R.I.P Blockbuster

[kirk55555]

I used to have a convienience store near where I lived as a kid that also had video rentals. We were constantly renting stuff. nowadays we don't have any video rantal places left, and I get most movies from the library or buy them. I do kind of miss being able to rent stuff,especially since netflix/redbox will never be an option (I know its the far future time of 2013, but it would be nice to be able to rent stuff without needing a credit card or paypal). Its not a huge deal I guess, for movies most of what I want the public library eventually gets and I just buy games I want even if I have to wait until used copies get cheap, but I had a lot of fun renting movies as a kid, and having no option sucks.

 

[Amaris]

The only option I can suggest is getting a prepaid card, such as a GreenDot or NetSpend card (Kroger, Family Dollar, Dollar General, Walgreens, Target, KMart, Walmart all carry these types of cards). Toss a few dollars on it and use it to rent movies at a RedBox.

 

[tomalak301]

There was one awesome thing about going to a place like Blockbuster. It allowed you to browse and to read the back of titles. Who knows, maybe it's a movie that looks interesting and you will rent it. I'm not sure if you can do the same thing on Netflix or that kind of media. Yeah they recommend titles, but there is always that obscure title you might rent just by reading the back of the movie that you would never have rented had you not walked into the store.

 

[Green Shirt]

They really did themselves in when they began offering free in store exchanges for movies when you returned the mail in ones at the store instead of mailing them back. For the 'three at a time' mail service I was getting 3 free store rentals per month. It practically paid for itself.

 

[Amaris]

There was one awesome thing about going to a place like Blockbuster. It allowed you to browse and to read the back of titles. Who knows, maybe it's a movie that looks interesting and you will rent it. I'm not sure if you can do the same thing on Netflix or that kind of media. Yeah they recommend titles, but there is always that obscure title you might rent just by reading the back of the movie that you would never have rented had you not walked into the store.

Yeah, when you select a movie title in Netflix, it will show you the movie release info, the lead actor/actress, as well as a summary and the movie's popular rating.

 

[tomalak301]

There was one awesome thing about going to a place like Blockbuster. It allowed you to browse and to read the back of titles. Who knows, maybe it's a movie that looks interesting and you will rent it. I'm not sure if you can do the same thing on Netflix or that kind of media. Yeah they recommend titles, but there is always that obscure title you might rent just by reading the back of the movie that you would never have rented had you not walked into the store.

Yeah, when you select a movie title in Netflix, it will show you the movie release info, the lead actor/actress, as well as a summary and the movie's popular rating.

I'm not sure how to describe it but just browsing is a little more casual than what you do on Netflix, or at least it feels like it to me. On Netflix, you know what you are going for, or have a pretty good idea. When I went to rent a movie, I wouldn't even rent a movie but just go browsing. Netflix is a more direct approach to movie renting, if that makes any sense.

 

[SiddFinch1]

Sad for the employees but its a .business model that died.years ago

 

[Pondwater]

End of an era. Although, the one here closed back in early 2009. I have fonder memories of Hollywood video.

 

[Agent Richard07]

It's been over 12 years since I've rented a video.

I think I was renting video tapes as late as 2003. A decade later, DVD rentals have come and gone and now we're at digital downloads and on demand services. I tried the DVD by mail thing for two years but I cancelled that because the DVDs I got would sit there for days or weeks before I watched them. I'd see a movie I liked, put it in on my list and then I'd have to wait for it for several days or even months and by the time it arrived I wasn't all that keen on seeing it right away. Unlimited DVDs for a flat fee sounded good in theory but the wait times and having so many titles unavailable due to high demand was a real drag. That business model won't last either.

I remember when movies would first come out on VHS as rent-only and then later on you could buy them retail. Although you could special order them for around $100 to get a title at the same time the rental stores got them if you really wanted it that badly.

I remember wanting Star Trek VI badly enough to consider doing that.

 

[Amaris]

There was one awesome thing about going to a place like Blockbuster. It allowed you to browse and to read the back of titles. Who knows, maybe it's a movie that looks interesting and you will rent it. I'm not sure if you can do the same thing on Netflix or that kind of media. Yeah they recommend titles, but there is always that obscure title you might rent just by reading the back of the movie that you would never have rented had you not walked into the store.

Yeah, when you select a movie title in Netflix, it will show you the movie release info, the lead actor/actress, as well as a summary and the movie's popular rating.

I'm not sure how to describe it but just browsing is a little more casual than what you do on Netflix, or at least it feels like it to me. On Netflix, you know what you are going for, or have a pretty good idea. When I went to rent a movie, I wouldn't even rent a movie but just go browsing. Netflix is a more direct approach to movie renting, if that makes any sense.

Yeah, there's this sense of "movie night" when you're browsing in a video store. You don't know what you might get, but it's all a part of the experience. I remember, as a child, oh 9 or 10 years old, and my parents would go to our local supermarket, rent a VCR, a VHS tape, and we'd order a pizza, and then we would go to my Aunt and Uncle's house, and we'd watch it on their big screen (25") TV.

I remember that's how we watched "Turner and Hooch," "Dragnet," and "The Little Mermaid." Those memories are very fond ones, and I just don't feel that with the instant click of movies on Netflix and cable/sat providers. Yeah, it's easier and more convenient, cheaper too, but maybe it's the rose colored glasses, but I feel something has been lost in the shuffle.

 

[Taylirious]

Our local video stores had an "adult" section in a back room...this was in middle school and my friends and I wanted to check it out but were afraid of getting caught...don't think Blockbuster had that. LOL.

 

[Agent Richard07]

Every time I browsed the aisles, I'd see that Sean Connery flick, Outland staring me in the face. Gotta watch that sometime.

The Netflix menu is arranged like a shelf, so you can browse there too and find things you wouldn't necessarily be looking for. It's almost like the video store experience. And a lot of online services make movie suggestions which I've made use of. I've seen a few good movies I've never heard of that way. You're not confined to having to know exactly what you want and typing in the exact title.

 

[Taylirious]

I rented Nintendo games more than movies.

 

[tomalak301]

Every time I browsed the aisles, I'd see that Sean Connery flick, Outland staring me in the face. Gotta watch that sometime.

The Netflix menu is arranged like a shelf, so you can browse there too and find things you wouldn't necessarily be looking for. It's almost like the video store experience. And a lot of online services make movie suggestions which I've made use of. I've seen a few good movies I've never heard of that way. You're not confined to having to know exactly what you want and typing in the exact title.

Eh, maybe it's just something I need to get used to. I hear so many complaints about what is not streaming on netflix when I'm sure there are many great movies (Some you probably never heard of) that are and need to be discovered.

 

[Pavonis]

When I went to rent a movie, I wouldn't even rent a movie but just go browsing.

No wonder they went broke! You just browsed, but never rented? How's that going to put bread on their tables?!

 

[tomalak301]

When I went to rent a movie, I wouldn't even rent a movie but just go browsing.

No wonder they went broke! You just browsed, but never rented? How's that going to put bread on their tables?!

I rented a lot. Most of the times I would go in and browse while I was waiting for the bus. I don't think I personally drove them out of business.

 

[Venardhi]

Every time I browsed the aisles, I'd see that Sean Connery flick, Outland staring me in the face. Gotta watch that sometime.

The Netflix menu is arranged like a shelf, so you can browse there too and find things you wouldn't necessarily be looking for. It's almost like the video store experience. And a lot of online services make movie suggestions which I've made use of. I've seen a few good movies I've never heard of that way. You're not confined to having to know exactly what you want and typing in the exact title.

Eh, maybe it's just something I need to get used to. I hear so many complaints about what is not streaming on netflix when I'm sure there are many great movies (Some you probably never heard of) that are and need to be discovered.

Part of the problem is that you can't really filter their results. So you have to either know exactly what you want and search it directly or end up scrolling through hundreds of covers looking for something good squeezed in between Sharknado and yet another Korean soap opera.

 

[Amaris]

Every time I browsed the aisles, I'd see that Sean Connery flick, Outland staring me in the face. Gotta watch that sometime.

The Netflix menu is arranged like a shelf, so you can browse there too and find things you wouldn't necessarily be looking for. It's almost like the video store experience. And a lot of online services make movie suggestions which I've made use of. I've seen a few good movies I've never heard of that way. You're not confined to having to know exactly what you want and typing in the exact title.

Eh, maybe it's just something I need to get used to. I hear so many complaints about what is not streaming on netflix when I'm sure there are many great movies (Some you probably never heard of) that are and need to be discovered.

Netflix's method of browsing such movies is awful, particularly when compared with the rest of the service. I'm a huge fan of Netflix, but I'd have better luck using a Ouija board to find movie titles I might like. Their recommendation system is poor, and their browsing interface is cumbersome and ill designed. Their search engine is pathetic. If you're not exact, the correct movie result might be a dozen pages in instead of at the top of the list. People have been complaining for a while, but Netflix is a "we know what you really want" company, and there's really no dissuading them from that mindset.

 

[Christopher]

Part of the problem is that you can't really filter their results. So you have to either know exactly what you want and search it directly or end up scrolling through hundreds of covers looking for something good squeezed in between Sharknado and yet another Korean soap opera.

Well, Netflix's category pages do have options at the top that let you filter by things like age rating or subgenre, or sort from newer to older, or that sort of thing. It's not perfect, but there are some options.

 

[RandyS]

Every time I browsed the aisles, I'd see that Sean Connery flick, Outland staring me in the face. Gotta watch that sometime.

For me, that was one of those "middle of the road" movies. Good, not great, but I liked it well enough. Although, the book was better. But then, it usually is.

I recommend it.

As for Blockbuster, Yet another piece of my youth is dead. That's happening FAR to frequently anymore for my taste. That being said though, It's loss really won't change my viewing habits much. If I want to see a movie, I can find it for a dollar or three on Amazon. Sure, it means having a used DVD, but I'd rather have that than bother with streaming services.