Employee profile
What was the name of your video store?
Home Video Theater
Where was the store located?
Merced, California (United States)
When did you start working at this store?
1983
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?
My father started a video store around this time (maybe a little earlier - I can't recall the exact year. My parents were divorced, and whenever we went to visit him, or on holidays, we'd work at the store. By working, I mean, shelving videos for about 10 minutes and then sneaking into the back to watch something until we were caught...
Describe your store - what did it look like? What were its distinguishing
features?
In a strip mall, glass windows running across the front, counter in the back. The videos were arranged in subject sections (differentiated by Beta and VHS as well). Recent releases were in their own section surrounded by white 'movie' marquee style lights.
What were your customers like? What particularly memorable customers or events do you remember?
There was a customer who decided she really wanted to work at the store. Although my dad didn't have an available job for her, she kept coming in, bringing cookies, always asking. When a job finally came up (or maybe my dad just got tired of saying 'no') he offered her a position which she accepted. She stayed for the rest of the time the store was in business
What was your boss like? How did he or she divide the work in the store?
From our perspective he seemed a bit of a disciplinarian. No one was ever supposed to be standing around. If there wasn't shelving to do or customers to help, there was always cleaning, dusting, or something. As far as I recall, everyone was pretty equal. Dad always liked to help the customers, unless there were business matters (accounting, purchasing) to do, but he also shelved, dusted, etc... I think the most important thing was that everyone was supposed to pitch in. And every customer HAD to be greeted as soon as they came in. Dad also liked to talk. I remember this one time watching a cornered regular slowly trying to inch towards the door...
What video formats did your store offer (i.e. VHS, Beta, Laserdisc)? Where were
different formats kept in the store?
Beta, VHS, and at one point that funny pre-laserdisc disc format. Used a needle... The formats were kept separately
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?
Eventually dad did get x-rated tapes. Big deal at the time, I think some community members protested or something. I remember dad grumbling that they should go protest at 7-11 which, after all, sold Playboy and other magazines. The videos were kept in a back area, specially constructed for the videos. It had a curtain across the entrance, I think.
What other services/products did you offer besides the rental or sale of
programs? Did this change over time?
Originally, just videos. But as the store's profit margins went down (due to competition with a Blockbuster or Tower that moved into Merced as well as the closing of a local military base) dad started to add all sorts of things - video games, popcorn, candy, soda. Towards the very end, he also had a photocopy machine and a mail drop off service in the store (like mail box etc.)
Did you ever rent VCRs or other hardware to your customers? If so,
how important were hardware rentals to the business?
In the beginning he rented and sold VCRs and video camera gear, but I don't think that was ever a core part of the business.
During the period that you worked at the store, what changes did you see take place?
Hard going at first, very profitable in the middle (he opened three other stores in other local cities), and an absolute dog at the end. Couldn't even sell it or the other stores.
Is this store still open? If not, when did it close?
Closed maybe like five years ago. Something like that