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NEWS: Blockbuster to Close 500 U.S. Video Rental Stores


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j Talbain



Joined: 27 Oct 2010
Posts: 279
Location: Toronto, Ontario
PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 12:06 am Reply with quote
All the blockbusters in Canada are closed down.
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Surrender Artist



Joined: 01 May 2011
Posts: 3264
Location: Pennsylvania, USA
PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 12:17 am Reply with quote
Here I'd thought that Blockbuster Video was already dead.

I had a membership card in my wallet for years. It was for an account that my father had opened in 1990. The card wasn't even old enough to drink before its old man died.

The last time I tried to rent anything there, I stood in front of the registers waiting for two minutes for one of the staff to offer to do his damned job for but they just ignored me to talk amongst themselves before, so I just put what I had wanted to rent back on the shelf and left without ever being noticed.


Last edited by Surrender Artist on Tue Feb 28, 2012 12:21 am; edited 1 time in total
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chrisb
Subscriber



Joined: 07 May 2006
Posts: 641
Location: USA
PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 12:18 am Reply with quote
Went to a Blockbuster that was closing down just last weekend. I was looking forward to some very inexpensive movies, but it ended up being a very depressing trip. Many of the workers are struggling due to how quickly the store was being shut down. I really hope things turn around for them.

I remember Blockbuster used to be a pretty fun place, but after so many unnecessary changes that angered customers it went downhill fast.
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Tenchi



Joined: 03 Jan 2002
Posts: 4543
Location: Ottawa... now I'm an ex-Anglo Montrealer.
PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 12:25 am Reply with quote
j Talbain wrote:
All the blockbusters in Canada are closed down.


You got that right, and I really miss it. I haven't rented a movie or a video game since about June, so I haven't caught up on all the movies I've missed.

I really gotta get a membership at Jumbo Video, the only rental store left in my area. (I'm a physical media guy who refuses to be assimilated by the Borg by joining Netflix, which is streaming-only in Canada.)
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Buster Blader 126



Joined: 14 May 2005
Posts: 1207
Location: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 12:30 am Reply with quote
Tenchi wrote:


I really gotta get a membership at Jumbo Video, the only rental store left in my area.


Wow, those still exist? I haven't seen one in years!
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Buster Blader 126



Joined: 14 May 2005
Posts: 1207
Location: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 12:31 am Reply with quote
I was under the impression that they had already bitten the dust, too. I forgot about them being bought out,

Tenchi wrote:


I really gotta get a membership at Jumbo Video, the only rental store left in my area.


Wow, those still exist? I haven't seen one in years!
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Tenchi



Joined: 03 Jan 2002
Posts: 4543
Location: Ottawa... now I'm an ex-Anglo Montrealer.
PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 12:36 am Reply with quote
I believe the current Jumbo Video chain is essentially the "Rest of Canada" version of Quebec's Super Club Vidéotron.
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Mune



Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 383
Location: Minnesota
PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 12:51 am Reply with quote
I'm not that surprised about this...
I'm just wondering if the ones around me will be closing.

I currently live in a college town and my hometown had 2 operating last I checked about 7 months ago. 1 in my hometown was shutdown a few years ago due to not being able to create enough revenue. It was a great store, but Wal-Mart moved down the street from right next to it and went super. It used to be Wal-Mart, Hy-Vee, and Blockbuster in one cluster...Now, Hy-Vee stands alone.

Well, Blockbuster couldn't compare to online services like Netflix and Gamefly. Even though Blockbuster was faster, Netflix and Gamefly were more accessible and convenient.
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Sheleigha



Joined: 09 May 2008
Posts: 1674
PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 1:06 am Reply with quote
j Talbain wrote:
All the blockbusters in Canada are closed down.


Is Rogers Video still around? I remember a local one that got bought by Blockbuster and well, that shut down...
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ikillchicken



Joined: 12 Feb 2007
Posts: 7272
Location: Vancouver
PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 1:07 am Reply with quote
Didn't even know there were still Blockbusters open.

Tenchi wrote:
I believe the current Jumbo Video chain is essentially the "Rest of Canada" version of Quebec's Super Club Vidéotron.


Never seen one out here in Vancouver. I could be wrong though. We do (or did) have Rogers Video.
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Kohii



Joined: 12 Nov 2010
Posts: 428
PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 1:27 am Reply with quote
I seldom visit my neighborhood "Family Video". Movie rentals are dirt-cheap. I did appreciate them having Summer Wars on the day it was released on Bluray. Maybe I should visit it more often. But I'm never using Redbox. Those things are a scam. $1/night my arse.

Good riddance to Blockbuster, though. I would always get terrible service. Last time I went into one, Bill Clinton was president.
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enurtsol



Joined: 01 May 2007
Posts: 14889
PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 2:08 am Reply with quote
Used to have several in our area. Some of only few places open late on holidays for family gathering viewings (saved us from boredom). Now used to have a Blockbuster card with the address of a store that closed many many years ago even before Netflix and still worked. Brother used to work at one part-time after school; that's how we got so many free rentals. Laughing
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keikanna44



Joined: 12 Feb 2009
Posts: 155
Location: Virginia
PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 2:34 am Reply with quote
I'm going to miss bookstores and video rental stores... Technology sucks! Crying or Very sad
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Mr. sickVisionz



Joined: 28 Oct 2007
Posts: 2175
PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 5:36 am Reply with quote
Can't fight the future. Dish Network buying Blockbuster made as much sense as someone buying Ford 3 years after we've figured out how to teleport people and objects from one place to another.
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njprogfan
Collector Extraordinaire



Joined: 08 Feb 2007
Posts: 1225
Location: A River Named Toms
PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 6:27 am Reply with quote
There's only one left in my area, but I've never rented anything from that store. In fact, I haven't rented a movie in years since we got On Demand.
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