Customer profile
What was the name of your video store?
Starburst Video
Where was the store located?
St. Clair Shores, (United States)
When did you start shopping at this store?
1984
Describe your video store - what did it look like? What were its distinguishing
features?
The video store started in a very small strip mall, but moved across the street to a converted doctor's office. The video store kept all their video tapes behind the counter. The video boxes had tags on them that the customers brought up to the counter. The employees would then get the movies and print out a receipt which had to be signed.
What were the employees and/or owners like, and what kinds of interactions
did you have with them? What particularly memorable exchanges or events
do you remember?
The employees were very friendly and would talk to customers about the kinds of movies that that customers like.
What other services/products did the store offer besides the rental or sale
of videos? Did this change over time?
The video store started renting NES, SNES, Sega, and Gameboy systems and games. They rented VCRs and video cameras(including camera lights and extra batteries). Also, they gave away the movie posters. Eventually, candy, pop, buttons, and collector cards (magic/baseball/etc) became popular.
What video formats did the store offer (i.e. VHS, Beta, Laserdisc)? Where were
different formats kept in the store?
VHS
In addition to mainstream Hollywood movies, what other kinds of videotapes
(for example children's, exercise, or X-rated) did the store rent/sell? Where were these
videos found in the store, and how often did you rent or purchase them?
The store was broken up into categories such as Action, Drama, Children, Mystery, Western, War, Thriller, Sci-Fi, Horror, Exercise, Music, Comedy, and X-rated videos(broken up into gay and straight).
Did you tend to rent or buy videos? Why?
I rented over 1500 movies and didn't buy them because you don't watch too many movies multiple times. Also, if you don't know if the movie is good, why would you buy it?
During the period that you shopped at this store, what changes did you see?
The number of videos grew. This store kept the classic videos and got rid of bad movies.
Is this store still open? If not, when did it close?
No, the couple that owned the store got a divorce. The manager was sleeping with the owner. Also, road construction led to a demise in customers that never returned.
In your own words, tell the story of your first VCR/video player. Where
and when did you buy it, and why did you decide to make the purchase?
My first VCR was a St. Valentine's gift to the whole family. It was a Sharp VCR with tiny buttons for programming. It was at Kmarts and on sale. We had rented VCRs the previous year and found that most weekends we were using it.
Did you ever rent a VCR or other hardware (a camera, for instance)? If so,
how often and why?
We'd rent extra VCPs to copy home movies. Also, we'd rent the video cameras for special occasions like concerts, weddings, and for video experimenting.