I moved to where I now live in 09, and back then the shopping center where my local grocery store is had a Blockbuster (it has since become a dental office) and everytime I buy groceries I think about the good times I had at Blockbuster growing up. At least once a month we would order pizza and go to Blockbuster to rent some movies. I remember when that Blockbuster went out of business in 2010 and they had a hug going out of business sale with PS2 games as low as 3 dollars and I bought a ton of games that day (wish I had never given up my PS2). I also remember when I was little it seemed every store or gas station had a corner for video rental.
As a kid working at a video rental place always seemed like such a cool job and as a teen, I was busy with sports and when I did work it was at restaurants or temp agencies. I'm curious if anyone had ever worked there or any other video rental?
Also, you think that model could ever work again with some being more interested in physical media? I could possibly see a rental place but they would have to have some other stuff, but I do know some VHS collectors so you could make it work.
I worked a a small mom & pop rental place for a few months around 1992, before DVD. Everything was VHS with a limited box of laserdisc that I never saw move. I lived less than a quarter mile from the place. Despite the size of the shop, they were one of the very first to open in the 1980s so everyone had a membership there, and early on my family would have to drive two towns over because they were the only place around. There was also a Domino's pizza directly next door, which was symbiotic for both.
I was hired because I lived close, and they were dabbling with renting out Genesis, NES, and SNES games. Gamestop did not exist yet. I had actually sold them a few games I was done with in order to afford some new ones.
They weren't one of those places who would play movies on a TV to entice people. Their computers were ancient, even by 1992 standards. Every night we'd have to back up the day's transactions onto a 5 inch floppy, through a heavily screen-burned monochrome monitor. They'd rotate between 4 discs, each one groaned and strained from being overwritten hundreds of times.
The work was shit. Nonstop filing tapes onto shelves or tags onto hooks for the adult section. Customers were often rude and in a hurry. If someone had reserved a movie (this system was pen and paper) but the previous renter was late with it, they'd bitch like it was you who personally arranged to fuck up their night.
I can't say it was a magical place to work but it was convenient for me. Eventually a second store called 'Choices' opened in town and it was MUCH larger and had a better selection. That place even had a music section that sold new release tapes. I remember buying 2 Live Crew there because they didn't card despite the warning label.
At that point the small place panic fired half the staff. They hung on for a few more years because a liquor place opened in the connected building, (parking lot mishaps and fights became legendary after this) but eventually a Blockbuster opened in town to counter Choices and it all went under.
Thanks. Very cool story nonetheless. I don’t know why but as a kid I assumed the teens that worked at blockbuster got to sit around talking about movies and video games all day.
Maybe it was at BB. The place I was at was run by cheapskates. It was definitely like that in Gamestop around 2001-2005 as they were expanding all over the place.