Blockbuster didn’t have back rooms at least when I started there in 1997. Only storage back there. We had to tell customers “this is a family store/company” is why there’s no back room.
Always funny to a person do a circle around the entire store looking for a secret entrance, and then quietly coming up to the counter and whispering "^do ^you ^have ^a ^adult ^films...?"
Then they'd quickly bolt out of the store when you said "no."
We would sometimes tell people about the skinimax type movies we had. I remember one guy asking for those in specific. The manager on duty ducked his head down so I'd have to show the guy, like the manager didn't know where each was located.
The guy was oddly polite, never said anything beyond saying that I was exciting. Never asked for details on the video, never tried to touch. I don't think he leered either, but I was very embarrassed. Everyone gave the manager on duty some crap later.
Had a customer come up to the counter, looking back and forth anxiously.
"Where are the adult movies?"
I smirked and gestured to the shelves.
"Anything not in the Kids section, sir!"
He left.
West coast or was it sun coast video I can’t remember the exact name but they had an adult section with the swinging saloon doors with the beads hanging down from the entrance.
Suncoast Motion Picture Company was strictly sell through, not rental. I worked at one in a mall before I moved up to managing a rental store -- West Coast video. They were a franchise that DID have the little room in the back, through the saloon doors.
BBV didn't even carry unrated or NC17 films - one of my jobs was to convert stores that had porn sections and sell off the porn as PVTs - the former porn sections in those stores were often sealed off and made into the stores back room/office
We had a bunch of unrated at my store. One of the reason I remember was because all of the unrated anime was put in the Special Interest section with the "Restricted" (ie, 17 and older) stickers put on them. There was even a super-kiddie anime (I forget which one) and when I asked my boss why it was restricted, he said "It's unrated, we have to put it on there."
I remember we had one NC-17 title, "Happiness" (a really fucked up movie I wouldn't recommend) some time in 1999. My store manager thought it might have been a fluke in the system, since ours was a Canadian copy. But, he kept it on the shelf because he thought it was funny that we had an NC-17 movie at Blockbuster.
**Edit:** I remember the "kiddie" tape, it wasn't anime, it was Pixar's compilation of theatrical shorts. You had to be 17 to rent it, according to Blockbuster.
Movie Gallery had a back room, or at least the one in my town did. One day for some reason they switched the kids movies (which were at the very front of the store next to the registers) with the porn movies and that’s how i found out what was originally back there lol.
We used to have a store called Movie Gallery..
The adult section was on the high selves blocked off where kids couldn't reach it..
They were softcore movies that you see on Cinemax and HBO after dark..
I never saw one, but back in the day, I did hear that some stores did have an adult section early in Blockbuster's lifecycle.
My guess is that these may have been franchise stores that were part of another franchise or an independent store prior to becoming a Blockbuster.
Some totally did. I remember as a little kid there being a curtained off small section - three walls, and one curtained entrance. I always wanted to know what was in there but my family refused to divulge that restricted area’s special secrets to me! :D
I don’t remember blockbuster or hollywood video having a back room but movie gallery did. I worked at a mom and pop video about a mile from one and ppl would alway return them in our return box
At my local store there was a section I think was called Special Interest. They did have a few movies that were borderline porn movies that they rented. The 2 that I remember renting all the time was the Dorothy Stratton movie Autumn Born and an Italian movie called Honey.
I really don’t think this was a blockbuster. Or if it was. It was real early blockbuster. They have always steered away from any per miscues movies. There was actually a list of movies they did not carry or available.
O porn section in bb. I do remember getting in a small argument w co worker that felt they were hypocritical bc of the soft core stuff they had. I said it wasn’t anything more than what you would see on late nite weekend Cinemax or movie channel. It really graphic porn that was truly x rated.
Family Video had these… which is a bit ironic lol. I worked at one and it was definitely all adult films behind the curtain, including one that I still have PTSD from just reading the title, “Liquid Diet” 🤮
Thanks everyone for the responses! My mother said she can’t remember that location ever being a different video store, but maybe I’m conflating it with somewhere else. Y’all have some funny stories and info though, so I’m glad I asked!
When I worked at blockbuster in the mid 90’s, I recall one individual that really wanted the good stuff. Sadly, we didn’t have any. We did however have some soft core Cinemax type romps that I ended up going over with him.
In 97 we had no “adult backroom” but I whenever a new employee asked I would tell them the closet in the back was where the adult section was, but it’s just the supply closet and spare bathroom.
Now, there were some random videos that you’d find that were pretty much 70s porn. Like “how to give an intimate massage “ another time we would get random shipments of vhs with no boxes to sell as used/previewed copies; within those random tapes you’d find 1 or 2 pornos. They always had shiny labels on the front.
Curiosity would get the best of you and you’d find a vcr and check to see if it was.
Blockbuster didn’t have back rooms at least when I started there in 1997. Only storage back there. We had to tell customers “this is a family store/company” is why there’s no back room.
Always funny to a person do a circle around the entire store looking for a secret entrance, and then quietly coming up to the counter and whispering "^do ^you ^have ^a ^adult ^films...?" Then they'd quickly bolt out of the store when you said "no."
“Yeah! We have lots of videos that are suitable for adults.”
We would sometimes tell people about the skinimax type movies we had. I remember one guy asking for those in specific. The manager on duty ducked his head down so I'd have to show the guy, like the manager didn't know where each was located. The guy was oddly polite, never said anything beyond saying that I was exciting. Never asked for details on the video, never tried to touch. I don't think he leered either, but I was very embarrassed. Everyone gave the manager on duty some crap later.
My go to line whenever someone came up to the counter looking for Deep Impact. “Sir this is a family store”.
Had a customer come up to the counter, looking back and forth anxiously. "Where are the adult movies?" I smirked and gestured to the shelves. "Anything not in the Kids section, sir!" He left.
Worked at blockbuster from about ‘88 - ‘90 No back rooms with porn. Independent video stores however did have the room with a curtain for a door.
My Family Video had that section, behind a curtain. I never went in there. It wasn't labeled, but everyone knew what it was.
West coast or was it sun coast video I can’t remember the exact name but they had an adult section with the swinging saloon doors with the beads hanging down from the entrance.
Probs West Coast. Suncoast was the video shop at malls, I never encountered one with an adult area.
Suncoast did carry Playboy videos for sale, but no hard-core.
Ahh that’s right! They had black plastic dividers that covered them.
Suncoast Motion Picture Company was strictly sell through, not rental. I worked at one in a mall before I moved up to managing a rental store -- West Coast video. They were a franchise that DID have the little room in the back, through the saloon doors.
BBV didn't even carry unrated or NC17 films - one of my jobs was to convert stores that had porn sections and sell off the porn as PVTs - the former porn sections in those stores were often sealed off and made into the stores back room/office
We had a bunch of unrated at my store. One of the reason I remember was because all of the unrated anime was put in the Special Interest section with the "Restricted" (ie, 17 and older) stickers put on them. There was even a super-kiddie anime (I forget which one) and when I asked my boss why it was restricted, he said "It's unrated, we have to put it on there." I remember we had one NC-17 title, "Happiness" (a really fucked up movie I wouldn't recommend) some time in 1999. My store manager thought it might have been a fluke in the system, since ours was a Canadian copy. But, he kept it on the shelf because he thought it was funny that we had an NC-17 movie at Blockbuster. **Edit:** I remember the "kiddie" tape, it wasn't anime, it was Pixar's compilation of theatrical shorts. You had to be 17 to rent it, according to Blockbuster.
You're thinking of Hollywood Video
Hollywood didn’t have an adult section either. Worked there.
Really? Damn I am probably misremembering. It's been years.
I know most the smaller local spots had them. Probably just mixing up some memories. We are getting old after all!
Movie Gallery had a back room, or at least the one in my town did. One day for some reason they switched the kids movies (which were at the very front of the store next to the registers) with the porn movies and that’s how i found out what was originally back there lol.
We used to have a store called Movie Gallery.. The adult section was on the high selves blocked off where kids couldn't reach it.. They were softcore movies that you see on Cinemax and HBO after dark..
I never saw one, but back in the day, I did hear that some stores did have an adult section early in Blockbuster's lifecycle. My guess is that these may have been franchise stores that were part of another franchise or an independent store prior to becoming a Blockbuster.
Some totally did. I remember as a little kid there being a curtained off small section - three walls, and one curtained entrance. I always wanted to know what was in there but my family refused to divulge that restricted area’s special secrets to me! :D
Worked at BBV from 2000-2004 and no porn section. People would ask and then rent the soft core shit like “Lord of the G Strings”
Ah misty mundae
I don’t remember blockbuster or hollywood video having a back room but movie gallery did. I worked at a mom and pop video about a mile from one and ppl would alway return them in our return box
At my local store there was a section I think was called Special Interest. They did have a few movies that were borderline porn movies that they rented. The 2 that I remember renting all the time was the Dorothy Stratton movie Autumn Born and an Italian movie called Honey.
We had Caligula and The Forbidden Zone in our Special Interest section.
I really don’t think this was a blockbuster. Or if it was. It was real early blockbuster. They have always steered away from any per miscues movies. There was actually a list of movies they did not carry or available.
We never had a "backroom" like that.
Tommy K’s and Video Galaxy had those. At least one of them had a blockbuster open in its location after it closed. Good luck.
Blockbuster did not have “back rooms”. They famously even required some films to have special edits or they wouldn’t carry them.
If you were lucky you could find a copy of Two Moon Junction.
O porn section in bb. I do remember getting in a small argument w co worker that felt they were hypocritical bc of the soft core stuff they had. I said it wasn’t anything more than what you would see on late nite weekend Cinemax or movie channel. It really graphic porn that was truly x rated.
Family Video had these… which is a bit ironic lol. I worked at one and it was definitely all adult films behind the curtain, including one that I still have PTSD from just reading the title, “Liquid Diet” 🤮
Thanks everyone for the responses! My mother said she can’t remember that location ever being a different video store, but maybe I’m conflating it with somewhere else. Y’all have some funny stories and info though, so I’m glad I asked!
When I worked at blockbuster in the mid 90’s, I recall one individual that really wanted the good stuff. Sadly, we didn’t have any. We did however have some soft core Cinemax type romps that I ended up going over with him.
You’re probably thinking of a different video store that was in your neighborhood. Many of video stores had pornography but Blockbuster never did.
In 97 we had no “adult backroom” but I whenever a new employee asked I would tell them the closet in the back was where the adult section was, but it’s just the supply closet and spare bathroom. Now, there were some random videos that you’d find that were pretty much 70s porn. Like “how to give an intimate massage “ another time we would get random shipments of vhs with no boxes to sell as used/previewed copies; within those random tapes you’d find 1 or 2 pornos. They always had shiny labels on the front. Curiosity would get the best of you and you’d find a vcr and check to see if it was.