Customer profile
What was the name of your video store?
Blockbuster Video
Where was the store located?
Bedford, New York (United States)
When did you start shopping at this store?
1985
Describe your video store - what did it look like? What were its distinguishing
features?
The classic Blockbuster style that has been propagating ever since the 80s -- the glass front, the gleaming marquee announcing new titles, the tilt-back shelving.
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?
One particularly long scuffle that my high school friend and I engaged in with this particular Blockbuster was to compel them to get old Woody Allen movies. Their stock of his early comedies were woefully inadequate. Somehow we found ourselves having to champion "Bananas" as valuable cinematic fare. We also at one point chastized them for their bizarre "family viewing" censorship, in that they wouldn't carry "Henry and June" but they would carry "Porky's II"> But we didn't pursue that, considering we'd prefer for them to have both.
What other services/products did the store offer besides the rental or sale
of videos? Did this change over time?
I believe they did begin by renting VCRs in the hard-sided carrying case; they sold blank videotapes, and the requisite movie snacks at the counter.
What video formats did the store offer (i.e. VHS, Beta, Laserdisc)? Where were
different formats kept in the store?
VHS only, at least back then, before the DVD. I don't remember there being laserdisc.
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?
Again, with Blockbuster's family policy, lots of children's films but no anime, some exercise tapes, the music video section, and then your classic drama/action/comedy. The most relevant categorization was always new vs old: the new films lined face forward around the back wall of the store, the old lined sideways in the middle spaces.
Did you tend to rent or buy videos? Why?
It was all rental in the 80s, considering the bizarre pricing scheme of $3 rentals and $90 purchase price.
During the period that you shopped at this store, what changes did you see?
The arrival of the Blockbuster was certainly cause for changes in other local stores, which I frequented but have faded from memory, thanks to Blockbuster's arrival. Most closed within six months of its opening. Which meant that the range of categories diminshed, the emphasis on new films increased, and the musty mom-and-pop smell went away.
Is this store still open? If not, when did it close?
I believe it is still open, although I haven't been there in years.
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?
For some reason I can't remember our first. I remember my best friend's first, which had a "remote" with a wire, which I thought was quite marevelous, especially since they kept it for quite a while, as remote technology had long surprassed their old device. I also remmeber my aunt having a "portable" video camera that was part camera and part VCR, an enormous thing you were supposed to lug with you any time you wanted the camera, with a shoulder strap. The benefit was, when she was over at the house, I could hook her VHS player to my dad's VCR and tape movies.
Did you ever rent a VCR or other hardware (a camera, for instance)? If so,
how often and why?
No.