Wednesday, July 31, 2002 So, True Porn Clerk Stories has sent me into a nostalgic daze, even causing me to wonder if I should apply at one of the local video stores, just for the heck of it. Not that I really need to put in more time behind the counter - I spent my junior and senior years of high school working at a mom and pop store with ample amounts of both porn and foreign films. I made friends, made (some) money, watched a ridiculous amount of videos, acquired a stalker, lost sleep, and in general sacrificed the majority of my social life and mental health to a video store. But somewhere along the way, I fell in love with film, and it's been a relationship that's lasted. And there aren't too many of those, I've found. (It's worth noting that the end theme from X-Men just came up on iTunes. Michael Kamen did some great work for that film. ::wistful sigh::) Anyways, so we didn't have quite as many porn renters as Ali does, but that's because the manager - an imposing Philipino woman in her 50s, who loved small children, Deanna Durbin, and owning her own business - was less than encouraging. Our porn section was a tiny, curtained-off room located in a corner of the store. It was dark, cluttered, and rarely cleaned. Only the bravest were quite able to brave it. I'll admit I never relished the porn renters, and found some of the regulars to be a bit creepy. That aspect of the Porn Clerk Stories was what really sent me back, truthfully, because there appears to be something about video stores that attracts those lonely, sad men. And they don't necessarily rent porn! They just want some form of entertainment to occupy their empty hours. They just want a friendly person to pass the plastic boxes across the counter, maybe offer a bit of conversation, smile and say 'Have a nice day.' I always said 'Have a nice day.' Even after 9 PM. But by then, I was usually a bit worn out. I met good people, along the way. Like the married couple that I would run into all over town (even ended up sitting next to them during a matinee of Rocky and Bullwinkle). Or the older gay gentlemen who told me I HAD to see Roman Holiday, after I suggested they give Judy Holiday a try, and who would bring in vacation snapshots from their trips to Italy and France. There was The Most Regular Customer Ever, who came in at the same time every day to return the video he rented the day before and check out a new one from a list he had with him. He had a growth on one of his fingernails, and would tell me stories about his time in the Navy during World War II. And then there were the two kids who my boss let hang out behind the counter while their parents ran errands - I ended up training them on the computers, and, the last time I stopped by the store, I discovered that the oldest actually works there now! Before any of this came up, I was talking to my brother this afternoon, who started working at the store last year, much to my delight. He reported that the store has sold off the laserdisc collection, which included some true gems, and is now packing up for a new location. And I'm not as sad as I'd imagined being, which is strange, because usually I'm the biggest baby about change. Maybe it's just because I know that they have always had money problems, and that this solution is far better than closing their doors. Maybe it's a part of my life that I've simply closed the book on. Or maybe it's because my brother works there. And so I know that the store - and my customers - are in good hands. | permalink blog • archives • photos • about • contact This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. All content © 2004.