Blockbuster About to Bite Big One... Muhahaha!

[Goliath]

I almost never rent movies.

I either see them in the theatre, or buy the DVD.

 

[bigdaddy]

All Blockbuster had to do to stay in business was charge $1 a day for movies like everybody else. Problem solved.

Almost.

They have to to pay for rent and people to work there and such, however $5 for a night or two is insane when people can rent, and record a movie on demand for that much.

Goodbye, you won't be missed.

 

[clint g]

Sweet, I love it when the local blockbusters have going out of business sales

I do feel for the employees though. Unfortunately for them, their company could not adapt to the changing times.

 

[Amaris]

The few people I know who still used Blockbuster complained of being charged late fees even when they weren't late, or being charged for an entire dvd when only late one day. Apparently, this was a common complaint where I used to live, and the bad word of mouth killed the business.

I have Netflix and LOVE it, but I'm not one of those people who has to rent a movie RIGHT NOW, as I have cable and more than enough to watch as it is.

Between video games, Netflix, and cable TV, I always have something for my nieces and nephews to watch or play with, and hubby and I are MORE than entertained with what we've got.

Frankly, I'm surprised the brick-and-mortar stores held out as long as they did.

I'll tell you why that happens or did happens: Lazy ass employees.

At the store I worked at, we only checked the drop box once a week, the outside one far less frequently. Your tape was in there and we didn't check it back in before the late-date, you were just fucked. If you came and challenged us and said you dropped it and made us look for it, we'd take the charges off. And we were the norm for our area. Hand it to us, unless you made us check it in right then, we just chucked it in the drop box.

Whenever it was slow, I'd check in the drop box (about twice a day) till the DM came down and bitched me out for costing them "revenue" cause our late-fee generation started going down. After that, I was banned from checking tapes in. They actually fired a girl I worked with for checking tapes in, "not completing assigned tasks" (officially), unofficially she was causing fees to go down. Not to long after that I quit.

When I worked for Hollywood video, I would check the drop box twice a day. Once when I got there, and once more before the store closed. I remember one time a customer was renting movies and when I pulled up her account, she had $98.00 in late fees. I informed her that she did have a late fee and she insisted she had turned in the video cassettes on time. I checked through the system and sure enough, she had turned the tapes in on time, but at a Hollywood video store about 15 miles away. I mentioned this and she said that she figured it all went to the same place. I told her that the stores didn't work like that, and that on her rental agreement was a clause that said the tapes had to be returned at it's original store location. She was mad.

So anyway, I told her that we could request the tapes be sent to us from the other store, and that as a favor, I would make sure she incurred no extra late fees in the process. I also told her that if she could pay $10 toward the fee, I would let her rent what she had with her. She got mad and demanded to see the Manager. So the Manager comes out, looks at her, looks at the fee and the customer regales her story, also saying that I was trying to blackmail her into paying her bill!

The Manager just looked at her for a second, and said, that we could go ahead and rent to her without her having to pay on the late fees this time. So I did the transaction and the customer left and my Manager told me that I should mark the late fees with a notation to charge her $3 extra each time she came in to rent, and not to mention it to her, because most likely she wouldn't notice the extra charge, and we could pay off the bill. Apparently she had done this before. I told her that I didn't feel right not notifying a customer of a hidden charge, and my Manager looks at me and says that she thinks I'm not cut out for the video rental business and walks away shaking her head.

I guess I'm not cut out for the apparently cut throat world of the video rental business, and neither are you.

 

[Brikar99]

NetFlix is a DREAM to deal with! Their customer service is amazing.

It truly is! I've only had to deal with them twice, for minor things, but both times they were extremely friendly and very quick about helping me.

 

[Mr Light]

My god... I worked in a video store for four years (small chain) and the second a movie dropped in the box you took it out and checked it in! Just letting it pile up?! That's insane!

 

[Jetfire]

I feel sorry for all those people who are going to lose their jobs. One of my students actually works part-time at a Blockbuster store here in town.

Yeah, people losing their jobs in an already tight job market isn't anything to "Muhahaha!" about.

I almost never rent movies.

I either see them in the theatre, or buy the DVD.

This.

 

[Gary Mitchell]

I'm kind of sad to see Blockbuster go, but only in the same way I'm sad to see Hollywood Video go. I grew up in a time when movie night meant going to the local supermarket, renting a VHS tape, then renting the VCR, ordering a pizza and the family watches a movie together.

Me too, buddy. The first movie that I remember renting along with the VCR was Back to the Future. The place that I rented from, Curtis Mathes, had the most beautiful older woman working behind the counter. She was probably 19 and I was much younger but she still got a lot of repeat business. Good times.

My god... I worked in a video store for four years (small chain) and the second a movie dropped in the box you took it out and checked it in! Just letting it pile up?! That's insane!

I agree. That's terrible. I worked at a video store for a looong time (a small chain that was taken over by Movie Gallery) and whenever we weren't waiting on a customer, we were checking the drop box, putting movies away and straightening them )and cleaning). After Movie Gallery bought Hollywood Video, I helped out at Hollywood one night when they were short-handed. The place was run like some of those stories up above: the drop box was only checked 2 or 3 times a day and employees were arguing with the customers about late fees to the point where the customers were leaving the store without renting anything or paying the late fees. One night was all I could take of that place. They must have had 300 movies stacked up behind the counter while the customers couldn't find any New Releases to rent.

 

[Level 2 Diagnostic]

Yeah, people losing their jobs in an already tight job market isn't anything to "Muhahaha!" about.

No kidding, I'm always amazed by how petty some people can be, or how they can bear a lifetime grudge against a company for overcharging them $2 or $3.

And I think this whole thing about not checking the drop box is bunk. I used to rent from Blockbuster a lot and I can't recall ever being charged for a movie I returned on time. Plus, I can remember a lot of times when I've seen employees emptying the drop box while I was standing at the counter renting a movie. So either I'm one of the lucky ones or this drop box thing is being blown way out of proportion.

 

[Amaris]

Me too, buddy. The first movie that I remember renting along with the VCR was Back to the Future. The place that I rented from, Curtis Mathes, had the most beautiful older woman working behind the counter. She was probably 19 and I was much younger but she still got a lot of repeat business. Good times.

Those really were good times, my friend.

My god... I worked in a video store for four years (small chain) and the second a movie dropped in the box you took it out and checked it in! Just letting it pile up?! That's insane!

I agree. That's terrible. I worked at a video store for a looong time (a small chain that was taken over by Movie Gallery) and whenever we weren't waiting on a customer, we were checking the drop box, putting movies away and straightening them )and cleaning). After Movie Gallery bought Hollywood Video, I helped out at Hollywood one night when they were short-handed. The place was run like some of those stories up above: the drop box was only checked 2 or 3 times a day and employees were arguing with the customers about late fees to the point where the customers were leaving the store without renting anything or paying the late fees. One night was all I could take of that place. They must have had 300 movies stacked up behind the counter while the customers couldn't find any New Releases to rent.[/QUOTE]

Wow! I mean, it was bad on occasion at Hollywood, but when I was there, that problem didn't exist!

No kidding, I'm always amazed by how petty some people can be, or how they can bear a lifetime grudge against a company for overcharging them $2 or $3.

And I think this whole thing about not checking the drop box is bunk. I used to rent from Blockbuster a lot and I can't recall ever being charged for a movie I returned on time. Plus, I can remember a lot of times when I've seen employees emptying the drop box while I was standing at the counter renting a movie. So either I'm one of the lucky ones or this drop box thing is being blown way out of proportion.

You may have been lucky. I've seen it happen quite often. It usually comes down to management. Each store is different. Our Manager, for example, didn't give a crap as long as corporate wasn't breathing down her neck. When I started there, the place was run fairly well, but kind of a bare minimum thing, where just enough was done to keep things orderly. Me, being OCD, got the place shipshape on my shifts, checked the drop box outside twice a day, and the inside one all the time.

I've been to Blockbusters where you were lucky to get someone to ring you up.

 

[Jetfire]

^
Poor customer service isn't unique to Blockbuster. I haven't used them since the late 90's...but I have never had a problem with them.

 

[Gary Mitchell]

^
Poor customer service isn't unique to Blockbuster.

That's true. A few years ago I picked up a pizza at Little Caesar's and as I was leaving I noticed that it had the wrong toppings. I walked back inside and the guy with pink hair behind the counter, after hearing my tale of woe, said "Yeah, and?".

 

[Jetfire]

^
That is bad. The only place I have ever had real bad customer service was the KFC I worked at...I was in there on my day off and there was a line to the door and when it was my turn it took for ever for some boneless wings & wedges which only take 5 minutes to cook...they still didn't get my order right...I asked for Buffalo and got BBQ...I jokingly complained to those co-workers the next day...but I was pissed it took 45 minutes to get my order...which was wrong.

 

[FordSVT]

I don't really know much about the "behind the scenes" world of video rentals and how companies like Blockbuster purchase their movies from distributors. What I'm really curious about is how the collapse of the last major brick and mortar rental chain, along with an increase in digital downloads might effect rentals in convenience stores and smaller, independent rental stores.

I haven't rented from Blockbuster in about three years. I'm pretty sure I had a $10 late fee with them at the time.

Shitty for the people who will lose their jobs.

 

[Immolatus]

I really can't complain about blockbuster. I do the mail order thing with them and it's pretty good, I get 3 movies in the mail and after i'm done I can exchange them at the local store for 3 more videos. I also get a free video game rental once a month. it cost me 19.99 a month which is higher than netflix.

 

[LeadHead]

Whether you're a fan of BB or not, you've gotta feel for the employees. Although I have picked up several video games very cheaply at the Liquidation Sales for ones that have already gone.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Me too, buddy. The first movie that I remember renting along with the VCR was Back to the Future. The place that I rented from, Curtis Mathes, had the most beautiful older woman working behind the counter. She was probably 19 and I was much younger but she still got a lot of repeat business. Good times.

Those really were good times, my friend.

My god... I worked in a video store for four years (small chain) and the second a movie dropped in the box you took it out and checked it in! Just letting it pile up?! That's insane!

I agree. That's terrible. I worked at a video store for a looong time (a small chain that was taken over by Movie Gallery) and whenever we weren't waiting on a customer, we were checking the drop box, putting movies away and straightening them )and cleaning). After Movie Gallery bought Hollywood Video, I helped out at Hollywood one night when they were short-handed. The place was run like some of those stories up above: the drop box was only checked 2 or 3 times a day and employees were arguing with the customers about late fees to the point where the customers were leaving the store without renting anything or paying the late fees. One night was all I could take of that place. They must have had 300 movies stacked up behind the counter while the customers couldn't find any New Releases to rent.

Wow! I mean, it was bad on occasion at Hollywood, but when I was there, that problem didn't exist!

No kidding, I'm always amazed by how petty some people can be, or how they can bear a lifetime grudge against a company for overcharging them $2 or $3.

And I think this whole thing about not checking the drop box is bunk. I used to rent from Blockbuster a lot and I can't recall ever being charged for a movie I returned on time. Plus, I can remember a lot of times when I've seen employees emptying the drop box while I was standing at the counter renting a movie. So either I'm one of the lucky ones or this drop box thing is being blown way out of proportion.

You may have been lucky. I've seen it happen quite often. It usually comes down to management. Each store is different. Our Manager, for example, didn't give a crap as long as corporate wasn't breathing down her neck. When I started there, the place was run fairly well, but kind of a bare minimum thing, where just enough was done to keep things orderly. Me, being OCD, got the place shipshape on my shifts, checked the drop box outside twice a day, and the inside one all the time.

I've been to Blockbusters where you were lucky to get someone to ring you up.

When I worked for Hollywood it was often a struggle to keep up with the returns, especially on the weekends. We'd have six registers going, with no time between transactions. Each time a movie dropped in the slot it was like a knife in the back, because we knew there was no one to check it in. We even had a guy ( sometimes two) whose sole job was to check in and reshelve rentals but he was not there all day. Trolling through the backlog tring to find that new release for a customer was fun. Especially when two or more people were after that one copy. Some nights it would take over two hours after closing to get everything back in place an restocked. We were a pretty busy store, one of the top earners in the company. Employees from other stores would leave shell shocked after working a shift in our store. Must have been a top earner to the bitter end as it was one of the last locations to shut down.

They cant blame anyone but themselves though. The folks running Hollywood and Blockbuster were shortsighted and ignored the obvious trends in media delivery. They should have sunk money into RandD and found ways to counter Netflix and RedBox early on instead of trying to play "their game" in brick and mortars by offering rental subscription programs and saying "mail order via the net will never catch on". Blending mail order, streaming and kiosks with their existing brick and mortars would have saved the companies ( but probably not the entire b&m format). Blockbuster was almost synonymous with movie renting. Now Netflix is.

 

[Mojochi]

I haven't had any substantial problems with them, in my experience, except for damaged discs on occasion, which they replace, & rising fees, which I counter by lowering my subscription.

I use to have the 3 at a time unlimited per month, mailing plan, with unlimited in-store roll-overs, but it got too expensive. So I've cut it back a few times over the years, & now I just get the 2 at a time unlimited per month plan, with no roll-overs, since now they hold your next mailers, till the in-store exchanges are brought back to the store anyway. They use to mail your next queued immediately upon in-store exchange

I'm not minding the plan now. It's 14 bucks a month, & bet I get near a dozen movies a month, unless I forget that I have them or something. The job loss right now is pretty painful actually. One of my best friends has been in management with them for near a decade. It's going to suck for him

 

[Amaris]

Those really were good times, my friend.


I agree. That's terrible. I worked at a video store for a looong time (a small chain that was taken over by Movie Gallery) and whenever we weren't waiting on a customer, we were checking the drop box, putting movies away and straightening them )and cleaning). After Movie Gallery bought Hollywood Video, I helped out at Hollywood one night when they were short-handed. The place was run like some of those stories up above: the drop box was only checked 2 or 3 times a day and employees were arguing with the customers about late fees to the point where the customers were leaving the store without renting anything or paying the late fees. One night was all I could take of that place. They must have had 300 movies stacked up behind the counter while the customers couldn't find any New Releases to rent.

Wow! I mean, it was bad on occasion at Hollywood, but when I was there, that problem didn't exist!

No kidding, I'm always amazed by how petty some people can be, or how they can bear a lifetime grudge against a company for overcharging them $2 or $3.

And I think this whole thing about not checking the drop box is bunk. I used to rent from Blockbuster a lot and I can't recall ever being charged for a movie I returned on time. Plus, I can remember a lot of times when I've seen employees emptying the drop box while I was standing at the counter renting a movie. So either I'm one of the lucky ones or this drop box thing is being blown way out of proportion.

You may have been lucky. I've seen it happen quite often. It usually comes down to management. Each store is different. Our Manager, for example, didn't give a crap as long as corporate wasn't breathing down her neck. When I started there, the place was run fairly well, but kind of a bare minimum thing, where just enough was done to keep things orderly. Me, being OCD, got the place shipshape on my shifts, checked the drop box outside twice a day, and the inside one all the time.

I've been to Blockbusters where you were lucky to get someone to ring you up.

When I worked for Hollywood it was often a struggle to keep up with the returns, especially on the weekends. We'd have six registers going, with no time between transactions. Each time a movie dropped in the slot it was like a knife in the back, because we knew there was no one to check it in. We even had a guy ( sometimes two) whose sole job was to check in and reshelve rentals but he was not there all day. Trolling through the backlog tring to find that new release for a customer was fun. Especially when two or more people were after that one copy. Some nights it would take over two hours after closing to get everything back in place an restocked. We were a pretty busy store, one of the top earners in the company. Employees from other stores would leave shell shocked after working a shift in our store. Must have been a top earner to the bitter end as it was one of the last locations to shut down.

They cant blame anyone but themselves though. The folks running Hollywood and Blockbuster were shortsighted and ignored the obvious trends in media delivery. They should have sunk money into RandD and found ways to counter Netflix and RedBox early on instead of trying to play "their game" in brick and mortars by offering rental subscription programs and saying "mail order via the net will never catch on". Blending mail order, streaming and kiosks with their existing brick and mortars would have saved the companies ( but probably not the entire b&m format). Blockbuster was almost synonymous with movie renting. Now Netflix is.

Yeah, it got bad at our HV too. However, since I was OCD, I had long since developed a system, keeping track of what was popular and what wasn't, and so it was a little easier. All of my organizational skills came in handy. Of course, I gave a crap, which may be why things worked out as well as they did.

 

[tomalak301]

I'm not necessarily a fan of Blockbuster, but oen sad thing to come from all this is the fact that because of online rentals, that might eliminate the ability to browse the store and read what the movie is about on the back cover. Yeah you can do something like that with Netflix, but it's not necessarily as free and casual as it was at a video store. I remember I would go into a Blockbuster and look at different movies and what they were about, the run time, and stuff like that. I wouldn't get anything, but just the freedom to browse the store was nice. Can't really do stuff like that anymore if there were no video stores. Same thing with Books now, since Barnes and Noble is up for sale presumably because of Kindles and Ipads.