Training videos, they're a part of every kid's summer job nightmare. When I was a kid, I used to think working at an arcade would effing rock and as a "grown-up" I still did...until I saw these employee training videos from the long defunct mall arcade chain, Spaceport. They absolutely reek of the early 80s and should give you a good chuckle to help start off your weekend. Enjoy.
Part 1
Part 2
Wow. Depressingly corporate. I didn't realize that degrading, officious "boss" tone was in full use as far back as 1981, being naive, 10 and blissfully unemployed at the time. Those good ole days of '81 probably weren't any better for minimum wage teenagers then when I joined the pimply, low-skill restaurant workforce in 1989.
ReplyDeleteSpaceport would probably be a fun job for a rebellious 16-yr.-old. I'd enjoy fucking with their little notated excuse system to justify every unaccounted game credit to the "home office." I'd procure mad amounts of painted coins for my buds. - PS, you're welcome in advance and in retrospect for my imaginary scenario. I hope you'll pick up a couple shifts a week to repay the favor. We'd fucking own that place until the heyday ended with the great videogame crash of whatever year that was.
This would make a great film script, a la Fast Times at Ridgemont High meets Clerks. Now I gotta find somebody who worked at Spaceport back in the day for a tell-all...
I just pulled two of those exact same change machines off the library floor just last year. The year before I had to solder in new light bulbs that they used in conjunction with sensors for counting the change.
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