Customer profile
What was the name of your video store?
Videoland
Where was the store located?
North Hollywood, California (United States)
When did you start shopping at this store?
1987
Describe your video store - what did it look like? What were its distinguishing
features?
Very big, new releases as soon as you walked into the store. Right next to the door there was a massive rack of videos that were all pro wrestling. No big distinguishing features. Just a mom and pop shop.
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?
ZThe employees were very nice. They would often hold movies that we would want, as we were regular customers. If there was a new release, they would frequently hold it for us.
What other services/products did the store offer besides the rental or sale
of videos? Did this change over time?
Video games were offered over time. My brother and I were their best two customers, so naturally not only did we have first choice of game, but we were the ONLY ones to ever get to take the game instructions with us.
What video formats did the store offer (i.e. VHS, Beta, Laserdisc)? Where were
different formats kept in the store?
Beta and VHS
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?
X-rated were located in a corner in covered with curtains. We didn't dare go back there because we were too young. No excercise videos. Childrens stuff was mixed in with the mainstream stuff.
Did you tend to rent or buy videos? Why?
Rent. Always rented videos because of the fact that we could just record them on BETA. However, the BETA got phased out and we simply started buying.
During the period that you shopped at this store, what changes did you see?
None
Is this store still open? If not, when did it close?
No. It closed in 1995
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 mom bought the VCR. Just becuse it finally was cheap enough to buy it I guess. It was a BETA. We had also just gotten cable back in the 80's and we wanted to tape stuff off of TV so we went and got cable.
Did you ever rent a VCR or other hardware (a camera, for instance)? If so,
how often and why?
Never