First of all, I am going to say that I am a huge fan of being able to just click a button and watch just about any movie or show I want right on my TV, so I don’t have to get my ass off the couch.
Netflix (give me Stranger Things 3!) Hulu (The Handmaid’s Tale confuses the hell out of me… But I watch.) Prime Video (I get to watch Friday Night Lights over & over again and I love every second of it.)
However, there was something about going to Blockbuster and picking out a movie to bring home. That feeling of anticipation as a kid waiting to see if Mom said she would take you or not… A feeling that kids today will never know, since they get everything they want in two seconds.
Blockbuster was more than just a movie store… It was a life lesson store for kids of the 90’s, it taught us:
Patience: We couldn’t press a button & there’s a movie, we had to drive to the store and pick it out! WHAT IF IT’S SNOWING?! (Oh yeah we went outside!)
Decision Making: We usually could pick out one MAYBE two movies. What do I want? What do I want? Horror, comedy, new release??
Problem Solving: You knew it might happen, but you were never ready for it.. You find the movie you want.. You grab the display box, boom there’s none left! Quick, shift to plan B before your parents make you leave with nothing.
Responsibility: In the VHS days (VHS for you youngin’s) make sure to rewind it. DVD… Don’t you dare scratch it. And the golden rule, make sure you remember the due day or that late fee is coming out of your allowance!
I can’t lie I thought Blockbuster has been dead for years, but apparently I was wrong. There are three left (but sadly 2 of the 3 are closing.) The location in Bend, Oregon will be the last remaining store after the last two stores close in Alaska. WHAT WILL THE ALASKAN BUSH PEOPLE DO?!
QUARTZ “Two other remaining locations, in Alaska, are closing soon, the owners announced on July 12. At its peak in the mid-2000s, Blockbuster was a behemoth that had 9,000 stores worldwide.”
This makes my heart hurt, but thankful I was a kid in Blockbuster’s glory days! First thing I learned in business class was you need to change with the times, and like a stubborn asshole Blockbuster didn’t (and made fun of evolutions like Netflix) Soo… Sorry Charlie, tough shit.
I personally blame the entitled laziness of today’s youth to not learning the life lessons of Blockbuster, and having instant movie and TV gratification.
But since I’m grown up (can’t be a Toy’s R Us kid anymore) you will find me on the couch binge-watching a bunch of pointless shit and loving every second of it… Sorry Blockbuster.
Kevin “That Guy”
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