Posted on 03/06/2019 6:38:44 PM PST by EdnaMode
It's lonely at the top.
That's what the Blockbuster in Bend, Oregon, discovered when the only other store in the world -- located in Australia -- announced it was closing. Although Sandi Harding, the general manager of the Oregon Blockbuster, is excited that hers is the last Blockbuster on the planet, she expressed her condolences for friends at the Australia store.
"We all have a kinship with the other Blockbusters," Harding told CNN. The Oregon location has been open for more than 20 years. It offers customers the newest movie releases, but Harding says the classic older titles are the store's "bread and butter."
"You can go to Redbox and you can get the new titles, but they don't have the older ones," Harding said. "Netflix and Amazon don't have everything, either."
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
She’s got the market cornered.
Vinyl came back. Maybe VHS will too.
Blockbusted
Magnetic media degrades. I was a diehard cassette tape guy. Still got a case of them in my pickup and a few of them still work.
I miss my Easy Rider 8-track tape.
I have access to a network of libraries that,together,have just about every English language DVD ever released...as well as a fair number of Blurays. No need for Blockbuster...or HBO...or Netflix.
People come in to TALK.
If they know their movies - they will stay open.
Used to be great having miles of tape around you went things went awry :)
I hope they invested all those rewind and late fees wisely.
****************
SUSAN: So, what have you got there?
GEORGE: Oh, I, uh—
SUSAN: Oh, ``Rochelle, Rochelle’’
GEORGE: It’s a foreign movie... a *film*, is what it is, actually.
SUSAN: Yeah... A lot of nudity in that, huh?
GEORGE: No, no, no... Just a *tiny* bit... It’s not even *frontal* nudity. It’s... *sidal* nudity...
CLERK: Next.
GEORGE: Oh, that’s me.
SUSAN: Alright, well... Good seeing you, George.
GEORGE: Yes, good to see you, too. And Good luck with, uh... with the whole thing, there.
CLERK: Uh, what are you returning?
GEORGE: [embarrassed pause] ``Rochelle, Rochelle’’.
CLERK: Ah, ``Rochelle, Rochelle’’... “A young girl’s strange, erotic journey from Milan to Minsk”...
CLERK: Uh, that’ll be, uh... $3.49.
GEORGE: $3.49? It says $1.49.
CLERK: Well, you didn’t rewind it. There’s a $2.00 charge for not rewinding.
GEORGE: What! There’s no signs here! This is an outrage!
KRAMER: George, don’t give him any money for that. It’ll cost you less to keep it another day, rewind it and bring it back tomorrow. Don’t give him the satisfaction.
GEORGE: I’m not giving you the satisfaction. I’m gonna watch it again...
**********
[Cut to the video store where George tells the clerk about the video. Susan shows up and George asks her]
GEORGE: Listen, I gotta ask you: I was a little concerned that perhaps I was responsible in some way for your, uh... metamorphosis.
CLERK: That’ll be $98.00.
GEORGE: What $98.00?
CLERK: That’s what I said. $98.00.
GEORGE: How could that piece of *crap* cost $98.00!?
(He borrows $35 from Susan to pay for the movie)
GEORGE: So, was it me?
SUSAN: Oh, don’t be ridiculous! Is that what you wanted to talk to me about? [Gives him the $35] Here.
GEORGE: Oh, thanks. Thanks a lot. I’ll pay you back.
SUSAN: Yeah, *sure*... I gotta go.
GEORGE: Listen. Let me ask you something. If you and Mona were ever to... dance, how do you decide who leads? I mean... do you take turns? Do you discuss it beforehand? How does that work?
SUSAN: You’re an idiot.
GEORGE: Why? That’s a *legitimate* sociological question.
SUSAN: I’ll see ya. And George, by the way... You stink... Real bad.
GEORGE: It’s not me! It’s the car!
Back in the day I would rent movies and write a check to ‘Lackluster Video’. They never noticed.
I remember Blockbuster. Either my HS GF’S dragged me there on Saturday nights or I dragged them Friday nights when we were broke. Good times.
My older brothers went to other VHS and DVD stores with an extra “back” room with lots on umm, interesting titles..
We must be able to learn some deeply meaningful message from what happened with Blockbuster.
I used to be a LaserDisc snob, and my Blockbuster carrried them ...
Wonder if they have any Beta videos there?
Al Bundy will have a very long drive.
And he used to complain about driving to Milwaukee for Beta videos.
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