Just to clarify, I meant retail tapes I (read: my parents) owned. I never overwrote rented tapes.
I recall rental shops would have rewind machines, but I don't remember them ever checking the content of the tape.
Maybe people were just considerate. Maybe the threat of having a whopping fine when the the next unhappy renter returned and complained about the tape, causing the shop to check the rental history, dissuaded such behaviour.
Or, maybe people respected the institution. I used to really like video stores as they offered affordable access to entertainment and were just nice places to visit.
I recall rental shops would have rewind machines, but I don't remember them ever checking the content of the tape.
Maybe people were just considerate. Maybe the threat of having a whopping fine when the the next unhappy renter returned and complained about the tape, causing the shop to check the rental history, dissuaded such behaviour.
Or, maybe people respected the institution. I used to really like video stores as they offered affordable access to entertainment and were just nice places to visit.