Customer profile
What was the name of your video store?
Discount Video
Where was the store located?
Dearborn Heights, Michigan (United States)
When did you start shopping at this store?
1978
Describe your video store - what did it look like? What were its distinguishing
features?
It looked like a typical video store, except they later added equipment sales to the store. One of the few places where you could buy VCRs at the same place as you could rent the tapes.
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?
I remember the owner "Beta" Joe. I dubbed him that because of his unflagging support for the Betamax format long after everybody else knew it was doomed. I had a good time teasing him about VHS vs Beta.
What other services/products did the store offer besides the rental or sale
of videos? Did this change over time?
As noted above, they sold video hardware and accessories.
What video formats did the store offer (i.e. VHS, Beta, Laserdisc)? Where were
different formats kept in the store?
VHS & Beta. Different sides of the store as I recall.
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?
All of the above. X tapes had to be requested by number at the counter on a slip of paper. You got the number by looking up stuff on a paper list of titles.
Did you tend to rent or buy videos? Why?
Rent. Couldn't afford them at $50+ per title!
During the period that you shopped at this store, what changes did you see?
Beta finally dropped away, as did the hardware.
Is this store still open? If not, when did it close?
Long gone. It closed around 1990, I think.
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?
I was 15 years old in 1977 and a film-video nut. I saved up my paper route and Christmas gift money to buy a discontinued Magnavox model in December 1977. It was a VHS top-loader, with a wired "remote" that could only pause the tape. Blank T-120 tapes were $20 at the time. I taped a lot of favorite movies off TV to watch when I wanted to.
Did you ever rent a VCR or other hardware (a camera, for instance)? If so,
how often and why?
No.