renting games from the supermarket

[orangest]

while going through some games, i found a genesis scooby-doo mystery cart that i forgot had a stater bros. sticker on the back of it. taking off that sticker revealed an albertsons sticker underneath. i'd imagine that since there were video rentals at markets that there would be video game rentals too, but i never saw any first-hand back when. who's done some supermarket renting in their time out there?

[JLukas]

Back in the NES days, I rented NES games from the local Albertsons all the time, their prices were very cheap. $1 rental for 3 days, IIRC, while Blockbuster was $3-4 for 3 days. But a few years later, when the SNES became popular, they remodeled their store and the video/game rental section was really awful after that.

[Garry Silljo]

In Pennsylvania, Giant Eagle stores have rented games since NES. I used to go there a lot as a kid but dont rent as much anymore.

[DKTheArcadeRat]

I used to rent PS1 games at Genuardi's(spelling?) back in the day because they were cheaper and that was where we did our main grocery shopping, not so much anymore though( woo hoo WEGMANS!). But eventually they phased out their video and game rental, and I ended up with a very cheap CIB copy of Twisted Metal 3.

Dave

[heyricochet]

Super Stop & Shop, before it got bought out by hannaford. It might've dont it after, but I don't remember. Price Chopper did video game rentals too, I almost tried to buy futurama for xbox there, but I wasn't sure of its rarity.

[Neo Rasa]

Grand Union (before being bought out by Stop n Shop) also did it. It was awesome when they stopped. They sold everything for $5 each. Got Killer Instinct (this was like a week after it came out for $99.99 at the big box stores), Outlander, Mega Man X, Super Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat II.

[slip81]

the stop & shop near me rented games from the NES untill the death of the SNES.

[secretvampire]

I used to rent NES games at the local Krogers supermarket all the time. You just brought back some great memories...:)

[rasone77]

In my old hometown, there was a pizza place that rented video games and DVD's. Not a bad concept, you can get a pie and rent a flick. Then get grease all over your controllers. LOL

When I go back an visit they still have tons of PSone and N64 games for rent. They have a few SNES games but they want too much for them and they suck. I've been trying to get the owner to sell me the N64 and PSone she's been renting to no avail.

[Cryomancer]

Woodmans in Janesville, WI still rents out SNES games.

[Flack]

I remember renting everything from NES all the way up to PSX and maybe PS2 games from Albertsons. They were always cheaper than the real rental places -- I assume the idea was to get you to come in and rent games or movies and buy some food while you were there.

I just rented games.

[wallydawg]

I remember renting Super Mario Bros. 2 from Dominicks back in the day.

[§ Gideon §]

Oh yes, I remember this well. For me it was Albertson's. Smith's might have had rentals, too. It was a small consolation for the living hell that was grocery shopping with Mom.

[rbudrick]

I think the local Shaw's in my area used to, but everyone went to Computer Junction three or 4 doors down in the same plaza. They closed in 96 or 97, iirc.

-Rob

[Lemmy Kilmister]

I think the local Shaw's in my area used to,

My local Shaw's use to rent out games too. I remember renting games like Tengen Fantasy Zone and Kickle Cubicle when I was really young.

[GameSlaveGaz]

the stop & shop near me rented games from the NES untill the death of the SNES.

Same here. The Stop & Shop Video Center. We rented a LOT of NES games here, since my parents were too cheap to buy me any. My mom actually rented Tetris from here and begged to buy it when she went to turn it in and the manager was like, "Well, normally we don't sell the rental copies, but OK. $12" I remember renting Battletoads, Home Alone, one of the Simpsons games, and my dad insisted on the NASCAR game w/Bill Elliot's name in the title (I can't remember the actual title right now) once. I can't remember what else. But I only remember rent one movie out of there. Ghostbusters II. The rest was NES games as far as I can remember.

Also there's an electronics store in my city (Medford, MA) called A & W that used to rent video games in the late 80s-early 90s and my boyfriend remembers renting from there but I don't.

Ah...nostalgia. I kinda wish that was still there. Now that there's a pharmacy and a Dunkin' Donuts in there too, I could get everything in one place. But no, it's a Citizen's Bank ATM now. God, it's been years since they got rid of the Video Center. Sometime in the early-mid 90s I think.

[shopkins]

I used to live near a grocery store in Kentucky, can't remember the name, that rented PSX and N64 games. I don't know if I ever rented games from there, but I know I bought Suikoden there for like $12 sometime in 2000.

[Auxilla]

My Albertsons when I was a kid used to rent Nes games....I never got any from there though.

[boatofcar]

I used to rent NES games at the local Krogers supermarket all the time. You just brought back some great memories...:)

Kroger actually rented games all the way up until about 2000. I remember renting games from the local gas station/mini mart in my hometown of Hurricane, WV, in the NES days, but not past that.

[kai123]

I used to rent nes games all the time at my local Harvest Foods. That store has since closed.

[Classicgamesdepot]

rented Earthbound twice at my Local Ralphs in CA