Customer profile
What was the name of your video store?
A and J
Where was the store located?
Fairfax, California (United States)
When did you start shopping at this store?
1980
Describe your video store - what did it look like? What were its distinguishing
features?
Small set-up probablt 30x30,new releases were kept behind the counter2-3 displays in the middle and racks on the wall
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?
Owners were from Belize or Jamaica.If you were a good customer ,they always held the new releases for you.
What other services/products did the store offer besides the rental or sale
of videos? Did this change over time?
they repaired and sold VCR
What video formats did the store offer (i.e. VHS, Beta, Laserdisc)? Where were
different formats kept in the store?
vhs and the dreaded Beta
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?
the porn was kept in the back,away from the mainstream stuff.
Did you tend to rent or buy videos? Why?
rent-could not afford buying them
During the period that you shopped at this store, what changes did you see?
the industry was growing -there weren't any video rental stores near my house-i drove approx.5 miles to rent videos-once stores started to open up closer to where i lived I patronized this store less and less.
Is this store still open? If not, when did it close?
nope, probably 15 years ago
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?
my first vcr was a beta my dad bought for the family at a store that no longer exists her in CA.FEDCO kinda like a costco of its' time.The reason why I chose the sony betamax was because the picture quality was supposed to be better than VHS.
Did you ever rent a VCR or other hardware (a camera, for instance)? If so,
how often and why?
no