Customer profile
What was the name of your video store?
??
Where was the store located?
Sacramento, 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?
It was in a mini-mall in Sacramento where I lived a short time after graduating high school. It was kind of dark and loaded with videos with a checkout stand in the center of the store.
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?
It was such a busy place just about every time we went, I don't remember any particular interactions.
What other services/products did the store offer besides the rental or sale
of videos? Did this change over time?
They also sold VCRs; it's where my dad and I bought our Sanyo Beta machine.
What video formats did the store offer (i.e. VHS, Beta, Laserdisc)? Where were
different formats kept in the store?
Beta and VHS. I remember we bought a Beta machine because it was supposedly superior picture and sound quality over VHS. But alas, we all know how that turned out.
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?
I'm sure they rented X-rated videos, although I don't remember ever getting one (my dad suggested it one time but I thought that was a little freaky).
Did you tend to rent or buy videos? Why?
Rent. Who wanted to pay $89 for a movie?
During the period that you shopped at this store, what changes did you see?
I shopped at that store only from about '84 to '85, but in that time I think we were seeing the decline of the Beta tapes and the predominance of VHS.
Is this store still open? If not, when did it close?
No clue.
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?
Bought it at the video store. I think it was something like $289. It was the cheapest one we could find (Sanyo Beta).
Did you ever rent a VCR or other hardware (a camera, for instance)? If so,
how often and why?
We rented a VCR before buying our first one. Probably rented every other weekend for a few months before buying our own.