Customer profile
What was the name of your video store?
Video Fifteen
Where was the store located?
Övertorneå, (Sweden)
When did you start shopping at this store?
1985
Describe your video store - what did it look like? What were its distinguishing
features?
It was next to a funeral home, and the entrance was below street level. its window was actually partially covered by the street due to the weird way that part was constructed. One would have to take some stairs down to a small hallway, along which was the videostore and one door further down, the funeral home. Is "funeral home" the correct word? Its the place where you order a casket and prepare the funeral, and such. The store itself was not very large. It had all walls covered in movies, and behind one fake wall was the adult department, which was smaller in size. It was all neat and tidy, too.
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?
Just one employer/owner. He was a nice man, who i got to know some more after the shop failed, but as a kid i was a bit scared of him since he spoke with an accent and i had never met anyone with an accent before. He was originally from Yugoslavia, but had lived in sweden for fifteen years at the time. Only events i can remember were sneaking into the adult section and ogling at the covers while the owner was away getting coffee or something :D
What other services/products did the store offer besides the rental or sale
of videos? Did this change over time?
they sold candy, soda, popcorn and such.
What video formats did the store offer (i.e. VHS, Beta, Laserdisc)? Where were
different formats kept in the store?
Only VHS.
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?
there were swedish movies, besides the american movies and i think just one finnish movie (The Unknown Soldier, or that one about the finnish frontline during WWII which was widely acclaimed at the time). and the x-rateds.
Did you tend to rent or buy videos? Why?
nope. my family never got a VCR, much to my dismay. my friend did, tho. needless to say, i almost lived at his place.
During the period that you shopped at this store, what changes did you see?
i think they expanded once, with more movies, thats about it. they had to shut down after about five years, tho. dont know why.
Is this store still open? If not, when did it close?
closed in -92, im pretty 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?
never had one :( i will buy one now that i finally have my own place. there's still so much on VHS thats not on DVD out there. also its somewhat nostalgic to watch movies on a slightly grainy VHS, as opposed to the crystal clearness of DVD.
Did you ever rent a VCR or other hardware (a camera, for instance)? If so,
how often and why?
rented VCR's as often as i could, when i was home alone or my friends were. This would have been about 7-9 times a year.