Customer profile
What was the name of your video store?
can't remember the name
Where was the store located?
Winterville, North Carolina (United States)
When did you start shopping at this store?
1988
Describe your video store - what did it look like? What were its distinguishing
features?
It was owned by the family of a guy who was in my second grade class. It was basically a little blue barn, and had videos on three sides, and the counter was on the fourth wall, facing the entranceway.
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?
Mainly, from what I can remember, it was my friends father and grandfather that worked in the store. They were both pretty nice guys. One memorable event was when I rented Jaws 2. Since it was a mom and pop store, people kept taking advantage and stealing the movies. My friends grandad was talking to my dad about this, and the return policy was three days, if I remember correctly, and we were renting this on a Friday. He said "Oh hell, make sure it's back to me by Tuesday."
What other services/products did the store offer besides the rental or sale
of videos? Did this change over time?
They also rented out some nintendo games, if I remember correctly.
What video formats did the store offer (i.e. VHS, Beta, Laserdisc)? Where were
different formats kept in the store?
just VHS, as this was the main format at the time.
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?
I don't think they had any X-rated videos. They did have some childrens videos, like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and cartoons like that. Hell yes I rented the Ninja Turtles.
Did you tend to rent or buy videos? Why?
From there I only rented videos because that was the only service they provided.
During the period that you shopped at this store, what changes did you see?
It only stayed open for about 2 or 3 years. The movies kept disappearing due to people keeping them. So eventually it became rather shoddy.
Is this store still open? If not, when did it close?
It closed in either 1990, or 1991.
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 a VCR when I was about 5 years old. I remember thinnking it was the coolest thing ever. it was a GoldStar VCR. My parents bought it because it was a cool thing to have at the time. We bought it from Sears, if I remember correctly.
Did you ever rent a VCR or other hardware (a camera, for instance)? If so,
how often and why?
No I didn't.