Agora Video: Video Store Memories, Aesthetics, and Discussions

[Emmy Fitz]

Hello and welcome to Agora Video!

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This is a space to relive our video store memories, all without late fees! From browsing the hottest flicks of the time...

... to being scared of the horror section...

... and renting video games you're too cheap to buy!

Grab some register candy and enjoy the show!

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[Deleted member 3578]

Video stores ruled. Seeing shit like this just waiting around, begging you to take a chance? Crusty floors and crispy magick.

 

[Emmy Fitz]

I vaguely remember renting this one summer night.

Was a fun night! Haven't played the game since; anyone have it? I did have Mystery Mayhem as well.

 

[赤い男]

I never went to a video store, due to the fact i was raised in a smalltown in the middle of nowhere, and i was born in the 2002, so when i was a kid i didn't have the opportunity, but every december i spent christmas in the city with my family, and every year i went to the mall to buy games and stuff, I remember this time when i bought my ps3 the date was December of 2012, i was 10 years at the time, i save money the whole year just in order to buy the console, i went with my mom to the mall, there was this videogame store, it was full of so many early 2010s goodies, it was so exciting just to look the place from afar, my ps3 came with 2 free games, Stuntman Ignition, and Brothers in Arms: Hell Highway, i was super happy about it, after purchasing the console, my mom and i went to Wendy's and i decided to ordered double cheese burger.

Was one of the happiest day i can recall from memory, tbh, i'm really happy about the fact that videogame store is still open to this day.

 

[illautomatic]

Man I don't want to dox myself here, but I've got a million memories about rental places, not just because we were movie watchers growing up, but because I managed a Blockbuster Video for 5 years before going to college, and even during college when I was going part time. Still the best job I ever had. Blockbuster was an awesome company and any idea I could think up for making the environment more fun they would either say yes right away or think about it and either gimme a yes later on or tell me why it was a no. But they never ignored me. Biggest surprise was when I asked them if we could buy a popcorn machine or hire someone to do cotton candy on Fridays ad Saturdays because the lines are long those nights and people get testy. I didn't get a response, was kinda bummed about that, then there's huge mystery box in a shipment a few weeks later and it's a fucking popcorn machine. That probably sounds pretty lame, but it was awesome. I loved that job and thinking about people having a good time in line instead of being upset. Also, the popcorn shut the kids up, and they were really the thing that contributed nost to people being upset, especially their own parents.

Best part, though, was the movies. Free rentals for employees, of course. After a little over fiver years, the rental count on my account was something like 3100 movies. I can't remember watching that many movies, but that's how many I rented.

Awesome time. Also, if anyone has any questions about blockbuster, ask away

 

[calico_jack]

could you ring this up

 

[neon_centimane]

I think I have an old accelleracers movie lying around somewhere, forgot that it existed. I remember that I was pretty scared by part of it when I watched it I think.

 

[Still a Youth]

I bought these when the local store was closing down

 

[Cobalt]

I remember going to video stores as a kid, we mostly went to Hollywood video and sometimes Family video. I'm an early 2000s kid so I don't have a ton of memories of them as they started shutting down around the time I was 8 so the few memories I do have seem like a fever dream.

I remember perusing the shelves, one time and I picked up a copy of the South Park movie because it looked like a fun cartoon and I didn't understand why my mom got upset and made me put it back. I remember picking out some used PS2 games with my dad and always bugging my mom for the overpriced candy at the counter, good times.

Last year some kids in my class were discussing nostalgia and old stuff we were fond of, I was the only senior in the class and I was genuinely the only person to remember going to video stores so it's weird to think my age group might be the very last to have any recollection of them at all.

 

[Deleted member 3578]

OMG are you guys excited about INDEPENDENCE DAY! I can't wait to rent it!


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knxqeWBJl5U

 

[MantisOrientalis]

I found a spacejam vhs at goodwill the other day with a "be kind rewind" blockbuster sticker but its at my friends house i wish i had a pic

 

[Talon]

Anyone else old enough to remember these commercials?

 

[Emmy Fitz]

Sorry friends! I seemed to have dropped the key to the store in one of my aesthetic threads, but we're now back and open for business!

And today, I'm happy to announce a sale: in honor of the late, great William Friedkin, any of his films in the collection will be free of charge! Sleep tight, based boy <3

So, which film are you grabbing? The absolute must-see classic?

The gritty Best Picture winner synonymous with mid-century NYC grime?

The underrated gem that was judged too harshly in its day, still not getting the recognition it deserves?

The similarly underrated neo-noir masterpiece?

Or the surreal, so-bad-its-good wildcard?

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[MindControlBoxer]

I used to go to the local video store to rent ps2 games(which i would just copy it to a cd), The game section was in a corner and it was facing the horror section, as a kid I was scared to go in that corner and would try my hardest not to look at the horror covers, I did it until my cousin said "if you're so scared why do you turn your back to it", that was solely the reason why I learned to dl games of the school computer into a hdd.