Remember Media Play? | TheaterFire

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_R_A_@reddit

I do not remember Media Play, unfortunately. Where was this a thing?

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Fools_Errand77@reddit

Two in the Atlanta metro and one in Macon Ga, that I know of

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BrewCityTikiGuy@reddit

They were owned by the same company as Sam Goody, Musicland, and Suncoast. There weren’t many Media Plays around though.

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wildboarpate@reddit

Gainesville, FL had one as well. I worked in a restaurant across the street.

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DeliciousMoments@reddit

I worked at suncoast. I think at its peak there weren’t more than 25ish Media Plays, compared to hundreds of Sam Goodys and Suncoasts.

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JBaker4981@reddit

Holy shit... And one was in my hometown of Rivergate, TN. That's cool!

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FamingAHole@reddit

There was a Media Play in Western Mass.

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rythmicjea@reddit

OMG this was other places than Columbus, Ohio?!?! I thought it was a city chain!

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senshi_of_love@reddit

My 2nd job was at Media Play in the music section. Basically Best Buy but with a book department.

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Alice_600@reddit

I had my first cappuccino at those shops.

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Harry_Pinochle@reddit

Mine in central Connecticut used to sell local bands CDs. Found some real good hardcore and metal that way.

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trexhatespushups42@reddit

Berlin turnpike? That was a hike for us when we first got our licenses so it was a Saturday afternoon trip

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Harry_Pinochle@reddit

We used to hit the Pike a couple times, but used to go to the one over by Buckland Mall the most.

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trexhatespushups42@reddit

Oh gosh yeah that was even further out for me. Brings back memories though!

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This place was so great. Recently my brother-in-law introduced me to 2nd and Charles, which is kinda similar in a "place you can get lost in for hours" kind of way. (Used and new books, vinyl, video games, toys and fandom stuff, etc.)

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AintNobody-@reddit

It's been a couple years since I went to a 2nd and Charles, but I remember the prices on everything being fucking mental. Like they trade on the novelty that it's kind of neat that you'll find a Sega Genesis game on the shelf, but they'll charge bonkers amounts for like the Bassmasters Magazine Presents Day-Drunk Fishing 1992 Edition.

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PalmChangePastor@reddit

I'll also 2nd this 😐. Great way to spend an afternoon

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ChubbyStoner42@reddit

I enjoyed going to 2nd and Charles when I lived in Maryland.

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AintNobody-@reddit

I moved to Georgia in 1998; there was a Media Play and a Circuit City in the same shopping complex. They were both pretty great stores.

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elric82@reddit

My absolute favorite store in Columbus. Which, ironically, occupied the same building as my previous favorite store, a toy store called Children’s Palace.

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Intelligent_Pass2540@reddit (OP)

YES CHILDREN'S PALACE we had one too! That place was so awesome from a kids perspective 👏

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BlindLantern@reddit

I was so sad when the one in Erie closed.

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Vandy1358v2_0@reddit

I loved media play though I will admit I stole a ton of magic the gathering packs from them in the 90’s. I made up for by buying over priced CDs

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Dr-Stink-Stank@reddit

Media Play! More choice! Less price! Everyday! Or something like that.

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Any-Jury3578@reddit

I miss Media Play. It was a big party of my teenage years. I loved going and wandering their aisles of DVDs and CDs. It was fun to watch movies on their big wall of RVs too. I saw Keith Urban signing CDs at the location I would frequent. I didn't know who he was at the time, so I wandered and watched until I found a poster with his face on it. I miss that store.

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kylethemurphy@reddit

$30 anime VHS tapes baby!

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Themoosemingled@reddit

OMG!!! we’d drive down to buffalo from Toronto and they had all the awesome grateful dead CDs!!

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Ok_Picture9667@reddit

I really miss this place sometimes. My family would spend hours here just browsing. It was so huge and had so much cool stuff. I have great memories of hanging out there.

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Intelligent_Pass2540@reddit (OP)

Yes! I love everyone's stories. In the midwest there was so much snow in the fall winter that it was very nice to have another cool place to go that was not the mall or WalMart and in college they definitely had good obscure music and gifts when you wanted something not Downloaded from limewire or napster.

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Elle_Duderino@reddit

We had one in Charlotte back in the day. My friends and I would hang out there all the time.

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Classic-Button843@reddit

![gif](giphy|gKkhLgmthcbux46zwU)

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KidCharlem@reddit

Worked there for 8 years.

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cmgr33n3@reddit

I worked there for a short time (don't remember how long) because a couple of my buddies had jobs there. I called off once to attend a friend's high school play and got called into the office by the manager and the assistant the next time I worked. The said, "You can only call off if you're sick." I said, "People call off all the time and you know they weren't sick." They said, "Yes, but they say they are when they call off." I asked if they were really telling me that they'd prefer I lie to them rather than just tell them the truth. They both said yes immediately. That was a very useful conversation for me. It was a good, so early in my working life, to have such a clear example of just one of the signs of a job that people tolerate to get by in and why settling for that would never work for me.

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kauko15@reddit

When I was in college there was one right down the road from me. I miss that place so much. I remember when they went out of business they had a big clearance sale and I went a little overboard buying stuff.

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Dicfive@reddit

We had one in Rockford. Loved it!

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No_Cartographer_7904@reddit

We had a Media Play in my hometown. I spent a good bit there.

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aliedle@reddit

Pourin' one out for the homie Media Play. Never forget...

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n8rzz@reddit

Bought my first deck of Magic the Gathering at the one in St Cloud, MN. Was an original deck, too. Wish I still had that…

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elstunnanumerouno@reddit

I went to that one back in 1994. Bougjt several cassettes there.

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originalbrowncoat@reddit

When you say “Original” do you mean “Alpha”? Because if so man you have my sympathies.

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n8rzz@reddit

I do mean Alpha and thank you.

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originalbrowncoat@reddit

Oof. Yeah I feel that. I got into Magic around Alliances so I missed out on the big money cards, but I eventually got a complete set of revised dials that I ended up getting rid of for a pittance.

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Shaka-Zulu1879@reddit

yup i remember Media Play had one location in Albuquerque New Mexico! Most of the time i loved going to Hastings and Sun Coast

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Zbrchk@reddit

Headphones where you could listen to the albums!

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sewalker723@reddit

I used to go there as a teen and put those community headphones on my head and just rock out. Adult me feels very lucky that I never got head lice or any gross infections from using those community headphones that probably weren't cleaned often.

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SteakJones@reddit

![gif](giphy|eLQZvSgq45cFa)

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Verried_vernacular32@reddit

My favorite teenage job

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redflagsmoothie@reddit

I miss Media Play OFTEN. I used to get lots of music here but also their horror books and movies sections were STACKED. Such a great store.

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Johnykbr@reddit

Holy hell. I completely forgot about this place. Thanks OP!

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EccentricAcademic@reddit

Definitely not in my region of the US

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Ok_Fox_1770@reddit

Digging around like broke little bums to go listen at the cool headset station. MAYBE someone buys a shirt or cd. I can see why it died but it was a fun hang for an hour or so

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NicWester@reddit

I worked at Suncoast (daughter store of Media Play; we sold movies, Sam Goody/Musicland sold music, Media Play sold both, but we were all the same company) from 2001 until it was liquidated by vulture capital......... Hold onto your physical media. Don't put yourself to the mercy and whims of streamers.

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ChubbyStoner42@reddit

Media Play was owned by the Musicland Group. The same corporation that owned Sam Goody and Suncoast Video. I worked at a Sam Goody/Suncoast combined store. Had a lot of fun working there.

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Markaes4@reddit

That was my favorite store to just wander around in. Books, music, games, movies, gifts, collectibles, toys... Before the internet took over this is where I'd go to find new and obscure stuff.

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Scrambled_Creature@reddit

Hahaha I used to work here in high school!

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profshmex@reddit

I worked there when I was 20. I love music and Empire Records had just come out and thought it would be fun to work in a record store. I also love movies and was ecstatic when they hired me and put me on the floor as an associate in the movie section. The movie section was also where the bathroom was. My first night a customer blew up that bathroom hard and clogged the toilet. The associate that works in movies (me) also had to clean the bathrooms when closing. Everyone from the other departments left to go home and I was left to clean. Supposed to go on a date after work. Got sh#% all over my pants when plunging. I cleaned that bathroom spic and span, finished my shift and quit over the phone the next day.

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livahd@reddit

Goddamn. This place had everything. Music, movies, graphic novels, collectible toys… hell mine even gave me a girlfriend (dated a chick who worked there).

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ShenForTheWin@reddit

Of course I remember! My grandpa worked there (until it was converted into a different store), and I would go there after school and watch videos. I also won a contest they had put on there, so that was a fun memory as well. This was around 1996ish. Good times.

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