Customer profile
What was the name of your video store?
TeleVid
Where was the store located?
Phoenix, Arizona (United States)
When did you start shopping at this store?
1983
Describe your video store - what did it look like? What were its distinguishing
features?
The kept all of the movies behind the counter. The empty boxes, which the store assigned numbers, sat on shelves.
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?
The store had little note pads, and you'd write down the numbers (written on the empty boxes on the shelves)of the movies you wanted, give it to the clerk, and they'd tell you if the movie was "in" or not. The store didn't carry multiple copies of movies, so you didn't always get the one you wanted (kind of like a modern-day Blockbuster on Friday or Saturday night).
What other services/products did the store offer besides the rental or sale
of videos? Did this change over time?
The stores also rented players, and they'd sell copies of priced-to-sell movies, which were not widely available like they are now. My parents got me "Raiders of the Lost Ark" for Christmas of 1983 from the video store (pretty cool when you're a kid). There were no Targets, Best Buys or Wal-Marts at the time.
What video formats did the store offer (i.e. VHS, Beta, Laserdisc)? Where were
different formats kept in the store?
VHS and Beta, if I remember correctly.
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'm not sure if the store carried porn or not. It probably did, but I wasn't renting them, since I was still in middle school.
Did you tend to rent or buy videos? Why?
Both, but since most movies weren't priced to sell in the early '80s, we mostly rented them.
During the period that you shopped at this store, what changes did you see?
The store lost business when bigger video outlets opened in the area.
Is this store still open? If not, when did it close?
Not sure.
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?
Did you ever rent a VCR or other hardware (a camera, for instance)? If so,
how often and why?
In the early 80s, we rented VCRs for weekends for two reasons: A) VCRs cost a fortune back then B) There weren't all that many movies to rent.