Customer profile
What was the name of your video store?
Blockbuster Video
Where was the store located?
Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania (United States)
When did you start shopping at this store?
1990
Describe your video store - what did it look like? What were its distinguishing
features?
There were no interesting features, it was the same as every other Blockbuster... yellow and blue on the inside with plenty of copies of new releases
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?
Employees never helped with movie selection, just stayed behind the cash register and when I checled out, they told me when the movie was due back.
What other services/products did the store offer besides the rental or sale
of videos? Did this change over time?
Blockbuster sells magazines, candy, popcorn, and soda in addtion to renting and selling movies
What video formats did the store offer (i.e. VHS, Beta, Laserdisc)? Where were
different formats kept in the store?
DVD, 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?
No adlult titles were available at this Blockbuster, but they did have a section with music videos, excercise videos, and sports videos.
Did you tend to rent or buy videos? Why?
Rent, I just think that buying a movie is a waste of money. If the movie stinks, how often are you really going to watch it?
During the period that you shopped at this store, what changes did you see?
Is this store still open? If not, when did it close?
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?
Did you ever rent a VCR or other hardware (a camera, for instance)? If so,
how often and why?