Many of the new releases on VHS in 2002 cost between $40 and $60 each. If you were the owner of a video store, at $3 a rental you had to rent each copy of that movie many times over to break even. If someone doesn’t return the VHS, the investment is gone, as in stolen.
I’m aware of the cost of tapes and this store has been out of business for years.
I once paid $189 membership in the 80’s to the local rental store for a beta rental membership.
A few months later they switched to only VHS rentals and I was told my membership was now defunct and I would have to buy another membership to rent VHS from the very same store.
So forgive me, I have a no sympathy in this case for the store owner, even though he may have been a fine person.