Employee profile
What was the name of your video store?
American Video
Where was the store located?
West Hartford, Connecticut (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?
It was the video store my family rented from, and my mom made a crack to the owner on day about how I needed a job. The rest, as they say, was history.
Describe your store - what did it look like? What were its distinguishing
features?
Fairly standard - it was covered in movie posters and we had a popcorn machine going when the store was open. To this day, I still can't stand that smell.
What were your customers like? What particularly memorable customers or events do you remember?
It was in an upscale neighborhood, so people were generally polite, but the kids were the worst.
What was your boss like? How did he or she divide the work in the store?
The owner was my boss, and he used to let his son run the place when he was gone. The son wasn't that bright so i used to really run the place.
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?
We rented EVERYTHING.
What other services/products did you offer besides the rental or sale of
programs? Did this change over time?
Videos and VCRs and then slowly we added games.
Did you ever rent VCRs or other hardware to your customers? If so,
how important were hardware rentals to the business?
Yes, and not very important at all.
During the period that you worked at the store, what changes did you see take place?
Blockbuster opened across the street and he went out of business!
Is this store still open? If not, when did it close?
See above.