Retro Deep Dive: The Video Store Experience in the 1980s

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Before streaming services like Netflix and Hulu took over and everything became one click away there was the video store. In the 1980s nothing felt more exciting than heading out to your local rental spot on a Friday night looking for that perfect movie to take home. I know I was always excited about it and I know for sure people who grew up in our generation were too.

These stores were everywhere from big chains like Blockbuster and Video Treasures to smaller mom and pop shops tucked between pizza places and dry cleaners. You’d walk in and be hit with the smell of plastic cases worn carpet and microwave popcorn. Shelves were packed with VHS tapes their covers often more memorable than the movies themselves.

New releases were usually gone within minutes and you’d sometimes have to stalk the return bin hoping someone brought back that copy of Back to the Future or The Lost Boys. Sometimes I felt like a creep standing there. Horror movies had wild over the top artwork comedies had goofy group shots and action films always had some muscled guy holding a weapon. In this day and age we would’ve found it pretty corny but not back then.

The fun part about visiting the video store was the ritual of browsing. You didn’t just grab a tape and leave. You looked through everything read the backs of boxes debated with your friends or your siblings and probably rented the same movie three times in one month. You also took a gamble. You didn’t know if the movie was going to be good or not. Unless you were renting a movie that was popular you didn’t know what you were getting yourself into.

We had late fees back then too. You usually had two days to keep the vhs tape before you had to return it. There was also the fee for not rewinding it. I always made sure to rewind and return it back on time.

The video store wasn’t just a place to rent movies. It was a social hub a hangout a regular stop during your week. You got recommendations from the clerks argued over what to get with your friends and maybe even discovered a favorite film completely by accident. The whole experience is gone now but for those of us who lived through it the memory of those aisles the VHS covers the sound of tapes being rewound and the glow of that open sign still lives. Today’s generation will never get to experience the anticipation and excitement of visiting the local video store.
 
This brought back such great memories. I used to love going to the video store with my brothers or friends on Friday nights. I feel old.
 
I still remember the first time he took me. It was a small mom and pop place called 5 Star Video. I remember my dad Friday the 13th part 1 and it was the first VHS tape that I ever watched on our new VHS player. I think it was around 1983 or 84. After that my dad would take me to the video store on Friday nights. It was real exciting. Like the limelight of my life. What am I going to rent out??? So much fun. The good old days. Great article!
 
Walking into the new releases section like it was a red carpet event. I had a whole look just for Friday night rentals. I used to go Leisure something Videos on Main Street.
 
Walking into the new releases section like it was a red carpet event. I had a whole look just for Friday night rentals. I used to go Leisure something Videos on Main Street.

A red carpet event. That was pretty funny.
 
I loved going to the video store with my dad on Friday nights. We always made it a thing. He’d let me pick one movie and one candy and I took it way too seriously. I used to read the back of every box and my dad would get angry. I would take forever 😂. I still remember the sound of those VHS cases clicking shut when you opened them.
 
I always went straight to the action and horror section. Van Damme Stallone Norris Friday the 13 all of them lined up in those big plastic cases. If the one I wanted was gone I’d just pick something with a cool cover and hope for the best. That’s how I ended up watching half the cult movies I still like today. Nothing beat grabbing a movie beer some popcorn and heading home to pop it in the my huge VCR. Simpler times for sure.
 
Those times were definitely simpler and more fun. There were a lot more surprises back then and renting a movie you knew nothing about was one of them.
 
Hey MagicMan, I used to go on Friday nights. I could walk there from my house. Me and my girlfriend would pick movies and have a sleepover every Friday. I went straight to horror and I still like the scary stuff.
 
Hey MagicMan, I used to go on Friday nights. I could walk there from my house. Me and my girlfriend would pick movies and have a sleepover every Friday. I went straight to horror and I still like the scary stuff.

You do know how to pick some good horror movies.
 
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