Customer profile
What was the name of your video store?
Action Video
Where was the store located?
Spencer, Iowa (United States)
When did you start shopping at this store?
1986
Describe your video store - what did it look like? What were its distinguishing
features?
It was just a dingy little run-down room basically. The floor bounced and produced a hollow thud as you walked across it. I could very easily imagine the floor breaking and falling through it. If anything it was far from clean.
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?
Here's an interesting question. It was owned by a man that also owned a heating and cooling business and sat on the city council. He was a real dirtball and had a kid who was an even bigger dirtball. I rented from Action Video until I just couldn't stomach either of them anymore and switched to the new store in town. There was little to no interaction with the owner, which I was happy for. I don't recall the employees knowing anything in particular about movies, but then I don't think I would have been able to ask the correct questions at that time as I was only 11.
What other services/products did the store offer besides the rental or sale
of videos? Did this change over time?
Nothing really. I guess I remember them having candy you could by, oh, and they had a copy machine.
What video formats did the store offer (i.e. VHS, Beta, Laserdisc)? Where were
different formats kept in the store?
VHS exclusively.
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?
If I remember correctly you could look at the "blue binder" for x-rated. It pretty well only had mainstream Hollywood films and if I would have had the desire to rent, say, "Sunset Boulevard" or "Lawrence of Arabia," they probaby wouldn't have been there. I would rent the tapes and the VCR maybe once every couple months until we got a VCR in 1988. Then we would rent a couple times a month.
Did you tend to rent or buy videos? Why?
Early on I only rented videos as I didn't yet have a VCR and had no reason to purchase. Once I got the VCR I started to purchase and receive videos as gifts. I started buying them since I started to find that I liked films and movies and wanted to be able to watch those I found particularly interesting whenever I wanted. My collection grew and grew until 2000 when I purchased my first DVD player. Now the collection gathers dust.
During the period that you shopped at this store, what changes did you see?
They moved from the dingy little place to an old gas station. It still wasn't what I called "clean" and the selection quality didn't get better. I found them becoming incredibly arrogant until I finally couldn't stand renting from them any longer.
Is this store still open? If not, when did it close?
Nope. I think it closed its doors sometime in 1996 maybe. I don't quite now since I moved away for college. Trust me, while some might miss their video store I shed no tears for Action Video.
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?
Well, the purchse of the first VCR is a rather boring story. My grandma showed up one afternoon and unloaded it from her car. End of story. However, I clearly remember the first time we rented a VCR. My folks were going out for the night and we weren't going to have a babysitter. They rented this old top-loading beast with a corded remote from Sernett's, a local department store my mom worked at. Then we went to Action Video and rented "Back to the Future" and "Pee Wee's Big Adventure." BTTF has stayed with me forever and I consider it one of the top five best films I have ever seen, and perhaps the finest comedy produce in my lifetime. I dug Pee Wee but have since changed that stance as I think Burton is a hack. I had a pizza, which my parents screwed up because it had mushrooms on it, and had a blast. It was a great night.
Did you ever rent a VCR or other hardware (a camera, for instance)? If so,
how often and why?
Again, we rented VCRs for about two, two and a half years as we simply couldn't afford to buy one. Other rentals included Nintendos until "Santa" brought us one.