Customer profile
What was the name of your video store?
Erols
Where was the store located?
Lindenwold, New Jersey (United States)
When did you start shopping at this store?
1985
Describe your video store - what did it look like? What were its distinguishing
features?
VHS tapes on one side and Beta on the other
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?
Renting cartoons!!
What other services/products did the store offer besides the rental or sale
of videos? Did this change over time?
I remember renting nintendo.
What video formats did the store offer (i.e. VHS, Beta, Laserdisc)? Where were
different formats kept in the store?
VHS and Beta
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?
I think it was everyting but X-rated. I was too young to look at that stuff. It's kind of like Blockbuster.
Did you tend to rent or buy videos? Why?
We rented them. We rented becuase it would have been too much to buy.
During the period that you shopped at this store, what changes did you see?
Beta shelves turned into VHS. When Beta was starting to go down in the market.
Is this store still open? If not, when did it close?
It is closed now but the store is now a Blockbuster's.
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?
We bought our first VHS :( VCR at Sears. It was a Sears model. We bought it in 85. My parents decided to buy it because they wanted to watch movies at the comfort of their own home. I always wanted a Beta though. I got mine in 1998. :)
Did you ever rent a VCR or other hardware (a camera, for instance)? If so,
how often and why?
Never rented other hardware except nintendo. (if that counts)