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Dish network buys Blockbuster.

It's such a catch 22. In addition to online rental and streaming, I think the crappy browsing selections, high blu-ray prices, and crazy rental fees also killed brick and mortar stores- in the same way Borders and Barnes and Nobles big mainstream pushes and forgetting the smaller selection has ruined them. I like being able to go to a store and browse to rent or buy a movie. But when you go into a Blockbuster and they have 100 of the same new movie that costs too much to rent and they don't have the small older movie your looking for, duh its not worth it.

Once all this crap bursts, I hope smaller chains like Moviestop or a return to smaller book stores can be independent of kissing studio and publisher butt and have what clientele want instead.
 
I too would like to see a revival of the mom-and-pop video store. I loved the video store my brother and I could walk to.
 
The last Blockbuster in the area closed today. I went in and bought There Will Be Blood on Blu-ray for $7.99. They still had a ton of decent Blu-rays left, but were only selling them for 25% off. The DVDs were all 2.99. They had about 80 copies of Whiteout. :lol:
 
Starbreaker said:
The last Blockbuster in the area closed today. I went in and bought There Will Be Blood on Blu-ray for $7.99. They still had a ton of decent Blu-rays left, but were only selling them for 25% off. The DVDs were all 2.99. They had about 80 copies of Whiteout. :lol:
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The only thing good about Whiteout was Kate Beckinsale's semi-nude scene with her in the shower. But it was served out as a, "Look, guys, it's the freakin' South Pole so you cannot expect to see a whole heck of a lot of skin so soak this in while it lasts."

I didn't think "Whiteout" was a terrible movie just really disappointing I thought the secret was going to be more and all it was was just some heist.

But I'll say probably one of the more uncomfortable things for me was Kate's character getting the fingers amputated that was just unsettling as such things just freak me out.
 
Our local Blockbuster just went out of business today as well. We bought a few of the $2.99 movies. I can't say I'll miss the store. It's just not as good of a deal. I can see older folks who don't use computers going there, but that generation will be gone somewhat soon, replaced by those who have been using computers intimately for most of their lives. The face to face contact that an actual store provides will, I believe, become less popular or desired.

I did enjoy walking through the aisles, browsing through all of the movies when I was younger. But I must admit that it can be done just as easily online. In fact, it is even better since they will tailor what you are seeing to your likes. So instead of walking through the aisles of crap looking for some gems, instead I get pages and pages of gems, many that I can watch online instantly or receive in the mail the next day. I mean, you really can't beat that, especially for the low price.
 
Yeah I went to a few that closed near me and the prices of the dvds were slowly being lowered each week along with a lot of other merchandise and hardware. Blu ray was still something like 40% but I really wouldn't want a used rental blu-ray, too damn sensitive!

I started looking for the closing sales at other area Blockbusters, but some of them just seemed to close overnight with no sales at all. There is one left near my parents house that I have to keep an eye on. I agree some of their prices are still way to high, and most people it seems don't know about the closing sales if they have them. I waited till the final day at my nearest store to get some of those movies they have 50 copies of, yeah. No use paying full price for something that is stacked as tall as I am!
 
Now, see, when our Hollywood Video shut down, the last 3 weeks it was a crazy sale. You could get 3 DVDs for $5, 5 for $7, Blu-rays were anywhere from $3 to $10 each. On the last day of the sale, whatever was left was a $1 per DVD. Then they started selling the furniture. Now THAT was a sale!
 
Blockbuster has a few advantages over Netflix and Redbox: they have some new releases 28 days earlier, they have a much larger selection of older movies as Level 2 D mentioned, and they have video games. I work for DISH Network and now that the acquisition has gone through they have lowered the rental prices and are offering new subscribers 3 months free of Blockbuster’s mail-in services. <http://goo.gl/wuMrN> I say there’s a very likely chance that Blockbuster isn’t going anywhere, it’s just being re-vamped to be top contender in the industry.
 
Streaming is the future. Content providers, ISP's and studios need to see that. We are getting internet-enabled TV's nowadays, Apple's iPad sales are through the roof. I find myself and the wifey curling up in bed and watching Modern Family / Cougartown on the ABC app, or Game of Thrones on the HBO app more and more than watching it on the TV. Or better yet, attach the iPad / iPhone to the TV out cable and watch it on the beg screen as we goof off. We don't wait till the exact time shows air anymore. Hell, dont even know when they air.

But content providers and studios are trying their best to hold onto the decades old model of entertainment showings that are drying up.. fast. Studios specifically need to create their 'own' Netflix type portals where for a few bucks a month you can have access to their entire library. In HD. Why would I want to get in the car, go to a physical store and then get my two DVD's for the weekend when I can have any and all movies at my fingertips for under 20 bucks a month?
 
Data Holmes said:
So, your squabble is over saving $0.99/DVD. Also Most BB stores are understaffed because of corporate dictates on payroll hours.

As for the quality of staff, that differs from location to location and has a lot to do with the store managers choice.
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No, his squabble is over convenience, ease, and not having to deal with emo goth kids, lines, and wasting gas driving to and from the store, not to mention the aforementioned "bogus late fees" and other little extras you jerks throw into the mix.

Better selection, cheaper prices (and yes, 99 cents adds up over time), better interaction, seach capabilities, instant view, and the ability to watch a new movie practically every night if you set things up right wins in the end.

The only people who bicker and moan about online services are the fuddy duddy's who either never tried it or are elitist jackholes. And, frankly, they can have their more expensive, worse selection, line-waiting, rude employing stores for as long as they last.

(Hint: There's a reason Blockbuster filed for bankruptcy, why landlords are ousting the stores, and etc. And guess what: It's not a conspiracy. It's that it's grossly inferior to other options, and everyone with half a brain knows it.)
 
I use blockbuster's postal service in the UK and it's very good, however I haven't been in a store (the nearest one is 3 miles away) in almost ten years.
 
Holy crap.... I found a Blockbuster yesterday, that is apparently still doing well in the middle of the ghetto.
 
^^^ Ha -- I've been meaning to get back to this thread. Our Blockbuster that closed because the rent went up? A month later (or less) they re-opened the store. :techman:

The employees said it was because Dish bought the franchise and wanted them back because they'd always been a profitable location. Glad to have them back.
 
If Redbox got PS3 games for $5 for a week or something, I would be in gamer Heaven. I'm just simply too cheap to pay $60 for games, and don't really want a subscription based service since I don't game THAT much.
 
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