Jun 22 2011
The Future Looms
I came across this picture and it struck me as being profoundly sad. For as much as I like downloading movies off the internet, or receiving them in the mail, there is something depressing about watching Blockbuster go under. It’s a store that a I grew up with, and it introduced me to the vast majority of my favorite films. It was kind of cool to wander through the store, up and down the rows of movies, reading the backs of the boxes to figure out if you’d like it or not.
But the fact remains its the product of a bygone era. Now Blockbusters feel quaint at best, and if you do still want to shop here, they’ve also gone into the by-mail game, so you don’t even have to visit a store. Frankly, I’m impressed they’ve survived this long, but I have no idea what Dish Network was doing recently when they bought them. That just seems like a money pit to me, as the inevitable is coming. I don’t think it’s Blockbuster’s fault per se, as you can’t just shut down 5,000 stores and move all-online to get with the times. But by the time they’re making the transition, their competitors have far outpaced them.
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Also, it’s a Clerks reference…
I do like the Clerks reference, but I feel obligated to link to a recent Penny Arcade comic – http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2011/5/30/
Worst part about the mass Blockbuster closings: the inability to rent a game on a whim and have instant gratification (pending availability, naturally). I cannot tell you how frustrating it is to look at titles I want to play when I have free time and see a $60 pricetag with essentially no other recourse available, as I do not think there are enough quality titles to warrant a monthly gamefly subscription.
I guess I just feel bad, because it’s only gonna add to the unemployment rate.
That said, I haven’t rented anything from there in over a decade…
I remember wearing one of the T-Shirts that Netflix gave out when they first started during an overnight inventory at the Blockbuster I was working at at the time. Store Manager asked me “What’s that?” and I looked her right in the eye and said “The death of this company.” I’m just surprised it’s circled the drain this long.
The only Blockbuster in my town closed earlier this year, and there is already a liquor store setup in the building. It’s surreal to drive by and see booze in place of movies/games.
their*
Family Video is still up and running. I loved that place way more than Blockbuster anyways. They were renting video games for $2 when Blockbuster rented them for $7. I haven’t been there in several years, but I’m assuming the prices are still reasonable
I guess I am aging myself, but I remember when Blockbuster showed up and pretty much annihilated the independent video places. As a fan of hard to find B movies, classic films, and just random off the wall stuff I could never find in the one Blockbuster in my home town that killed three independent stores, I can’t say I miss them going out of business. I never liked the selection at Blockbuster, and even the concept of using one today is just insane.
Its a business model that is completely and utterly out of pace with technology. We may as well feel bad about horse carriage factories going out of business.
I’m most depressed that I am not going to be able to buy previously viewed movies anymore. Blockbuster is my savior of being able to purchase fairly new movies at dirt cheap prices.
I worked at one for less than a year before Swan diving off that bitch like Ezio off a roof top. Their late fees are part of the reason they have such a bad rep today. It was crooked, I can’t even count how many times a customer would complain about charges they weren’t aware of.
I am an outside sales rep. For my job I am regularly in six different states. All the different blockbusters I have seen have had the same signs on them, “going out of business sale, this location only.” liars.
I don’t understand the compulsion to buy used DVDs…. Unless you are a diehard Blockbuster supporter, the only person you’re helping is Blockbuster itself. For all it does the people who toiled to create the movie you want to buy, you might as well pirate it. It makes sense for videogames, where DRM is messy and annoying, but DVDs? Why not just burn it yourself?
If you’re going to pull out the “I’d rather own a physical copy” argument, why the FUCK would you want a copy that’s scratched to shit already and doesn’t even come with the right box?
I don’t understand why using Netflix and a movie store (such as Family Video) have to be mutually exclusive. Netflix is super convenient but it has SHIT selection most of the time, so if there’s that random movie from several years ago you wanna see, you gotta go to the rental store.
It might be sad to see them go, but I remember, because I worked for them at the time, what they did to drive all the independant video rental stores out of business.
Strong arming suppliers into huge discounts and only selling to them, meaning you could only get the latest releases from them.
If you refused to sell your store to them, they would open up right next door and run offers and promotions until you were gone. Then jack up the prices.
Buying 100′s of copies of terrible movies for virtually nothing, then promoting the shit out of them and selling ex-rental copies for huge profits.
Pressurising staff into pre-selling crappy Disney movies that nobody wanted and then threatening their jobs if they didn’t sell enough.
So, while it is sad for the stuff, hopefully in the long run, they will be better off. They were not a good or ethical company, had no respect for their employees or customers and made huge profits while they could.
@Lisa
Are you sure you’re not confusing Netflix with Redbox?
IMO, one of the main reasons that Netflix is destroying the competition is that they stock practically every DVD that was ever made.
In Ireland we have Xtravision stores which are owned by blockbuster. After the only other major brick and mortar store called Chartbusters went bankrupt a few months ago Xtravision basically the only place to rent movies and games and yesterday they closed down the 4 closest stores to me which means I am pretty much unable to rent anything within an 40 mins driving distance.
The funny part is that unlike America we do not have a dominant online service like Nexflix or any dominant alternative.
So now I gotta save up to play LA Noire.
I drive by that Blockbuster all the time, Wharncliffe road in London Ontario. They kept it open despite being in a crummy neighbourhood and closed the one near me which was busier. Nonsense!
Karma’s a bitch. As someone mentioned earlier, Blockbuster swooped in and annihilated the local mom and pop stores (good job local customers, good job), and now turnabout is fair play. That being said, having recently become unemployed, I do feel sad for the employees of the company.