Customer profile
What was the name of your video store?
Seacliff Video
Where was the store located?
Aptos, California (United States)
When did you start shopping at this store?
1984
Describe your video store - what did it look like? What were its distinguishing
features?
This video store was in the same block of buildings as the place where I got my haircuts, the Mexican restaurant Manuel's where we would eat regularly, and it was next door to a store named Deja Vu. I think it was refurbished clothing store or a hair salon. There were both of those stores in that section of the block, but i can't remember which store was called Deja Vu, but I strongly remember the name. When you first walk into Seacliff Video, you can see the cash register counter at the back of the small room. The room is shaped like an "L" -- you walk in and you can turn left. There are videos on every wall except for the section where the counter was, and they were displayed by genre, facing outwards so you can see the cover, not just the spines. It was in the section of the room around the corner to the left where my favorite section, the sci-fi section, was. I remember always wanting to rent Tron and 2001: A Space Odyssey, but my older sister never wanted to see those -- I think we must have had to choose one video between us in a single visit. I remember they had a poster for Amadeus on the wall in that portion of the "L". Next to the sales counter was the horror section and I remember being very curious about videos like Monkey Shines and Child's Play. I was never ever ever allowed to see an "R" rated film, and in fact my parents never watched them either. I was raised as a Jehovah's Witness. I have since resigned the organization. I was also always curious about the box for Porky's...that eyeball looking through the hole. What was it all about?? It must be....bad! haha.... Near that section containing Porky's was the door -- the door I could never enter -- the door to a forbidden realm -- the ADULT SECTION. What was in there, I would never know! haha... Hmm...that's about it.
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?
I don't remember any interactions with them, that was my parent's job. Also, the actual videocassettes were all stored behind the counter. They were in dark brown clamshell boxes with circular paper stickers on them with a letter/number combination written on them in pen. These were stacked tightly, spine out. When you browsed the video boxes in the store, you would choose your video/s, and then you would remove from the box a poker chip that had a matching circular paper sticker with something like S89 written on it. The poker chips were attached to the video boxes by velcro. you would take the chips up to the counter where they would get the corresponding brown clamshell box with the real video inside for you and ring you up on the register. If they had multiple copies of the video, there would be multiple poker chips with the same letter number combination written on the sticker on them. actually i think the poker chips would be velcroed to the the front of the clear plastic shelf underneath the appropriate video box. But the browser video boxes would have the letter number combination written on them to correspond to the chip/s beneath it and the boxes stored behind the counter.
What other services/products did the store offer besides the rental or sale
of videos? Did this change over time?
I think there might have been coin-op candy machines in there. that's all i remember right now.
What video formats did the store offer (i.e. VHS, Beta, Laserdisc)? Where were
different formats kept in the store?
there may have been a beta section but i'm not sure. i think there was a laserdisc section. they definitely were separate if they were in the store.
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?
they had 'em all. the x-rated must have been in that back room....which by the way had double swinging doors like a cowboy saloon. i think there was an exercise section...jane fonda. certainly a children's section, sci-fi, drama, comedy, horror, action, new releases.... hmm...maybe it was the new releases that were next to the counter, but i remember seeing horror movies there...the new releases were probably on the wall to the left as you walk in.
Did you tend to rent or buy videos? Why?
rent...i don't remember us owning any videos for years and years.
During the period that you shopped at this store, what changes did you see?
it seemed to stay the same while i shopped there in the mid-80's
Is this store still open? If not, when did it close?
i think this store is still open but i haven't been in there in soooo long...wow time flies...
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?
well my dad must have purchased it around 1982 or 1983...i think lol i was born in 1980 so this is really going back.
Did you ever rent a VCR or other hardware (a camera, for instance)? If so,
how often and why?
nope never rented any other hardware.