Customer profile
What was the name of your video store?
cant remember sorry
Where was the store located?
Westfield, New Jersey (United States)
When did you start shopping at this store?
1982
Describe your video store - what did it look like? What were its distinguishing
features?
This was one of those places that had the empty boxes on the shelf and you'd bring the box to the counter and they'd give you the tape.
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 and his wife were the only ones I remember working there..maybe in the late 80s his kids started working there, but this place was gone before 90 when Blockbuster invaded our town. The owner would always talk about movies, recommending obscure stuff. I was a horny jr. high school kid when i started going there so i remember renting cinema classics like The Last American Virgin.
What other services/products did the store offer besides the rental or sale
of videos? Did this change over time?
I think it cleaned your vcr, and then it started renting computer games at one point but i'm pretty sure that failed miserably..pretty much its bread and butter was good old vhs.
What video formats did the store offer (i.e. VHS, Beta, Laserdisc)? Where were
different formats kept in the store?
At the very beginning they had Beta...but it was a true VHS place and never had laser.
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?
It didnt carry x-rated, but carried everything else, including unrated
Did you tend to rent or buy videos? Why?
You could only rent at this mom&pop store. But in general, i was a purchaser, as soon as sell-thru began (i think with either Star Trek, Raiders of the Lost Ark or one of those titles) i always bought.
During the period that you shopped at this store, what changes did you see?
the great thing about this store is like it was frozen in a vacuum..the only thing that changed were the titles on the shelves..even in the late 80s they still had that ancient system of the empty boxes showing you what was in stock.
Is this store still open? If not, when did it close?
Nope. Late 80s when blockbuster came to town.
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 got our first VCR in 1977 or 78. The thing was huge. Our uncle had some hollywood connections so we got a ton of movies on tape, way before I was even aware you could rent them. We are talking Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back, Spy Who Loved Me, lots of james bond actually. Loved it
Did you ever rent a VCR or other hardware (a camera, for instance)? If so,
how often and why?
Never rented any hardware.