Posted on 07/15/2018 3:40:22 PM PDT by BBell
A man parked his motorcycle on the sidewalk Saturday morning, ruining the aesthetic of the last remaining Blockbuster in the continental United States.
"You can't park there," general manager Sandi Harding told the man as he walked into the store in Bend, Oregon. "People are trying to take pictures."
The man paused for a beat. There was confusion in his response.
"Trying to take pictures?"
Somehow he had missed the past decade, when Blockbuster the video rental behemoth became Blockbuster the fallen victim of modernity.
In 2004, at the company's peak, 9,000 Blockbuster outlets studded city blocks and suburban strip malls nationwide, a one-time indelible fixture of the family movie night. But soon after, Netflix, Redbox and the cold march of digital progress eroded the customer base at each store.
Thousands of Blockbuster stores were closed through July 2018, leaving only three: two in Alaska, and Harding's store in Bend.
"Every day, even before this, people would drive by and see the 'Open' sign and say, 'Oh my gosh. How are you still here? Why are you still here?'" Harding told The Washington Post in a Saturday phone interview as her store buzzed with activity, including the arrival of the oblivious motorcyclist.
Now gawkers and tourists stop in Bend and line up to take photos in front of the store.
There is, in a literal sense, nothing else quite like it in the lower 48.
And after Sunday, when the stores in Anchorage and Fairbanks close for the last time, the location on NE Revere Avenue will be the sole Blockbuster in the entire country.
Harding has been with the company for 14 years and joined the Bend location on Revere in May 2005. She insisted that nothing big changed. Customer service keeps people coming back, and new titles, such as NBC's
(Excerpt) Read more at nola.com ...
At one point, Blockbuster was given the opportunity to purchase Netflix, lock, stock and barrel for $50 million. They declined. You know the rest.
I did not know that. Thanks for the info.
I remember going to one somewhere near Russellville in the early 80s. It was pretty small in comparison to the Walmarts of today. Would that have been one of the original 4?
There’s nothing worth watching at the movie theaters, so therefore when the same movies come to Redbox, they’re not worth renting. Although I did just recently rent Chappaquidik, but I was disappointed in it. Pretty boring.
I should also have added this in my last reply:
If Blockbuster had purchased Netflix I have a feeling they would not have known what to do with it.
Large corporations that dominate a market usually run on their inertia and never allow the free thinking people with vision to flourish within the company. CEO's and Boards are more rewarded for stasis than innovation and since most of them have very nice Golden Parachutes they have no skin in the game.
If Blockbuster had made the purchase I bet there would have been another upstart company that would have filled the niche and blown their doors off while Netflix would have languished and died on the vine.
been gone
I have that problem as well with volume. I noticed it’s not as bad with the euro stuff I watch. Go figure.
Netflix's original model was to showcase older movies (presumably) cheaper than new releases. These were the campy sci-fi that would appeal to younger guys. They also appealed to techies who would consider streaming and pushing the limits on their ISPs.
Good observation on BB not knowing what to do with Netflix. The timing and cost model was enough to make it fail at the time.
A new Marco’s pizza recently opened around the block.
Good stuff.
In the beginning Netflix was DVDs via the mail. Streaming was almost unheard of because everything was done via phone modem and there were severe FCC restrictions on maximum speeds. When you became a member you would just order what you wanted, they sent it with a return envelope, and you mailed it back when done. With membership you could do this as many times as you wanted. It should have fit right in at Blockbuster but they didn’t catch on. If they had some folks with ingenuity they would have been able to transfer that to streaming when faster options for Internet service came online.
Like I wrote, the corporate inertia at Blockbuster would not let them take chances and innovate.
The one in Charlevoix,Mi. is now an O’Reilly Auto Parts store.
been gone
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...it was a joke Mr. Whatever.
Whatever dude to you!
There were 3 where I live. One is a library, after being a fitness club and then a furniture store. One is a physical therapy and sports medicine office and the other one is split into a Jersey Mike’s Subs and a Salad Station. At least they found a use for the buildings.
I used to sell (place) pay telephones at $450 a pop.
You’re right I recall that now!
LOL. The audio is 5.1 stereo. Get an audio system with a center channel and the dialogue will be perfectly audible.
Blockbuster had Redbox-type DVD kiosks for awhile. We had several around here.
“I remember buying a DVD player sometime back in the very late 1990’s and there was a coupon for the new Netflix.”
When smart TVs first came out, Netflix paid to have manufacturers place a “Netflix” button on the remote. Samsung, Vizio, etc, were happy to do so.
5 years later, Netflix started charging those same companies to put a Netflix button on their remotes.
Love them or hate them, they understand business.
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