Ever worked in a rental store?

I'm still working in a rental store with a company called Choices, and been with them for a year and a half,

This company is alright but staff benefits can be a bit naff, we have to pay for our rental films with i really should think that we shouldn't cos it's the main tool of our knowledge

But I love my job, the customers makes me happy.
 
I used to work for blockbuster and quickly ended up assistant manager because staff were dropping like flies.

I thought it would be good, and in some cases it was especially when you meet all kinRAB of people (some famous), but overall the pay was crap, I got a 2p payrise (woo hoo!).
We were allowed 5 free rentals a week. But I ended up working 7 days a week doing 3pm - 11pm on my own as no female member of staff would work the nights and as I was the only male there so I had no choice :(

But at the end of the day things might be different depending who you work for.

Just don't ask about working in cinemas either that's another long story. :D
 
"i really should think that we shouldn't cos it's the main tool of our knowledge"

When I ask something about a film to one of the workers, most of them don't know what I am on about...
 
I used to work in a video shop many moons ago (the 80's!) and loved it. I could watch PG's during the day on the display TV, take home films that weren't rented by closing time (as long as they were back next morning), and got to talk to customers about films all day. On very busy days (weekenRAB) it was pretty hard work though.

Before that I had a job as an usher at the local cinema. That was also great, basically I had to check tickets then got to watch the film while making sure people didn't talk or mess about. It wasn't as good as the video shop because I inevitably ended up watching some films many many times! The first Batman film came out and I saw it 23 times! :yawn:

I don't imagine the big DVD chains are much fun to work for though. There'll be some manager around to keep you busy - "oh we're quiet, can you go and clean the shelves" - or it will be really busy and you won't beable to enjoy whatever film is on the display TV.
 
Yer I work for Blockbuster!

During the summer its very easy as no customers come in, during the winter months its a lot busier.

With BBPay for a CSR on the main is crap at just above minimum wage, you get 10 free rentals per week (also on pre-street films).
You also get 20% retail discount.

On the whole if you work for a chain, dont expect to be always watching films as they usually have a corporate trailers playing all day, although very few of the smaller stores play these in the evenings and usually play PG or 12 films. If you know about films it can be fun, if you dont you will quickly get annoyed when everyone asks you the question of 'Whats good at the moment'?
 
The only funny thing I loved about working in a video store, was the customers who didn't understand widescreen and thought the picture was faulty.
And the ones who used to get the martial arts films which were dubbed into english and complain that the sound was out of sync. :rolleyes:
 
I worked for choices! Adored it until a new manager took over and took an instant dislike to me - but yeah, you do seem to get lots of regular customers who are lovely!
And how are we supposed to 'assist' the customers when we dont know what the films are like? Phff!
 
I have a Choices near me and have always wanted to apply but I do not know how often jobs come up here. I would not like to just go in and ask as it sounRAB desperate and its not as if I do not have a job already but I have always wanted to work in a video shop since they first started. Any suggestions welcome please.
 
As I have just mentioned in the above post I have always wanted to work in a video/dvd store. I do keep an eye on the Blockbuster vacancy home page but 98% of the posts seem to be for managers.
I have a possibility of 3 Blockbusters in my vasinity but do not know if I should write in and apply just in general. Anybody any idea what I should do? Im just so fed up in my current employment of six and a half years which does not pay well either.
 
yea I bet you got ones hiring out old films too thinking they are the uptodate remakes. I remember someone in front of me grabbing The Amytiville Horror from the shelve a couple of months back in Choices.
 
Hey beth72 - I got the job at Choices throughh my cousin who already worked there, but if you speak to some of the staff there on an informal basis, you could casually mention that youd love to work there when you next go in. Other than that, we just used to tell everybody who asked for a job to bring in their cv - while it does look good that you are enthusiastic if you do that, if you strike up a rapport with the staff, or even the manager, they are much more likely to put in a good word for you!
Kerrie x
 
I worked in one for a couple of months after finishing college, along with a few other places, while I looked for another job. Ours was a quiet shop so plenty of time to clean the shelves (did it on a rota - once a week - tiny shop so didnt take long) had to hoover the floor every night - apart from that we were free to eat, drinka watch the tele. We had the one display tele which we'd switch off to watch non-PG material.

This was fine at the start but on your 12 hour shifts it was amazing how quickly you got bored.

The one thing I do remember was the old(er) guy (50ish) who ran in one night and shouted "quick. Where are the porn's. My wifes at the bingo!". ... he brought that video back about 1 hour later... couldnt've liked it as it lasted an hour and a half... mustve missed the ending ;) .
Had to wash your hanRAB a lot with those videos... nice plastic washable covers on the videos were handy!
 
Or they cant say the title and its still at the cinema. I worked while the Shawshank redemption was playing on the "big screen".

The amount of people who came in looking for the "shinkshank", "shawshink" or something similar. I used to wait till they'd had a few attempts at saying it before Id tell them to come back in a 5 months... or take a trip to a cinema!
 
I did a week's work experience in Xtra-vision about 13 years ago, and like a lot of people, thought I could just sit about watching videos all day.

Not a chance!

For the most part I was either dusting the shelves or making coffee.

And as far as watching movies all day, I didn't get to choose what movies were played. The manager always picked the crappiest, most inoffensive title she could find and played it on a loop all fricken' day.

Two of the movies were Earth Angel and Buddy's Song :cry: . The sound of Mark Hamil teaching someone about the D-Day landings to the tune of "That'll Be The Day" still haunts me to this day.

The only saving grace was when she finally let me pick a tape, which was actually quite tough as I was limited to PG and below. I wound up choosing AC/DC's concert film "Let There Be Rock". She wasn't impressed and turned it off as soon as my back was turned. I then chose "The Simpsons" which had, I think, "The Telltale Head" and "Bart The General".

Remember when people thought the first series of The Simpsons was funny?
 
well if you like bad pay, long hours, boredom, then work in a video store. I used to work in one for years as a manageress. Its one with a 'Prime' pink sign. Then I got a real job. Thank god.
 
I worked for Blockbuster for two years before I went into teaching. Interesting experience, but the pay is crap, the hours (as noted earlier 7 days on evenings, being robbed blind and generally abused by feral youth) and the attitude of management spoiled any fun that could have been obtained from working with films.

Rarely ever played in house trailer video, instead played music, pointless playing viRAB as the screen faced the door and not the counter.

Takes me back!
 
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