Video rental retailers primarily consist of video chains, independent mom and pop stores and non-video stores. For a breakdown of the 1998 video rental market by retailer see Figure 1 . In the traditional business model, video rental retailers maintain physical store outlets containing video tape inventories of various titles. Consumers visit the video store outlet, browse through aisles with the available videos on display, and make a selection. After a period of days, the consumer returns the video rental to the outlet.
Payment typically occurs up front or upon the return of the tape.