sold thousands of magazines? Has this guy gone somewhere else?

[RG]

I think you'll find that 30 quid for an r18 rated DVD is quite a bargain compared to several other sex shops. Now that we've got the right to buy hardcore films, maybe the next thing that needs to be done is bring the prices down.

[The Insider]

Maybe if punters want British hardcore movies they aught to be prepared to pay a commercially viable price for the merchandies. I rekon a retail price of ?25.00 - ?30.00 is about right for a quality hardcore DVD. Same goes for distributors - if they don't pay a commercially viable price for the product how can the producer afford to produce more?

The market for R18 DVD's is still quite small in the UK compared with population size, so even if a producer wanted to (I would advise against it) he could not 'pile it high, sell it cheap' and still make a viable return.

The Insider - he knows a thing or two about industry economics.

[Brown mouth]

I think you'll find the high cost of videos and DVDs in licensed sex shops has more to do with the lack of competition than anything else. If there's only one shop in an area they can pretty much charge what they like. Given the fact that local councils aren't exactly gagging to hand out licenses, it's unlikely that this situation is going to change in the near future. The fact that most sex shops are owned by one or two companies doesn't help matters either. The most sensible option - it seems to me - is to make mail order in the UK for R18 legal, rather than the minefield it is now. That way, anyone who wants to get hold of R18 material can do so, without having to travel to a major city or pay through the nose. Note that in London, where there is a reasonable level of competition, you can get good R18 videos for ?20 and DVDs for about the same. There's no reason - other than those outlined above - why prices should be any higher elsewhere.

[golostruda]

In fact, DVDs are considerably cheaper than that in London if you buy more than one - most Soho outlets do three for ?50 on all their hardcore DVDs, and if you want more than three many places are happy to tag on the others for a tenner each. Hitting somewhere just as they are about to close up for the night often reaps even bigger dividends as they are looking for a final addition to the daily take, eg I got six DVDs for ?70 at the weekend. My advice to people in the regions is instead of paying ?30 apiece, save up your dollars and get a train down to London -you only need to buy three to get your train fare back, buy half a dozen and you're quids in.

[Mac]

Fraser,

where abouts in the Glasgow are is "Private Lines" ?

Cheers

[Phil McC]

Near the Baras, but there is a few other outlets if you search around near the old High court building beside Paddy's market.

Phil McC

As for the rest of the post,, well The problem does not lie in the prices etc it is purely the distribution IE how many shops there is.. I would favour no 18R cause I don't even know why we need it. Newsagents can sell hard-core mags to 18's and ciggies to 16's so they can tell the difference. My idea would be in the covers have a normal 18 style cover similar to my ones in HMV & Virgin etc but with the 18R logo so you know its stonger....But who can be offended if the covers are soft. Then sell them everywhere,,,, I would argue the 18R as it stands is a restriction of trade and causes a monopoly. Insider is right about DVD's except I have 4 new ones and plans for 4 more this month so they are selling and picking up.