Customer profile
What was the name of your video store?
Bob's Convenience
Where was the store located?
St. John's, Ontario (Canada)
When did you start shopping at this store?
1980
Describe your video store - what did it look like? What were its distinguishing
features?
The video stores was actually a convenience store, with a little space near the back that housed the movie rental section. The boxes were nowhere to be seen. Black and white photocopies of the covers of the boxes were stapled up on the wall, with little pieces of velcro underneath them with a pull off number that was brouhgt up to the cashier (Bob?). Beta was on one side of the wall, and VHS was on the other. This caused MUCH frustration and confusion.
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 remember very few of these interactions. I believe he was an East Indian man, which was EXTREMELY rare to find in Newfoundland at the time.
What other services/products did the store offer besides the rental or sale
of videos? Did this change over time?
You could also rent beta and VHS players. In the beginning, we often rented VHS players (large, hulking, top loading machines). They rented them out in their own brown pleather cases, that took two men to carry from the car to the house. The remote control was, of course, connected by a wire, which someone would trip over sometime through the course of the rental period.
What video formats did the store offer (i.e. VHS, Beta, Laserdisc)? Where were
different formats kept in the store?
VHS and Beta. I wouldn't have had a clue what a laserdisc was.
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?
Children's movies and mainstream. There may have been X-rated movies, but I doubt it. I would think that he would have been lynched if he had been trying to sell them. Things have certainly changed!!
Did you tend to rent or buy videos? Why?
Rented. And, of course, every time we rented a video, we'd have to rent the machine. We'd rent maybe 3 movies each week... and I'd watch them over and over and over again. First rented movies - "Jaws", "Fast Time at Ridgemount High", "American Werewolf in London", and, "Bad Boys".
During the period that you shopped at this store, what changes did you see?
Beta lost the war and dissapeared, much to our satisfaction (for anticipating the winner and purhchasing a VHS player some time before).
Is this store still open? If not, when did it close?
Strangely enough, it IS still open. But, it has LONG left the video rental industry, and it's no longer called, "Bob's Convenience".
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?
Large machine. VERY heavy. We paid extra to get one with a remote control, "20 foot wire connecting the player to the remote"... Top loading. It ate the very first video we ever put in it, "Three Stooges Meet Hercules" (a rental). I think we had to pay for the video 'cause our machine ate it. Upwards of 30 dollars, if I remember correctly. My dad, not one to lose money lightly, worked and worked and worked to get that eaten video working again. And, he did. (I think he used nail polish). Still plays to this day. Best 30 dollars we ever invested ;)
Did you ever rent a VCR or other hardware (a camera, for instance)? If so,
how often and why?