Employee profile
What was the name of your video store?
Shannock
Where was the store located?
Burnaby, British Columbia (Canada)
When did you start working at this store?
1981
In your own words, how did you get started working in video retail? What
led you to choose the video industry, and this store in particular?
You should get my book - probably not in print any more - called How to start and run a profitable video store published by The Self-Counsel Press, North Vancouver, BC. Libraries may still have them. I ran a distribution company that started hundreds video stores. Mom and pops used my book as a guide to run their business. I made a bit of money writing this book, but lots more money selling video tapes. I am wondering why you chose such a subject for your dissertation.
Describe your store - what did it look like? What were its distinguishing
features?
What were your customers like? What particularly memorable customers or events do you remember?
What was your boss like? How did he or she divide the work in the store?
What video formats did your store offer (i.e. VHS, Beta, Laserdisc)? Where were
different formats kept in the store?
In addition to mainstream Hollywood movies, what other kinds of videotapes
(children's videos or X-rated tapes, for example) did you rent/sell? Where were these
videos found in your store, and how important were they to the business?
What other services/products did you offer besides the rental or sale of
programs? Did this change over time?
Did you ever rent VCRs or other hardware to your customers? If so,
how important were hardware rentals to the business?
During the period that you worked at the store, what changes did you see take place?
Is this store still open? If not, when did it close?