Employee profile
What was the name of your video store?
Sam Goody's Music and Video
Where was the store located?
Costa Mesa, California (United States)
When did you start working at this store?
1989
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?
It was a music and video store. I was 19, and it was pretty much just a summer job. Huge music and movie fan of course, so it seemed a good fit. Plus, they didn't want me to cut my hair, as I was told I'd have to do at "The Wherehouse" (the bastards!!!)
Describe your store - what did it look like? What were its distinguishing
features?
Just a big joint. Lots of LPs, lots of cassettes, a few CDs. Video boxes were kept in white wire racks loosely grouped by first letter of the film title. No effort to alphabetize or sort by genre. Actual films were kept in orange plastic boxes behind the counter.
What were your customers like? What particularly memorable customers or events do you remember?
Nothing really memorable. What was funny was that we'd throw the returned videos into a crate at the foot of the counter, where customers could get to it before we'd restock them. I'll never forget the vision of well dressed Southern California men and women rooting around like hogs desperately digging for "Mississippi Burning" or "Uncle Buck."
What was your boss like? How did he or she divide the work in the store?
Video clerking was pretty much the front lines. You had to be really good to work the music registers. And yes, they were separate sections of the same store. If you wanted to rent a movie and buy a record both...too bad! I also remember that what particularly sucked was that I, an employee, was not allowed to rent movies. Being 19, I had no credit card at that point with which to open an account. Normally, customers without credit cards could be co-renters on family members accounts. However, this rule was suspended for employees. I'd have to get my parents to come down to the store and wait in line to rent a movie for ME to watch. Grrrrr!!!! The boss was a recovering alcoholic. Nice guy, laid back. We all had to pat each other down after closing, before we went home.
What video formats did your store offer (i.e. VHS, Beta, Laserdisc)? Where were
different formats kept in the store?
Pretty much just VHS, not counting the records and whatnot.
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?
No adult. Just mainstream movies.
What other services/products did you offer besides the rental or sale of
programs? Did this change over time?
Sam Goody's is still around, and they did then and do now sell all kinds of the typical junk. Music, blank tapes, cassette storage racks, etc.
Did you ever rent VCRs or other hardware to your customers? If so,
how important were hardware rentals to the business?
No. We didn't have that stuff.
During the period that you worked at the store, what changes did you see take place?
None. Only worked there three months. Although over the years we've all seen the demise of the movie rental/music store, like The Wherehouse, Music Plus, etc. Sam Goody's doesn't rent anymore either.
Is this store still open? If not, when did it close?
The chain is still going strong, but that particular location closed down probably in the early 90's.