Imagine it's the perfect movie night - cold, snowy and no sports on TV.

Five years ago, the logical response would have been to get in the car, drive to the video store and browse the selection. Today, the reaction is slightly less predictable. Turn on the TV and see what's on demand? Download a new release and watch it on the computer?

With an onslaught of options, the traditional video store is struggling to compete.

West Coast Video in Peabody is going out of business. Another one of their stores in Salem recently shrunk to half its former size. There are the same number of movies for rent, but instead of being displayed so that the whole DVD cover is visible, they're stacked like books with only the binding showing.

As for the reason, a manager in the Salem store referred media questions to his boss, who was unavailable. Movie Gallery, the company that also owns Hollywood Video, filed for bankruptcy in October.

In Manchester, Pam Ranger owns Video Viewpoint, one of the few remaining independent video stores in the area. It's been around since 1984, and she concedes her business is struggling.

"Half of my customers come in four to six times and year and say, 'Oh, I'm so glad you're here,'" she said. "I want to shake them and say, 'You need to come in more than six times a year if you want me to stay.'"

With so much growing competition, Ranger said she's trying to offer more retail options like books about making movies, games and "anything that reflects the movie scene."

She has more than 15,000 titles in her store and is also one of the few video rental stores that still has VHS, which accounts for about 20 percent of her business. Ranger admits it's a handicap when customers come into her store and she doesn't have what they're looking for.

"But my customers can ask me for anything, and I'll get it for them," she said. As it turns out, she's true to her word.

On Friday, Katherine Bonaccorso was on her way out of Blockbuster in Beverly with two movies in her hand - "Legally Blonde" and "Breaking and Entering." But she was quick to mention that she doesn't usually go there.

"My favorite place to rent movies is our own local Video Viewpoint," she said. "I like the idea of browsing, reading about the movies and getting recommendations from Pam."