I remember when video cassettes were the cutting edge of technology. With the purchase of a VCR, which was very large, cumbersome, and expensive just 20 short years ago, our lives changed considerably. We went from living by the TV guide and waiting for that once a year special when and if our favorite movie was aired, to simply popping in a video and watching it at our convenience. This was revolutionary. Growing up, my favorite movie was The Wizard of Oz. I waited for it to be aired every year, usually in the spring time, which was also the beginning of tornado season where I grew up. One year I saw the advertisements, waited for the designated time, and somehow I got my times mixed up and missed it. I was so disappointed and had to wait another year to see it. With the purchase of the VCR when I was about 16, I could watch The Wizard of Oz any old time.

Shortly after we bought that giant of a VCR, I applied for and got a job at the first video store in town. It was a tiny, mom and pop store wedged between a Target and a large grocery store. We had many of the old movies - just one copy each, but that was all anyone expected. When customers came in for a movie that was already checked out, they cheerfully requested to put it on hold and came back for it another day. We all were so thrilled to have movies when we wanted them, we didn't think to complain about waiting an extra day or two. Today if we walk into a video store, we are enraged if not one of the 50 copies of a new release is on the shelf waiting for us.

In our video store, we had one TV and VCR sitting high on a shelf in the corner. Customers could easily see the TV, and the fun part was that we, the employees, could put in movies to play. I remember enjoying my work immensely with old musicals playing in the back ground. Favorites such as Oklahoma!, Singin' in the Rain, My Fair Lady and Hello Dolly delighted customers and gave us something with which to sing along. Often we put in the Beatles movie, A Hard Day's Night; it was a lousy movie, but the music was wonderful. We often had lulls during the day, usually in the mid-afternoons. At these times we put in movies that we could actually watch, not simply for the music. We enjoyed On Golden Pond, A Philadelphia Story, and of course, my old tried and true favorite, The Wizard of Oz.

Before I graduated from high school, our company opened a second store on the other side of town, which seemed odd, and then within the next year, the first mega-chain video store opened its doors not far from our store. They charged less and had a much bigger selection than we did. When I left for college and ultimately moved away, I lost track of my little video store, but years later I drove by and saw that it had been turned into one of the many chain stores. This made me sad.

Today when I walk into our local chain video store, the only thing playing on the many TVs in the store are teasers and previews. Gone are the days when customers could stay and chat with employees while enjoying a favorite movie.