Customer profile
What was the name of your video store?
The Video Station
Where was the store located?
Huntsville, Alabama (United States)
When did you start shopping at this store?
1979
Describe your video store - what did it look like? What were its distinguishing
features?
not very big. they had more titles on Beta than Vhs
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?
What other services/products did the store offer besides the rental or sale
of videos? Did this change over time?
What video formats did the store offer (i.e. VHS, Beta, Laserdisc)? Where were
different formats kept in the store?
VHS and Beta. Both formats were mixed together, by title. in early days, Beta copies outnumbered VHS by about 3 to 1. a lot of titles were not avaliable on 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?
they had a separate room for x-rated movies.
Did you tend to rent or buy videos? Why?
rent. they did not sell videos, unless you made a special order
During the period that you shopped at this store, what changes did you see?
more floor space. less bets titles
Is this store still open? If not, when did it close?
no. closed in late 80s
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?