Customer profile
What was the name of your video store?
Erols
Where was the store located?
Springfield, Virginia (United States)
When did you start shopping at this store?
1982
Describe your video store - what did it look like? What were its distinguishing
features?
It was red and yellow. Didn't carry many copies of vids early on -- they got better after a few years. Ditto with selection. Friday nights and Saturday mornings the place was packed -- and by Saturday afternoon there were only a few videos left on the shelves. People waited in lines to pounce on folks returning videos, hoping they were returning the "latest" blockbuster. And you didn't just drop off the video, you checked it back in. You had to pay for your yearly membership, but prices were fairly low for the one-day rental. However, keeping it beyond the one day was pretty expensive.
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?
Minimal interaction; usually only at checkout. Occassionally, if it was a slow night, an employee would ask if I needed help finding something. Mostly I liked to be left alone to peruse the selections & would ask where a movie was if I couldn't find something specific.
What other services/products did the store offer besides the rental or sale
of videos? Did this change over time?
TVs & VCRs. Yes, it changes -- they no longer do videos.
What video formats did the store offer (i.e. VHS, Beta, Laserdisc)? Where were
different formats kept in the store?
All 3; Laserdisc in the back -- but they stopped carrying those after just a couple years. Beta on one side, VHS on the other. Beta's side slowly got smaller as VHS took over.
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?
Mainstream on the walls, others on shelves on the floor. More popular stuff to the front and sides, less popular to the middle/back. Small selection of non-mainstream or specialty. They had one rack with "adult" films, but those were more soft-core, not hard-core.
Did you tend to rent or buy videos? Why?
Rent. Too expensive to buy. Most videos were over $50.
During the period that you shopped at this store, what changes did you see?
Beta went bye-bye. Prices on rentals went up, but rental time increased. Store carried more copies of popular movies and increased inventory of older/specialty movies. Drop off became available (versus check-in movies when returning). You could find a movie on a Saturday night or Sunday. Stopped carrying TVs & VCRs for sale; though you could rent them from Erols, they didn't have them displayed out front anymore. In the early days, they didn't offer many videos for sale in stock -- you could order them and sometimes it took a month or more to get it in. In the later 80's, when the prices went down on videos, they had more of a selection for sale.
Is this store still open? If not, when did it close?
No. Not sure -- in the early 90's, I think.
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 got my first VHS VCR from my parents for my 21st birthday in 1987. I believe they purchased it from Sears. I still use it today, and it's the only VCR I've ever owned.
Did you ever rent a VCR or other hardware (a camera, for instance)? If so,
how often and why?
No