Proximity killed the video shop

I do not watch TV. I do not even have a TV for that matter. But I love watching movies. I used to go to small theatres, follow retrospectives, see new things. Then time got sparse, DVDs ubiquitous and I went to a DVD rental shop. I picked them randomly to watch on my laptop, what did I have to loose? At worst I go still go on working or browsing in another screen, do some callisthenics or whatever took my fancy if the film was not to my liking and still be able to pause, rewind or play back if an half seen image or some dialogue seemed to warrant my attention.
I started to skip the trailers on old DVDs, then on recent ones too. Soon, I was out of touch. So I asked the clerk for advice. Rental shops clerks are usually knowledgeable: what do you think they do between collects, except watching movies, lots and lots of them? It doesn't grant them taste, but you soon learn to know them, and quickly find someone whose advice you can trust. At first, I was reluctant to rent series. It all changed when I was made to discover the Sopranos. Then the Wire, then Dead like Me. Then 6 feet under and a few others. Things I wouldn't even have considered worth seeing. I even discovered Grey's Anatomy, the best gym track ever ;-)
Now the shop nearby is closing, forced out of business by a supermarket: they sell at rental prices. I guess that I will have to find some other place to go for advice.