Gothamist: The Championship Vinyl of Video Stores

Weight Loss

Thu, 15 Apr 2004 05:19:09 -0500

I like Evergreen Video on Carmine, quite possibly the most overstaffed rental place on earth. Last time I was in there I counted six guys behind the tiny counter.

sally turtlepage

Thu, 11 Mar 2004 14:40:42 -0500

I am looking for stores in Manhattan that sell used VHS -- stores that have a very big selection. Any info would be most appreciated. Thank you.

libertina

Sat, 10 Jan 2004 22:16:24 -0500

I wish to clarify a few things--first, I'd like to apologize for the tone of my LJ entry (which at the time it was written about five or six people had access to, or so I thought); in retrospect I can see it was excessively mean-spirited and probably as judgmental as what I accused the Reel Life staff of in the first place. I'd also like to point out that my piece had an intentionally self-mocking tone as well. I can't personally claim superiority on the grounds that I myself have worked at two video stores --as many film buffs have in their employment history--and perhaps I'd been seeking a little geek-solidarity when I began renting there. Now, I can very easily take a dose of my own "get over yourself" medicine, but based on the number of negative comments here I feel I'm hardly alone in my complaints. Playing humiliating pranks on customers as someone described above, openly sneering at their cinematic selections or making them scream over the din of gunfire or a nun-violation scene played at top volume is extremely off-putting, in my opinion. I'm not saying be completely obsequious, but there has to be a fine line between completely ignoring the customers' existence and deriding them for their escapist selections or insinuating that you have no life because you love movies and wish to patronize their store. Small independent businesses that cater to outre tastes have to work harder than others to maintain a clientele, mostly through word of mouth, and unfortunately my experience made me feel embittered enough to stop going threre for quite a while. In their favor, REEL LIFE's cinematic selection is without peer and they're cheap too. Believe me, I'd like nothing better for their establishment to flourish, as long as they don't seek to systematically drive away the very customers who want to rent Fellini and Lloyd Kaufman flicks.

Marie

Sun, 21 Sep 2003 23:41:15 -0500

The guys and girl at Reel Life in Park Slope have always been very nice to me and I usually rent the cr�me de la cr�me of crap – films just like Encino Man. If the clerks there have made comments about the movies I've rented, they were being friendly and helpful, not condescending or dismissive. Once, one of the clerks offered to make me a movie for the $3 I was spending on my "Halloween: Resurrection" rental. I rented it anyway. It's not like they're going to come to my apartment and watch it with me, so who cares?!

John Doe

Sat, 20 Sep 2003 23:20:16 -0500

Dear Former And Present Reel Life Customers, I am an empolyee of Reel Life. Suffice it to say that I would like to apologize to anybody that has paid "fake" late fees for "gay porn". However, one thing you must understand about working at a video store in what is supposed to be "the hippest neighborhood in America" is that from time to time, certain people come in to a video store, no matter where it is, and treat the people that are there, whether they are customers or employees, like total garbage. If I told you some of the things that have been said to myself or my co-workers, you would think i was lying for the sake of this post.The absolute 100% truth of the matter is, if you work at a video store, you must be prepared to deal with certain problems in a calm and polite fashion. But when someone is disrespecting you to the point where they are threatening physical violence, or just being a jerk and getting in your face, sometimes its hard to keep your cool. Five minutes later, an hour later, whatever the case may be. Because I work at a business, my main goal is to keep people happy and make them feel like they want to keep coming back. Rude behaviour towards any customer is INEXCUSABLE. Period.

dr. fitzgerald

Thu, 18 Sep 2003 16:34:32 -0500

I find Jens intial comment very telling. Through the simple rhetorical device of changing the location of the action the last paragraph becomes much clearer. It could also read; (at ted's fish fry) "I walked in to find two of the ordinary looking employees discussing a particularly interesting tartar sauce, whose recipe I know beyond the shadow of a doubt was lifted entirely from the Epic of Gilgamesh! So what if I work at a job without the benifits of tartare sauce. These people appreciate my station in life as their financial superiour not at all!! They look at me as if I was an ordinary customer!! To them you are what you eat(also substitute "pay for" and "ask for"). I having ordered onion rings on two separate occasions simply didn't get me enough attention." A charitible person might say the author was a little self involved. I, however, being untouched by even the lengthed shadow of charity might reffer to this person as a sublitterate mongoloid who has mitricated all over my precious time. keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars kevin

dr. fitzgerald

Thu, 18 Sep 2003 16:34:08 -0500

X.O.

Sat, 06 Sep 2003 14:45:20 -0500

Two Boots video in the E. village has a bunch of super surly women behind the counter who are mean and snooty to their fellow women but cute and batty-eyed to men. So dumb. I miss the nice young guys who preceded them and treated everyone the same.

avr

Sat, 06 Sep 2003 12:35:05 -0500

I lived in Park Slope for years waiting for a good video store to show up. It finally did come with RL. Sure, the clerks were assholes but who cares. THEY WORK IN A VIDEO STORE! Let them be assholes - they are probably just bitter. For me, the selection was key.

callalillie

Fri, 05 Sep 2003 22:34:17 -0500

Aw come on. Reel Life isn't that bad. They're cheap, too, unless you return your movies late. They are definitely on my list of "places that make you feel like shit" stores in NYC, however they are, so mentioned earlier, only video store clerks. So I don't know where to find my movie when they're all organized by director. They probably don't know to integrate new media and technology into an 8th grade history lesson and still have the kids pass required standarized tests...but I do. It's all relative. Give me my movie and stuff it.

karen

Fri, 05 Sep 2003 20:31:55 -0500

i used to live but a stone's throw from the reel life in park slope and my two roommates and i used to frequent the store but always under duress, pre-Netflix, because we found their elitest attitude annoying. And the ironic thing is, that we were all doing graduate work in cinema studies! also, because the space is small, i always found their selection sort of limited outside of the ouvre of tarantino, the coen brothers and your sundry new releases. i wonder if the increasing popularity of Netflix will force them to start being more friendly and forgiving of their customer's tastes?

Fri, 05 Sep 2003 18:44:36 -0500

Evergreen is great- and so is TLA, which is even nearer to W. 4th F train. The staff there has always been very friendly and helpful- esp. the guy who looks like Robert Downey Jr.

calavera

Fri, 05 Sep 2003 17:37:27 -0500

nice. that takes talent, for anyone that didn't notice... love my connection here... i wonder how many times i can post this.....

The Liminal Liberal

Fri, 05 Sep 2003 17:24:58 -0500

I live in Prospect Heights, and I will often traipse all the way to Reel Life just to see their eclectic collection. And when my friend and I checked out both "Miller's Crossing" and "Catch Me if You Can," we were given the official blessing by the checkout dude. Made me feel good.

calavera

Fri, 05 Sep 2003 17:13:13 -0500

ashley, didn't mean to offend, and i didn't take offense at your post, or perceive any sort of reellife protection plan either. please read my post with the appropriate humor. & my favorite vid store is around 105th St@Broadway

calavera

Fri, 05 Sep 2003 16:57:13 -0500

ashley, i appreciated your comments, that's why i clarified my position. i didn't feel your comments were nasty, and i hope you viewed mine with the appropriate humor.

calavera

Fri, 05 Sep 2003 16:56:27 -0500

i appreciated your comments, that's why i clarified my position. i didn't feel your comments were nasty, and i hope you viewed mine with the appropriate humor.

james

Fri, 05 Sep 2003 16:28:03 -0500

Reel Life in Park Slope is fine. It beats Blockbuster!!! Just hold your head up high when you walk to the counter with your copy of the Spy Kids 2 DVD.

Ashley

Fri, 05 Sep 2003 16:21:34 -0500

Calavera, I really wasn't trying to be nasty or protect Reel Life...just mentioning my personal experiences grappling with the whole "catty-video-store-guy-thing". That's totally fine not to go there...I even imagine my experiences there 'aided' me in my decision to start up with Netflix. By the way, I used to also go to tla on West 8th street. They always had everything I wanted (and more) and they were really, really nice no matter what I rented. They just always seemed to be on the pricy side for me. Especially since I always seemed to rack up a ton of late charges...

Dahl

Fri, 05 Sep 2003 16:15:11 -0500

My current fav is Channel Video on 83rd and Columbus. They have free delivery and pickup if you pre-pay for rentals (5 or more) and they have a good balance between the cheesy stuff and the video clerk favs. But for that really hard to find stuff, Kim's always wins.

Brian

Fri, 05 Sep 2003 16:09:22 -0500

I like Evergreen Video on Carmine, quite possibly the most overstaffed rental place on earth. Last time I was in there I counted six guys behind the tiny counter.

calavera

Fri, 05 Sep 2003 16:01:32 -0500

hmmm... a different angle would be: i like to support stores that i enjoy, where the staff is nice, friendly, helpful, etc. this is not reel life. so i don't go there. i advise others to not. there are better places to get and rent videos. i go to those places. shut up. the end.

Jen

Fri, 05 Sep 2003 15:55:55 -0500

I actually do have a self-esteem problem: I would read up on my movies and stuff and go into Movie Place (which has delivery, by the way) because the staffers there are actually cool (and quite a few were cute) and I wanted to impress them. Sigh, now I only live near a Blockbuster, where I'm not ashamed to return my "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" five days late.

Ashley

Fri, 05 Sep 2003 15:53:35 -0500

While I agree with the description of Reel Life in Park Slope - it is a 'hip' store, with ridiculously 'hip' clerks - I also know and like some of the guys that work there. I used to go there all the time (now I subscribe to Netflix) and also felt like I was being chided for my picks...but I also really liked the clerks. So, one day I mentioned that they seemed really harsh and their counter was designed so that you felt like a child approaching a disapproving authority figure.... And I'm going to tell you, they rightly said 'get over it. We're just video store guys.' It's so true...why the hell should I care that they look at me coldly when I ask for X title? You know, as I've observed on many an occasion, they forget about you shortly after you walk out that door. And I know some of the crap they watch and it's just as dumb (though weirder and rarer, of course) as what I want sometimes. So, in the end, the question is 'why do we care what the video store guy thinks about us?' That's kind of just misplaced priorities (or so I say now that no one has to know what I watch).

calavera

Fri, 05 Sep 2003 15:48:50 -0500

reel life in wb is the worst store you'll ever find anywhere for videos. and watch out, but the nasty staffers will sometimes throw overdue fines for gay porn that you've never rented on your account and you'll have to put up a huge fight in the middle of the store to get it removed, which can be sore spot if you've the least bit bashful about using the words 'porn' or 'gay' loudly in a occupied space. although i did get a giggle after making the girl at the counter repeat the title 5 times. she almost turned beet red! very fun! i wish they'd gotten looted during the blackout rather than poor old A-Life.

Mase

Fri, 05 Sep 2003 15:43:12 -0500

I've always enjoyed asking (innocently as I can pull off [and usually in a suit]) for movies starring (in no particular order, just representative) Pauly Shore, Jim Varney, Yahoo Serious1], Andrew "Dice" Clay[2] and/or Carrot Top[3]. Or, when they give "the look" despite my selection, exclaim "didn't I see you at 'Varsity Blues' opening day?'" [1] aka Greg Pead [2] aka Andrew Silverstein [2] aka Scott Thompson (no, not the "Kids in the Hall" Scott Thompson)

eli

Fri, 05 Sep 2003 15:36:06 -0500

It sounds like someone has a self-esteem problem.

Jennifer

Fri, 05 Sep 2003 15:11:54 -0500

I assume that the Reel Life in Park Slope is sister store to Reel Life in Williamsburg. Reel Life in Williamsburg is staffed by the central-casting for "hip" video store clerks. And they like to put films in silly categories, sometimes by director and sometimes just wherever the hell they want them to be. And they are universally pained/dismayed/antagonistic if you ask a question about the availability of any film that isn't a slasher porn from the 1970s or a Russian-made documentary about Bulgarian protitutes or the first and underappreciated film by (insert trendy director's name here). I save a special room in my own personal hell for them.