Employee profile
What was the name of your video store?
Blockbuster (a.k.a Schlockbuster)
Where was the store located?
Atlanta, Georgia (United States)
When did you start working at this store?
1988
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?
I interviewed for a job there because I was hungry and needed to buy food. I also liked movies, but would've preferred to work somewhere more interesting.
Describe your store - what did it look like? What were its distinguishing
features?
It looked generic, slick, and lifeless.
What were your customers like? What particularly memorable customers or events do you remember?
The customers ran the gamut. Most of them didn't know much about film. The ones who did were usually looking for something we didn't have. I would always refer them to a good indie video store nearby. This didn't endear me to my boss. As far as memorable customers go: There was this couple that used to come in drunk all the time. They would always argue with each other over which videos to rent. The arguements would get heated to the point where they'd be calling each other "bitch" and "asshole", etc. That was entertaining.
What was your boss like? How did he or she divide the work in the store?
My boss was a paranoind, frustrated wanna'-be business man who always suspected people of stealing from the cash registers, etc. (Like cash registers never come up over or under by a few bucks every now and then.)
What video formats did your store offer (i.e. VHS, Beta, Laserdisc)? Where were
different formats kept in the store?
VHS only.
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?
Childrens tapes, exercise tapes, some softcore, etc.
What other services/products did you offer besides the rental or sale of
programs? Did this change over time?
Sometimes they would come up with brilliant ideas like making the employees take turns dressing up in a big-headed bunny outfit for Easter. They took out an ad in the paper that said, "bring your kids to Blockbuster to see the Easter bunny". I drew the line at the bunny costume. They had no success whatsoever in convincing me to wear that thing.
Did you ever rent VCRs or other hardware to your customers? If so,
how important were hardware rentals to the business?
We rented VCRs. They weren't that important to the business, as most people had them already.
During the period that you worked at the store, what changes did you see take place?
None.
Is this store still open? If not, when did it close?
Thankfully it closed a few years later. So when I drive by there I don't see a big crappy "Blockbuster" sign and get horror chills running down my spine.