The video store was great, no dress code and we were encouraged to watch as many movies as possible. We even had access to movies before they were released. This was back when you had to wait for the movie to be out of the theater more than 2 weeks before it went to video. It was when the movie Clerks came to video and I could relate to most of Randall’s rants but for the most part I really enjoyed interacting with the customers.
We had a regular clientele who frequented our store and asked our advice or just to chat about movies. When any neo-noir suspense movies came out I would pull them aside for Mrs. Poole before I put them on the shelf. I knew better than to recommend a movie with Tim Robbins to Calvin unless I wanted to hear how big of an ego Robbins has and how he chooses arrogant roles. If a gen –x underground cult classic like Nowhere or Doom Generation by writer/director Gregg Araki came out, I’d better call Tashena before she heard about it from someone else.
Now with the rise of Netflix, other online video sources and Redbox the video store is slowly becoming extinct. In February of this year Movie Gallery, Inc. filed for bankruptcy and liquidated all of their Hollywood Video stores by May. Blockbuster Inc has just announced that they have filed for bankruptcy in order to cut $900 million in debt. It had been said earlier in the year that they would be closing about 10% of their stores. Now Blockbuster says that all 3,000 US stores will remain open, but for how long?
My advice, stock up on the super cheap previously viewed movies at liquidation prices while you can.
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By Heather Fairchild - Heather is a multimedia developer, business owner, and work-from-home mom.
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