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Blockbuster is closing the doors

People used to pile into the car TOGETHER and go to Blockbuster and make that ritual tour around the outside walls where the new releases were. Mom and Dad got one, the teenager got one, and you picked that Animation release for the little one that the whole family watched together. Had to watch them quick before the late fees started kicking in. There was something magical about it all.

Now, it's three instant purchases watched on three seperate TVs or iPads, and everyone stays buried with their nose in their phone.

Technology takes away more value from our lives than it adds. I'm convinced.
 
Sherman123 said:
Well... I mean technically they increasingly aren't. I'm in my early 20's so I grew up with video stores, but didn't really get into music until digitization had killed off most physical music consumption so I never had the chance to miss it. Likewise I imagine that as time goes on no one will miss video stores because no one will have grown up with them. I bet people felt similarly when other things passed away like the advent of the supermarket over your local farmer or grocer.
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Well, yeah, I mean eventually no one will be alive to miss anything old. But right now, today, this very minute? I miss video stores, and I miss record stores.
 
Erod said:
People used to pile into the car TOGETHER and go to Blockbuster and make that ritual tour around the outside walls where the new releases were. Mom and Dad got one, the teenager got one, and you picked that Animation release for the little one that the whole family watched together. Had to watch them quick before the late fees started kicking in. There was something magical about it all.

Now, it's three instant purchases watched on three seperate TVs or iPads, and everyone stays buried with their nose in their phone.

Technology takes away more value from our lives than it adds. I'm convinced.
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This is full of assumptions and stereotypes. For one thing, what would keep that first family from simply having one person go get each of the others and themselves videos, then everyone go to their separate rooms to watch on their separate TVs/computers? Second, what keeps the second group (digital watchers) from gathering around one TV hooked up to the various game units that play Netflix from watching altogether (like my family does quite often)? Either families want to spend time together and will, whether it is watching rented movies or digital movies, or they won't and they'll find something else to do for each person.
 
Erod said:
People used to pile into the car TOGETHER and go to Blockbuster and make that ritual tour around the outside walls where the new releases were. Mom and Dad got one, the teenager got one, and you picked that Animation release for the little one that the whole family watched together. Had to watch them quick before the late fees started kicking in. There was something magical about it all.

Now, it's three instant purchases watched on three seperate TVs or iPads, and everyone stays buried with their nose in their phone.

Technology takes away more value from our lives than it adds. I'm convinced.
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Well yeah, if you let it. I still have movie time with the family. My girls are 16 and 14, but we still do things together. We all have our gadgets - laptops, tablets, iPads, iPhones, etc, but I don't let them run our lives. If I get tired of seeing my daughter buried in her phone, I tell her to put it down and rejoin the family. I get eyes rolled at me :lol: but she does rejoin the family. We just got a movie 2 nights ago, and watched it together. We do this often. Hell, my 16 year old bought a puzzle the other night, for us to put together. A puzzle. I was so shocked at that - that she wanted us to do a puzzle together? Loved it, but was shocked. I think of some of the teenage girls I know - they'd not only not do the puzzle with their mom - they'd deliberately lose pieces so Mom would lose her mind trying to finish it.
 
Perhaps the President can do something to save this company. Blockbusters are unionized, are they not?
 
Superfly said:
Well yeah, if you let it. I still have movie time with the family. My girls are 16 and 14, but we still do things together. We all have our gadgets - laptops, tablets, iPads, iPhones, etc, but I don't let them run our lives. If I get tired of seeing my daughter buried in her phone, I tell her to put it down and rejoin the family. I get eyes rolled at me :lol: but she does rejoin the family. We just got a movie 2 nights ago, and watched it together. We do this often. Hell, my 16 year old bought a puzzle the other night, for us to put together. A puzzle. I was so shocked at that - that she wanted us to do a puzzle together? Loved it, but was shocked. I think of some of the teenage girls I know - they'd not only not do the puzzle with their mom - they'd deliberately lose pieces so Mom would lose her mind trying to finish it.
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I love puzzles (have a couple dozen between mine and my sons') and my husband, brother, and I do game nights playing Phase 10 or one of dozens of board games we have, plus play boardgames and UNO with my sons. It all depends on the family and whether they are willing to be together, not what technology is available or a family might have. Heck, we have several game systems (multiple of some), several TVs, more computers than family members, Iphones, Ipads, Nooks, and more in our house, and we still have family time. And I don't have teens, only a 5 and 4 year old (they don't actually have anything besides a Leapster). My husband is a techno geek. He loves his toys, but he will play boardgames/cardgames with me anytime I ask.
 
Red Box is the one that is killing off whats left of videos stores here. That and now pumping in movies from theatres for Pay per view.

We get videos and we go to Red Box. They don't always have some of the Newly released in. But one can usually get them in a week. Plus all of the Boxes are not the same. So while one may not have a certain, another may. Which now we have the Boxes up outside Walgreens. Besides the grocery stores and some Mini Mart Gas stations.
 
Superfly said:
Well yeah, if you let it. I still have movie time with the family. My girls are 16 and 14, but we still do things together. We all have our gadgets - laptops, tablets, iPads, iPhones, etc, but I don't let them run our lives. If I get tired of seeing my daughter buried in her phone, I tell her to put it down and rejoin the family. I get eyes rolled at me :lol: but she does rejoin the family. We just got a movie 2 nights ago, and watched it together. We do this often. Hell, my 16 year old bought a puzzle the other night, for us to put together. A puzzle. I was so shocked at that - that she wanted us to do a puzzle together? Loved it, but was shocked. I think of some of the teenage girls I know - they'd not only not do the puzzle with their mom - they'd deliberately lose pieces so Mom would lose her mind trying to finish it.
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Mornin SF.
hat.gif
We use to do the same thing with puzzles as a family. I luv putting them together. Then we would glue them and put them in a frame. We did one 10k just my sons and I.....and I still have it up today. It was of a Wizard slaying a Dragon. Frazetta or Boris like pic. Awesome Puzzle.

I even tried with the OL after the kids left. She just isn't into them. I told my sons I had one out anytime they stop by help with it. This one is of some Big Cats 2500pcs. It's usually them or their friends that put a piece in here and there.
 
Mornin', MMC.

That's cool that you and your sons do that together, and also you, RogueNuke. I love game night with my girls but it's hard to get time to do it now. Always something going on, somebody darting off here or there. They're getting older. :( :( Would it be considered child abuse if I locked them in their rooms?
 
Superfly said:
It wasn't a waste of space and time until Redbox and Netflix came along. Until then, it was the only way to watch movies.
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It was (like pay-per-view) a tax on the impatient. They show them on premium cable channels 6 months later.
 
Superfly said:
Well yeah, if you let it. I still have movie time with the family. My girls are 16 and 14, but we still do things together. We all have our gadgets - laptops, tablets, iPads, iPhones, etc, but I don't let them run our lives. If I get tired of seeing my daughter buried in her phone, I tell her to put it down and rejoin the family. I get eyes rolled at me :lol: but she does rejoin the family. We just got a movie 2 nights ago, and watched it together. We do this often. Hell, my 16 year old bought a puzzle the other night, for us to put together. A puzzle. I was so shocked at that - that she wanted us to do a puzzle together? Loved it, but was shocked. I think of some of the teenage girls I know - they'd not only not do the puzzle with their mom - they'd deliberately lose pieces so Mom would lose her mind trying to finish it.
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I know the eye roll well.
 
Superfly said:
Well it's easier, but easier doesn't always mean better.
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I understand nostaglia, but the only way I can see how Blockbuster is better is that you can get it that very day.

If you can wait a day, I can't think of any advantage a Blockbuster would have. Nostaglia =! better.
 
There's still local video stores up, but I have largely given up on them. I rent from time to time, but I figure that the way things are going, I am going to have to buy the films physically in order to see them. Streaming, not so much in the way of consistent, deep, or impeccable selection. Downloading: very rarely do you even have much in the way of "rights" and price-quality is such that I end up buying the movie on Blu-ray.

Red Box is good if you want a limited selection of recently-released titles. Otherwise, the thing sucks.
 
fmw said:
No question that Netflix is a far, far better way to rent movies.
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True that. For 8 bucks a month, I can watch a crapload of stuff. I got rid of my cable as a result.
 
When I was in my pre-teens my family got its first VCR. This was back in the days when the remote was a single button on a loooong wire that plugged into the VCR. You could only pause using the remote.

Back then we had a local chain called "Erol's" which is an interesting story in itself... I've never seen a company reinvent itself so many times. From TV seller to furniture rental to VHS/Beta rental to custom desktop PC builder to internet dial-up provider in the span of about 20 years. It was 25 cents for a one week rental. We had A few movies on nearly permanent rental.

By the time Blockbuster came along Erols had gone and the primary competition was Hollywood Video and Blockbuster.

Anyway, I do have fond memories of renting movies based purely on the cover art. Some movies I now love were rented only because we had no choices late on a Saturday night.

We aren't losing brick and mortar stores. At least in my area there isn't a shortage of shops to fill the strip malls. There just aren't any blockbusters anymore.

I agree though, I won't miss their late fees.
 
this movie was rented from a video store in my hometown in 2008 :

funnydvd.jpg

they went out of business the week after i took this photo.
 
Superfly said:
Well it's easier, but easier doesn't always mean better. I was talking to my husband about this last night, and we were talking about how so many things are becoming obsolete that were a part of growing up. Bookstores? Video stores? Record/CD stores? Lots of things are no longer needed, but that doesn't mean they aren't missed.
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Yeah. It was actually kind of FUN to go to the video store and browse through all the movies, and pick a couple out to watch later in the comfort of our own home.

Netflix IS far more convenient, not to mention cheaper, but it lacks a certain something in comparison.
 
Goshin said:
Yeah. It was actually kind of FUN to go to the video store and browse through all the movies, and pick a couple out to watch later in the comfort of our own home.

Netflix IS far more convenient, not to mention cheaper, but it lacks a certain something in comparison.
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Yup. I tell you something else - brick and mortar stores had the marketing that Redbox doesn't. Also, when I'd go on Friday nights, I'd let my kids go browse through the kids movies to pick what they wanted. They aren't going to "browse" the big poster at Redbox and find anything. If anything, Redbox has made me rent significantly less. It was nothing for me to drop a $20 bill to get some of the newer movies for the weekend. Redbox? They're lucky if they get a dollar a week from me. Honestly, it's more like I spend a dollar a month. I only watch what I really want to watch.
 
Cardinal said:
Correction: the combination of Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and other pay-for-view websites are a far better way, as the selection of each alone is kind of terrible.

Anyway, it was never possible for video rental stores (even just that name alone is so anachronistic) could possibly compete with instant streaming (and torrents).

I will, however, miss those independent rental stores that made a point of stocking everything.
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Accept for Hulu Plus. When I did have it I hated that I paid for the service and still had to watch Ads.
 
Goshin said:
Yeah. It was actually kind of FUN to go to the video store and browse through all the movies, and pick a couple out to watch later in the comfort of our own home.

Netflix IS far more convenient, not to mention cheaper, but it lacks a certain something in comparison.
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Not to mention the stores had a variety of movie watching snacks that couldn't be found anywhere else at the time.
 
I'd been hearing for years when I was with Movie Gallery that movies were going to be streamed by the cable companies. The business model was going to be like "all the movies will be available, and they will start at $1 and go up in price." Each cable company would have access to every title, or something like that. They are getting there, but they have a long way to go.
 
cpgrad08 said:
Not to mention the stores had a variety of movie watching snacks that couldn't be found anywhere else at the time.
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Yup. Plus video rental stores always offered the pre-played titles for a huge discount. I filled my DVD library with pre-played titles.
 
cpgrad08 said:
Accept for Hulu Plus. When I did have it I hated that I paid for the service and still had to watch Ads.
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Services like Netflix have spoiled you. Before instant streaming we were paying for service and watching ads anyway.
 
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