Customer profile
What was the name of your video store?
SUN VIDEO
Where was the store located?
COLOGNE, (Germany)
When did you start shopping at this store?
1982
Describe your video store - what did it look like? What were its distinguishing
features?
looked very cheap with long rows of metal shelves, uncleaned windows and a section in the back that you weren't allowed to enter unless you were over 18. It was cut off from the rest of the room by a filthy looking curtain. There were movie posters on the walls that were never changed. In 1990 they still had a poster of WAR GAMES on one wall. The place always smelled of cigarettes and coffee.
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 owner was a guy from India who had a terrible accent and didn't think much of MPAA ratings. You could get any movie you wanted, no matter how old you were, unless it was porn. I remember one incident when I was 14 and rented Romero's DAWN OF THE DEAD for me and some friends. The owner told me he wasn't really allowed to rent this to me, but he would, if I promised to turn the movie off as soon as it got too violent.
What other services/products did the store offer besides the rental or sale
of videos? Did this change over time?
When I started frequenting the store it was just video rentals, but later they added laserdiscs. You could almost smoke in the store and as a regular you always got free coffee or tea. In the late 80's they started selling soft drinks and chocolate bars and got some tables and chairs. I don't recall seeing anyone ever use this service. People just stood at the counter when they wanted to chat.
What video formats did the store offer (i.e. VHS, Beta, Laserdisc)? Where were
different formats kept in the store?
VHS, Beta, VIDEO 2000 at first, added Laserdisc later. They had different shelves for the different formats. Laserdiscs were displayed behind the counter.
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?
They had a fairly large x-rated section in the back and a good selection of children's movies right next to the entrance. There was one shelf (it wasn't big, held maybe 50 tapes) with Bollywood movies and subtitled films and they had an unusually good collection of horror films. I went there about twice a week and rented mostly horror and mainstream.
Did you tend to rent or buy videos? Why?
I usually rented because it was cheaper and most movies just weren't so good that I wanted to own them.
During the period that you shopped at this store, what changes did you see?
As noted earlier, they hardly ever changed posters, but added chairs and tables to the store. It wasn't the kind of place that changed a lot.
Is this store still open? If not, when did it close?
I moved to a different city, but as far as I know the store's still open.
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?
I bought my first vcr from a friend of mine who made the switch from beta to vhs and wanted to get rid of the old player. That was in 1982, I think. It was a huge machine, very heavy and I got it for $ 200. When I bought it, I didn't think too much about renting videos, but about taping films from tv. They showed a lot of good movies very late at night and it annoyed me that I couldn't watch them because I needed to go school the next day. So I saved my allowance and bought a vcr.
Did you ever rent a VCR or other hardware (a camera, for instance)? If so,
how often and why?
Just rented a vcr once to copy a couple of movies.