Customer profile
What was the name of your video store?
Blockbuster
Where was the store located?
Houston, Texas (United States)
When did you start shopping at this store?
1989
Describe your video store - what did it look like? What were its distinguishing
features?
I remember it being big and full of videos. It was blue and yellow and I wanted to check out everything they had.
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?
I didn't have any real interaction with the employees until I turned 13. Some were friendly and others weren't. I just came in the store for what I wanted, paid, and left.
What other services/products did the store offer besides the rental or sale
of videos? Did this change over time?
They weren't offering any special deals that I can think of or remember. I just remember that they were sort of pricey and my mom limiting me to how many I could rent. Not until 1996 did they start to send me coupons on "rent one, get one free" deals.
What video formats did the store offer (i.e. VHS, Beta, Laserdisc)? Where were
different formats kept in the store?
They had a small section for Beta and Laserdisc, but that was it. VHS was the dominant format.
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?
Blockbuster was a family place and didn't carry X-rated material, although my aunt asked really loud if they did. They carried a wide variety of children's cartoons that I had grown up on such as Transformers and G.I. Joe. I rented them every chance I could get. It was a trip down memory lane for me.
Did you tend to rent or buy videos? Why?
I rented videos more than I bought because I was a ten year old kid and didn't have much money, so when I did get a little money, I could only rent.
During the period that you shopped at this store, what changes did you see?
I remember when the Super Nintendo and Genesis were popular, they started to phase out the 8-bit Nintendo a bit.
Is this store still open? If not, when did it close?
The store is still open, but they moved to another location closer to my house. It's a little smaller and it's a bit different from what I remember, but it's still the same old Blockbuster.
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 was nine when I got my first VCR. I remember my dad and I going to Sears to pick it out. We found one with slow motion features and such. My dad told me not to tell my mom or my sister. My mom was talking to me about where we went and I just blurted it out and she knew that my dad had purchased it because he was being sneaky when he entered the house.
Did you ever rent a VCR or other hardware (a camera, for instance)? If so,
how often and why?
No.