Dish Closes Another 300 Blockbuster Stores

I have some crap laying around my house. Perhaps I can sell it to Dish for a 1000x what it's worth as well.

I feel sorry for those BB employees but it's not they have not seen the writing on the wall for at least a year now. If they wanted to I'm betting that they could have found other jobs already. It's not like Dish needs more then one person for each BB store... they'd still outnumber the customers by.... 1.

Excuse me, but the store here has always been profitable yet it is being closed. A lot of really upset folks here as it was still a very popular place. Many here cannot get internet at good enough speeds to stream movies so they are particularly upset as there are no other video stores and Red Box has a lot of limitations.

The person who opened the store here 22 years ago is still the general manager and will be the person closing the store in March. It is being closed, not because it has been unprofitable, but because its lease (as a stand alone store) at Prince Kuhio Shopping Center is nearing its end. In Hawaii, it is common for stores to close in such conditions (such as JCPenny which closed all stores in the state in 2001, and left forever after 40 years here, because the lease for the Ala Moana Shopping Center store in Honolulu was ending. Its stores were very profitable...the Ala Moana one being the top performing JcPenny store in the nation at the time).

Eight employees will lose their jobs when Blockbuster closes here. None have any job prospects. It is very, very difficult to get a job in Hilo. So, there was NO "handwriting on the wall". It was a shock to everyone in the community and, even if it had been expected because of low performance of the store which was NOT the case at all, the employees could not have found jobs "already" as there are so very few jobs available here. I did not patronize the store because I don't care for watching movies on a TV but I always saw a full parking lot when driving by Blockbuster. (I am probably the only person in this town who doesn't rent from them).

Driving into town to rent titanic or so on vhs. I remember they had to put titanic on 2 cassettes! oh and that vhs rewinder we had on our magnavox wooden case tv, I miss you....

R.I.P
Blockbuster

dont forget when the weather man called for a big snow storm rushing to the BB in the morning to get some movies to watch while snowed in.

I remember those days... I both miss them and are glad they are gone at the same time. Now I watch dish VOD or youtube on snowy days, or play games or code.

Or when you were 5 days late and they charged you like, $40.
Could have bought the tape!

Die Blockbuster. Die already. And Gamestop, your days are numbered...

Is it just me, or do most of the gamestops have some seriously smug/ill people working there? I have been to one that had this very lovely woman that treated everyone nicely.. Was a nice change.. I actually bought one from that store

Where was that??? The only one I went into and out just as fast has two cocky 22 yr olds, arguing over the some Nintendo fighting game ignoring the teen trading in 10 xbox titles for 1 reserved game, and someone wanting to buy a used 360...

Cool springs mall, in Williamson country, TN..

The Gamestop near me isn't where you'd expect to find helpful, courteous staff, but they were pretty cool. Slightly dishonest in their attempts at up-selling, but certainly knowledgeable and professional. No problem returning a used game I'd picked up there.

I never had to pay late fees, I was 7 at the time, granted it was on my dads way to work so he dropped them off in the morning.

Game stop is fine, people need to stop whining about used games.

quote:

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And Gamestop, your days are numbered...

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Not for awhile, and gamestop is trying to evolve.

Gamestop is in an interesting position where its the industry trying to kill them not the customers. Customer love used games, the industry not so much.

Games just happen to be in a position that music and movies are not, They can lock their content down by making people register a CD key to access online content.

Agreed, hence why gamestop is trying to evolve. Currently they sell a selection of tablet devices as well.

I think GameStop's problem is they are over saturated in terms of locations. A few years ago, there was two GameStops at the Enfield Square Mall in Enfield, CT and the closed one of them. They also have one right across the street from Eastfield Mall (which also has a GameStop inside the mall) in Springfield, MA. They're basically like CVS where there is one on every block. In my opinion, I think GameStop will see the need to downsize considering that Walmart, Target, and Best Buy also sell the major consoles and associated games. I personally prefer to buy my games at Best Buy (I got my first Nintendo there in 1993 and I just bought a Wii U there at Best Buy as well). When I get paid, I am going to Best Buy to pick up Super Mario Bros U. I have so many games for my Nintendo systems that they are scattered throughout the living room as there is limited space on the entertainment center.

I tend to avoid purchasing new games. I either rent them from Dish/blockbuster [though if they kill that, then I'll hop on over to gamefly].
Or I buy them used. I've been burned a tad to often when buying a 60 dollar game. Either the game play is only 8 hours [I am not a fan of something like COD black ops 2 multiplayer], or they only showed you the "wow' parts of the game when advertising it. So renting/buying used is for me, plus I'm on a tight budget.
Gamestop is the only game in town for used games, next to a pawn shop or a second hand bookstore [which will also be hurting in a while].

I think this is a result of their assimilation habits. Gamestop bought up the entire game retailing industry that was not a big box store. So the really big malls(ie Danbury Fair, which is the biggest in New England.) had Electronics Boutique, Babbages. so that became 2 gamestops.

And I just did a check on Gamestop.com of where I grew up (zip 06810). 7 GS stores in a 12mi radius 4 of them in the same city, 2 in the same mall.

FWIW, my feelings aren't vindictive. Gamestop has a niche. The problem is, like anyone that has "considerable" control over used content is likely to miss the bigger picture:
-Game companies consolidating
-Game studios wanting more profits
-Games moving to more direct download...as the bandwidth growths, the ability to download an entire game is there (now).
-used content isn't at fair price (trade in for $5 off purchase of newer. Used title at $15-$20 ... 4x the trade in...very profitable)
-used content lacks features that were with title when new (Booklets, foldouts, exclusives, codes, DLC, maps, etc).
-media is dying (CDrom-DVD-BluRay) will end. Just like cartridges did.
Sources like Gamefly provide rentals that allow you to try, keep-buy.

Game studios are now doing micro-transactions (Sure MMOrpgs were doing it already, but not as mainstream as the consoles are pushing...central entertainment for games, shows, premiere movies, add-ons...).

Gamestop is (likely?) paying Microsoft Studios, EA, 2K, etc, to get placements for "exclusives" that will draw in traffic to the stores.
Me, I just sell used games on eBay, Craigslist, Amazon. I fetch $10-$30 for a title that (I verified with local Gamestop) they'd give me $5-$10 credit for. (You can argue that eBay takes a chunk, plus hassle to pack, ship and not have buyer eff the sale). Or trade into Amazon (better deal, warranties offered). How many have gotten media that was cracked at the hub? Or unreadable? Did you have luck getting replaced at store or online? Have to go to distributor?

Danbury Fair is the largest mall in NE? I thought it was the Westfield in Milford?

Your right I don't think gamestop is going anywhere for awhile.

Gamestop dried up in town here and the local employees started their own shop called "game crazy"

Nice owners- wouldn't mind working there even if it is part time.

Or when I would go to the library with my mother after school and would check out movies at the library and they had a 3-day loan period on videotapes with $1 per day overdue fines. And you would get pissed off if the tape was not rewound by the previous user. I still have a ton of videotapes under the TV in the living room and I have a combo DVD/VHS player under my TV as well. The library where I live still has videotapes and the librarians say they still circulate and even audio cassettes still circulate as well.

They put out all (virtually) the small mom and pop stores. It is there turn now. I would occasionally (like 3 a year) rent a video game there. I haven't been inside a BB in probably 3 years now. Don't miss them at all. The one closest to my apartment I had NEVER been in. The closed 6 months ago. I think the one near my job is still open but has been 3 years since I went inside.

Time marches on.

Dang. I wonder if my nearest Blockbuster will finally get the axe.

There were two within close driving distance from me. One shut down a long time ago, the remaining one just put up signs that it's closing.

Sadly but I saw this coming for them. Oh well.

I know the feeling. I have lost 5 that I used to use (starting with the one that was in my town 5 minutes away from my house). The nearest one (which I currently use once a week to drop off my mailers along with a second trip once a month the next day to return my 2 coupon covered 1-day rentals off their shelf) is 20 minutes each way. There is only one other within 30 minutes. If they shut down that will be the end of the line for me since it will mean needing to mail my mailers back reducing how many I can rent. There is also the issue of their cutting back on how many titles they have. They have also reduced their rental periods to one day (down from 1 week and later 3 days) after the Dish got their hands on them.

I also periodically visit a friend on Florida and both of the Store Fronts I used to use when there are gone.

Yeh.. Well... End of a sweet era..

RIP Blockbuster

It's technology like Video On Demand that killed video rental stores. Why wait at a bus stop in the cold and take two buses in each direction to go rent a DVD or Blu-ray with generous late fees for being a couple of minutes late when I can use my Comcast remote to watch a movie using the On Demand feature. They are also competing with public libraries that have a large collection of movies, books and other media that is paid for by local property taxes.

This was the first thing that killed rentals for us. Though no bus was needed, but still why drive to the store when one can hit the on demand button.

market wise, VOD and then Netflix DVD built the coffins and drove the nails. the dirt was shoveled back into the hole by Redbox.

I would say ebay also contributed. Prior to ebay and similar sale websites, getting a movie that was out for several years and not available anymore at your big box stores required going to your overpriced local movie specialty store or movie rental store. Then ebay came out and made buying used movies almost as cheap as renting.

Suncoast! I remember going there, and spending way way too much for some movies that couldn't be bought anywhere else locally. Sure don't miss the prices that laserdiscs were.

Using your same analogy, if VOD and Neflix built the coffin and drove the nails, blockbusters own late fees were the ones that dug the grave.

I'm not alone in that I stopped using Blockbuster the second there was an alternative that didn't charge exorbitant late fees that were typically 3-4 times the per day rental price. Netflix and Redbox put Blockbuster in the grave but it was their own policies that opened the door for it to happen and I'm not alone in believing it was a well deserved result of a terrible company that deserved to be destroyed by a competitor or two that understood customers. Netflix was the first to capitalize on customer dissent (even though it was arguably more difficult to arrange movies in advance through the mail), RedBox came along and killed the remainder of the business with more convenient locations and reasonable late fees.

Ah, when people used to go to a crowded Blockbuster on the weekends. Where friends would run into other friends. How quickly this place has turned into a ghost town.

There's actually a few Family video locations around me. I think Hollywood Video has left, but I have to reckon these 2 are in dire straights.

How did the justice department allow this purchase? I know the repubs were on a merger-mania blitz before Obama came into office, but then again, AG Eric Holder has been AWOL on the job (so has Obama) going after small players in the white collar crime area, while letting the big guys off the hook -- how many Wall Street bankers have gone to jail? Where is the bail out for home owners and main street?

Merger-mania allowed the dissolution of Alltel into Verizon Wireless and the corresponding loss of duplicated jobs. Alltel cell and customer service were great and was another hit to our economy due to its loss.

This Dish operation smells just like the early 20th century case (»en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ge ··· nspiracy) where the American light rail system was decimated by GM/Firestone/Big_Oil -- eliminate part of your competition by buying them out! WAKE UP AMERICA! You are repeating history by not knowing the past and not standing up for your fellow man. WHEN YOUR JOB DISAPPEARS, YOU WILL BE MOSTLY TO BLAME BECAUSE YOU FAILED TO STAND UP! Find an alternative to DishNet and make them feel the pain!

This is why cable and wireless costs costs more in America, and why we're slowly choking to death from air pollution.

just give you a 10GB CAP
BUT ITS UBER FAST!!!!

Last year, Blockbuster installed a kiosk at the 7/11 down the street from me. It was VERY convenient and had lines on the weekend. Then one day it simply disappeared.

Why did they kill this successful venture?

Redbox beat them to the punch and while you saw that one location with lines Redbox had 3 and were far more popular.

God as my witness I thought Blockbuster closed up years ago. I haven't noticed an open store in at least 3 or 4 years. Think I still have my card somewhere too. But then I still have my west coast video card too. You know in case they come back. lol

All the ones around here turned into only open in October Halloween stores years ago. This last year they were just purely vacant throughout the year.

I liked Blockbuster growing up. But I liked the local video stores much more. They would always have a top 10 list for each worker and everyone knew about different movies if you were looking for something new. I guess the internet sort of changed how that works.

Count me in as one who is sad to see Blockbuster and before them, Hollywood Video depart. I never had problems with late fees because I simply brought them back on time. Now mind you I don't see a need for them anymore with the rise of Netflix but I still have a lot of fond memories of heading to the video store with family and friends.

seriously does anymore remember the last time you stepped into a blockbuster to rent a video? For me it was back in 98'

That's about the last time I went too.. sad but that was the time I just got my DVD player too..

The store is now AL's beer warehouse.

Alas, poor Blockbuster ! I knew it a store
of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy:

I am disappointed by where entertainment has gone , throwing out excellence for cheap thrills at Red box. Some time ago I rented a movie call Moon from 2009, I never had saw Citizen Kane; the store closed a week later. Where one to go for the classics.

Still at times I think Blockbuster doesn't get it , offering Madagascar 3 for $2.99 a night when Red box was renting the same movie for $1.79 a night.