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Even though I was never a (literal) card-carrying member of their home media empire, I still vividly remember the day Blockbuster announced they were pulling out of the country.
Pushed out by the wicked combination of a heavily unstable economic situation, the emergence of a million smaller, privately-owned video stores that had set foot in areas where this giant had no presence, and ultimately by the advent of widespread piracy, the likes of which was never seen before (at least on such a scale), this static juggernaut simply had no chance.
I didn't think much of it, but I still thought it rather sad once I realized that we would never again be greeted by their giant sign upon driving to the mall. It was like seeing a building you have never been to suddenly disappearing from the skyline. Everything just felt... Emptier.
But that was as far as I took it as far as feelings were concerned.
Other people, though? Oh... They cared all right. And they showed just how much they did so by descending upon its remaining locations like locusts, taking home whatever inventory was being liquidated as the stores were clearing out around them.
Blockbuster-exclusive games, popular movies that were never available to rent, and everything in between... People fought over. It was like a combination of a gold rush, civil unrest and Black Friday all rolled into one and straight from hell. It was beautiful.
Even years after the fact people were still bragging about their loot from those days, some showing off impressive finds like elusive titles complete in box and the like.
Kinda wish I had tried my hand at it, too, just to see what I'd wound up with... But, again, it felt rather silly going to a store I was never interested in and had rarely been to right as it was closing forever.
What about you? Ever raided your local Blockbuster (or video store) as it was ceasing to exist? Or maybe you just got to keep a rented article as the system forgot you even had it (which accounts for at least part of my own Genesis collection)? Tell us!
Pushed out by the wicked combination of a heavily unstable economic situation, the emergence of a million smaller, privately-owned video stores that had set foot in areas where this giant had no presence, and ultimately by the advent of widespread piracy, the likes of which was never seen before (at least on such a scale), this static juggernaut simply had no chance.
I didn't think much of it, but I still thought it rather sad once I realized that we would never again be greeted by their giant sign upon driving to the mall. It was like seeing a building you have never been to suddenly disappearing from the skyline. Everything just felt... Emptier.
But that was as far as I took it as far as feelings were concerned.
Other people, though? Oh... They cared all right. And they showed just how much they did so by descending upon its remaining locations like locusts, taking home whatever inventory was being liquidated as the stores were clearing out around them.
Blockbuster-exclusive games, popular movies that were never available to rent, and everything in between... People fought over. It was like a combination of a gold rush, civil unrest and Black Friday all rolled into one and straight from hell. It was beautiful.
Even years after the fact people were still bragging about their loot from those days, some showing off impressive finds like elusive titles complete in box and the like.
Kinda wish I had tried my hand at it, too, just to see what I'd wound up with... But, again, it felt rather silly going to a store I was never interested in and had rarely been to right as it was closing forever.
What about you? Ever raided your local Blockbuster (or video store) as it was ceasing to exist? Or maybe you just got to keep a rented article as the system forgot you even had it (which accounts for at least part of my own Genesis collection)? Tell us!
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