I don’t agree at all that the video store was a third place unless you lived in the kind of small town where you knew everyone in town (and if you lived in a to

I don’t agree at all that the video store was a third place unless you lived in the kind of small town where you knew everyone in town (and if you lived in a town like that, you pretty much automatically have more third place opportunities than suburban or urban dwellers). I never had conversations with employees or patrons in the video store. The time spent in that store was enjoyable enough but nothing to write home about. It was mostly a functional experience to get something to watch. You could even argue that it was a waste of your time on a Friday evening when you were ready to start your weekend.