R.I.P Blockbuster

[Mr. Adventure]

Aside from over charging and some really thoughtless public relation issues, I wonder what did they do to "bring it upon themselves". Surely they did not start as a company in that state.

I sent them a nasty letter after they sent a collection agency after me for a one-day two-movie late fee and then didn't go there for a decade or so. Every other store would just collect when you inevitably went to rent another movie.

That said, after all the video stores started closing up I reluctantly signed up again and they had a rent two out as long as you want games and movies plan with no late fees. All the clerks at my store were very friendly and knew me by name and would talk about what I thought of the movies I just watched and what they were watching and looking forward to and it was really fun and inviting to go rent there. Probably my favorite retail experience ever. Unfortunately, they didn't survive the initial wave of closings.

There is something about browsing at a video store and being able to see all the titles and reading the covers and all. I liked being able to rent whatever I was in the mood for that night. Though if Netflix could offer everything streaming that would alleviate a lot of it, there selection leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[Green Shirt]

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.

The adult section was behind the "employees only" door in the far corner.

 

[WillsBabe]

I remember watching Blockbuster coming intotown and putting all the independents out of business - the corner shops, the guys who came around with videos to rent in the back of their cars. Now something else has replaced it. Circle of life, I guess.

 

[Bagliun Edar]

I don't see a Blockbuster since years ago. I thought they were already gone.

 

[Lindley]

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Il-VhPZU_CM[/yt]

For the impatient, the relevant bit is at 3:49.

 

[Gaith]

I remember watching Blockbuster coming intotown and putting all the independents out of business - the corner shops, the guys who came around with videos to rent in the back of their cars.

For real?!

 

[Random_Spock]

I remember going up to my local Blockbuster (often called Blockhead by me and my friends -- due to their return policy) and renting movies and games over the years. Tried out Pokémon Snap back when they let people try games out there. Worth every cent. And I got started watching the X-Files due to renting Ice there on VHS.

Good bye Blockbuster, thanks for the memories.

 

[WillsBabe]

the guys who came around with videos to rent in the back of their cars.

For real?![/QUOTE]

Yeah, back in the mid to late 80s. You'd rent it one evening and they'd come back a couple of nights later and pick 'em up. And you could chose Betamax or VHS. (I'm so old I can remember Phillips 2000!)

 

[RandyS]

the guys who came around with videos to rent in the back of their cars.

For real?!

Yeah, back in the mid to late 80s. You'd rent it one evening and they'd come back a couple of nights later and pick 'em up. And you could chose Betamax or VHS. (I'm so old I can remember Phillips 2000!)[/QUOTE]

Was that something that was exclusive to your neighborhood? We certainly never had anybody doing that. The cops would have been on them before they knew what hit them.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

the guys who came around with videos to rent in the back of their cars.

For real?!

Yeah, back in the mid to late 80s. You'd rent it one evening and they'd come back a couple of nights later and pick 'em up.

Or bust your kneecaps...

 

[Jptrekker]

I agree, it is the end of an era. I worked for Hollywood Video back in the day, right as DVDs were becoming a thing. Still, 95% of our inventory were VHS tapes, and I remember running our half dozen rewinders (thanks people!), opening and splicing broken videotapes, and asking people if they wanted to pay on their late fees (the biggest late fee I ever saw was a $95 late fee for one VHS tape).

It was a neat experience.

That brings back memories. I used to work at Movie Gallery. At our store you paid the 'extended viewing fee' or you didn't rent anything else. I got so good at splicing videotapes that I had customers bringing in their personal tapes for me to fix.

Nice.

Yeah, we had people who were flagged as not being able to rent, but then they'd bring in their friends, who would pay for the video, and then hand it right to them. Our manager didn't care.

I used to manage a Blockbuster (about 17 years ago) and we'd try to charge the credit card number on file for late fees over two weeks old. Some late fees were sent to collections, but mostly fees for un-returned games, the game would come back when the parent got the bill and they searched the kid's room.

I always told folks to never give a debit card number because of the "extended viewing charges".

About once a month I'd drive down to the Hollywood Video store for a hostage exchange, returning the hollywood movies people returned Blockbuster and getting the BBV movies people returned to Hollywood.

ah memories. Haven't been in a blockbuster in over a decade.

 

[Amaris]

Oh man, I remember the time we received a whole bunch of Blockbuster videos in our deposit box. Fun times indeed.

 

[Christopher]

"Hostage exchange."

 

[bigdaddy]

My only Blockbuster memory is that they once argued with me over something stupid, accused me of stealing, or trying to steal and wanted two forms of photo ID (I was a teenager in high school and didn't drive) over a coupon or something really insane.

I never step foot in one again.

 

[TemporalFlux]

My Blockbuster memory is standing in line beside a family looking at a magazine while making very personal, insulting comments about Michael Jackson (almost like they were talking about a guy that lived down the street from them). I finally couldn't help myself and turned to the girl talking.

"Aren't you being kind of harsh?" I said; "You act like you know the guy."

She responded, "I'm Brandy"

I responded, "Well, I'm Daniel; but I still wouldn't talk about the guy like that."

After she stormed out in a huff, someone tried to explain to me that she was Moesha; never heard of the show before that.

 

[publiusr]

Now I miss Suncoast and blockbuster. I like walking around and looking at products, buying some of the tie in items as they catch my eye.

Damn this downloadable world.

Well, I can still hear well on my land line.

 

[Peach Wookiee]

I just rented from my local grocery store. $2.99 for two videos for seven days. And I get stuff from my local library too. I prefer physical media anyway.

 

[WillsBabe]

the guys who came around with videos to rent in the back of their cars.

For real?!

Yeah, back in the mid to late 80s. You'd rent it one evening and they'd come back a couple of nights later and pick 'em up. And you could chose Betamax or VHS. (I'm so old I can remember Phillips 2000!)

Was that something that was exclusive to your neighborhood? We certainly never had anybody doing that. The cops would have been on them before they knew what hit them.[/QUOTE]

I'm not sure. We were living in the North East of England at the time. I remember that the videos were stacked on their ends (spines up) in the boot of the car. The seats were down and because I'm short, I could never bend over the far enough to read the spines.

 

[Agent Richard07]

I only recently learned that "boot" means "trunk".

 

[RandyS]

I'm not sure. We were living in the North East of England at the time. I remember that the videos were stacked on their ends (spines up) in the boot of the car. The seats were down and because I'm short, I could never bend over the far enough to read the spines.

Ah. You lived in England. That explains it. Different rules and stuff....