Customer profile
What was the name of your video store?
jumbo video
Where was the store located?
toronto, Ontario (Canada)
When did you start shopping at this store?
1988
Describe your video store - what did it look like? What were its distinguishing
features?
There was a huge jumbo elephant over the door (it was part of the jumbo chain who were shut down after people raised concerns about the violence in their porn section) and free popcorn inside. It took up a huge corner of prime real estate only one block from yonge and bloor in toronto.
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?
i was too young to remember more than the free popcorn
What other services/products did the store offer besides the rental or sale
of videos? Did this change over time?
What video formats did the store offer (i.e. VHS, Beta, Laserdisc)? Where were
different formats kept in the store?
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?
porn rumoured to have violence featuring under-age girls. i never noticed them.
Did you tend to rent or buy videos? Why?
rent because my parents were paying
During the period that you shopped at this store, what changes did you see?
we weren't loyal to one store. we shopped around -- blockbuster, the local ma and pa shop before it closed down. jumbo is the most memorable because it was so kitchy.
Is this store still open? If not, when did it close?
in the early 1990s?
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 mother bought a VCR with her inheritance ($300) after her grandfather died in the early 1980s. We went VHS during the VHS/Beta wars.
Did you ever rent a VCR or other hardware (a camera, for instance)? If so,
how often and why?
never