dvdjunkie32

Several sources have reported that Blockbuster will most likely go backrupt this year due to dvds being dirt cheap, and the success of Netflix. I have not rented a movie from a video store in probably a year now as many others.

If Blockbuster goes out of business, I call it poetic justice. Blockbuster chains erupted all over the US forcing small mom and pop video stores out of business. I grew up in a small town, and I can remember when Blockbuster finally moved in. Our town had 10 small video stores! Granted, most stores only had like 5 copies of new releases so they could afford to compete. Within 2 years, Blockbuster was the only renter in town.

I look back on the small rental days with nostaglia. With so few copies of the new releases, it was exciting to snag a new release. Sometimes, the stores would let u put them on reserve ahead of time. I can remember one time when my brother was in town, and I had Hunt for Red October on reserve. We ate out, and then I went to pick up the movie which was colored red. Simple pleasures can be the best.

DJ_Longfellow

Well, it upsets me since I have really adopted the GAMERUSH side of BlockBuster as my gaming needs. I have games pre-ordered throughout this year with all the deals they had. As for rentals, they are overpriced...but I use Blockbuster.com for my online rental service and they have been great

Spiderbite

Good. I worked for them (Blockbuster Music side) in the early to mid 90's and they are a shitty company.

duse

Nice Post. Those were good times. I remember hanging out at the Phar Mor trying to snag new releases. I guess they were not a mom and pop, but certainly not a Blockbuster type place. I did used to frequent a mom & pop store, that I liked so much, I actually tried to get a job at. They only hired family. I rented "Let There Be Rock" there. You think Blockbuster would have had that???? I had my room plastered w/ 50 cent (not the rap guy) movie horror posters I had bought there. I had forgotten about them until your post. Those were good times.

Quatermass

I have also been hearing that Blockbuster is in dire financial trouble, but remember that bankrupt does not mean out of business. K-Mart, Delta Airlines, United Airlines have all filed Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in the last 5 years and continue to operate.

mrhan

Yeah, I remember those days. I eventually became friends with one of the local owners and he would lend me screeners and give me his wholesale discount on LDs and DVDs I purchased. When he went out of business because of BB; I had no other choice but to go to BB. The terrible service and high rental prices really turned me off but when Netflix came along I haven't been in a BB since.

If they go out of business; so much the better. They killed all the independent rental places in my area.

Willh51

IMO, Blockbuster has gotten better and using their rewards program I got like five new releases for $10 over Christmas. I had BB online and liked it, but it's not viable for me to get it in college, I still like to swing by once a while for a rent though.

Michael Corvin

Posted a week ago

canaryfarmer

I have no huge love for BB, but there is one store near me that I will be sad to see go if it shuts down. They carry a ridiculous amount of foreign and niche dvds, ones I have never seen in any other Blockbuster. The people working there are really nice as well. The other BB's around Knoxville blow goat ass, but this one simply excels in all ways.

Richard Malloy

Hollywood's New Zombie: the last days of Blockbuster

Die, Blockbuster, die.

Giles

I agree I could care less about Blockbuster - the Hollywood Video near my job has a great extensive DVD/VHS collection of Hong Kong films (not the newer ones though) that is a treasure trove of interesting films. And then there's Potomac Video that carries some exploitation/nudie films (and the prerequisite porn) that Netflix doesn't carry either.

Joe Molotov

I haven't rented anything from Blockbuster in a long time. I generally either rent from Hastings (which is cheaper and has a better selection than BB and has better sales on used rentals) or one of the local mom & pop stores.

Jason Bovberg

I celebrate the closing of ANY Blockbuster store, so this has made my day. Thanks!

mr_jbloggs

I'm not sure why people would want BB to go under. As long as they around there will be price wars, when they are gone, competetors may raise prices. If you don't like the product/service of a company you have the choice to not give them your business.

medavidson

It's interesting how BBuster has created such passionate critics. I'm not a big fan of them myself but I don't want them to fall apart to the extent that they hurt the tens of thousands of employees and investors. I would rather see them see the error of their ways and make a come back by offering innovative products at competitive prices.

They have a pretty good plan and a pretty good base -- the tools they need to compete and defeat NetFlix. Can they execute? BBusters history will tell you "no", they'll F it up one way or another.

sxwxs

im glad my town has never put up a blockbuster, yet id prefer that to the new movie gallery just put in.

reading the first post reminded me as well of calling a couple of weeks ahead and reserving movies. my grandfather (r.i.p) was always bringing home new rentals every week and always had something on hold. thankfully, just a couple years ago someone opened up a dvd rental place here in town, though i rarely rent anymore, im still in there every weekend because the guy is always great about reserving the new releases for me to buy used for 9 bucks after he has had them out for a week. he keeps all the original packaging, slipcases and all. and they are always mint for he knows how picky i am. plus he always lets me have posters for free.

PixyJunket

Yay!

Next targét: Wal*Mart.

MovieExchange

You're a little out of whack here.

Yes, people don't have to give a company business if they don't like the product / prices / service. That's why Blockbuster is in so much trouble, because they are no longer a good business model. They were fine when they were the only big chain around, and could dictate prices. Now, however, there's other chains like Hollywood Video and Family Video, and they're actually being competitive, while Blockbuster is still in the "we're the only game in town so we can do whatever we want" mode. So how can you say there won't be price wars if they go under, when they aren't participating in those price wars and instead are keeping high prices? The price wars will continue with the companies that are still in the war, and it'll only get better if Blockbuster goes under, because then there will be competition to lure in the new customers.

tonyc3742

I'm no fan of Blockbuster, but I do like competition. Of course, they helped to eradicate the competition, so I didn't like that. The only video stores I have seen in the past few years have been BBO and a couple Hollywoods; even the small-town ones in my college town were going out of business, which was a great loss. But now BBO and Netflix are competing, and I like that. I don't want a clear victor in that competition.
And yes, if BB goes bankrupt/out of business, more innocent people who don't deserve the hate will be harmed than 'guilty parties'. Shape up, tighten up, offer what consumers want at a reasonable/competitive price. Of course, I don't know if they will, for what *I* think the customer needs/should have includes:
* more varied rental terms [1$/day maybe]
* more disks [movie and games, although I haven't rented a movie in BB for years]
* more selection [I get two free rentals from BBO, and I have to hunt down titles I'm even vaguely interested in]
* more fair late fees. I think the 'no late fees' thing has backfired on them, but they can't/shouldn't go back to the way it was. But maybe something like 75 cents or 1$ a day rental, variable rental period [ie, you decide when you return it], with a 'purchase' being billed to your account after 30 days. Now, people could still keep things out, but I'd bet a big reason people keep things out for a long time now is because they can. If I pay 4 bucks, and can keep something for anywhere from 2 to 13 days, I'll keep it as long as I want up to 13 days, I won't make an effort to return it on time. But by charging by the day, you don't get the 'late fee' stigma, but you do get that revenue.

Snowmaker

Plus, most of those stores usually had porn.

alfonsosoriano

The only time I ever go into Blockbuster is if I have a coupon, and that's rarely. I enjoy Hollywood more, especially since they have good deals on used DVDs.

dhmac

If "Ballbuster" actually goes under, I won't miss them. From their "fake late fees" on movies I had returned on-time (I never paid them, but had to get pissed off and argue with them until the fees were removed from my acct) that made me from then on always ask for a receipt on every return (never use the drop-box!), to them not honoring my "1 Free Rental Per Week for 10 Weeks Card" with no printed expiration date after only 5 rentals/weeks claiming it had expired, I switched over to NetFlix and a small specialty store ("Movies Worth Seeing" in Atlanta) exclusively 4 years ago and never looked back.

brainee

I'm not saddened by this. I swore BB about 10 years ago -- never set foot in one of their stores again and don't feel like I'm missing anything. Where I lived there was a great indy video store in town -- huge selection, great prices, no qualms about the "morality" of their selections. They did great business too. A BB store broke ground across the street. They advertised insanely low rental prices. The indy store went out of business. Within a week of the other store closing they jacked the prices up. I know -- "It's just business". But it really angered me.

joefrog91

You know, for every one person that had "fake late fees" there were 20 that had legitimate late fees. Everyone bitches and moans that they returned their movies on time. We would always see the movies "mysteriously" show up in the drop box the next day. This one lady tried to scream at me once and I told her, "People lie to me everyday."

Now, having said all that - Blockbuster really isn't a good company. The pay sucks and it's hard to advance to the corporate offices. I can see them going out of business one day. Hopefully, not too soon because I just joined the online rental side.

Libby

Blockbuster is a weak company, I'll take Rogers Video any day (canadian owned baby!) but alas one day Im sure all video stores will be obsolete. Ever since I began renting online Ive never thought twice about renting anymore its too much hassle. I love being surprised to see whats come in the mail as oppose to being surprised by a late movie call on my answering machine in the old days. The only time I rely on video stores now is for the PV titles.