Blockbuster's Rescue Plan: Sell Swag

Ooh Ooh that smell, can't you smell that smell...the smell that surrounds you...

I hope the best for them but it's not looking good.

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I did the Blockbuster online thing for years, but just canceled it this week... prices kept going up and benefits kept going down. I've been a loyal Blockbuster customer for years, but now I've moved to Netflix. And it's their own fault.

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Sorry, but I'll be enjoying the campfire as they burn down - how quickly we forget that Blockbuster was and still is the bad guy - the bad guy that destroyed almost ALL of the small, independent, mom and pop video stores that populated our country... do you remember those? Maybe with Blockbuster in distress we might start seeing more of the little guys come back to life. Being in Austin, and having multiple independent shops to choose from has been a real blessing - let's all hope they make a speedy return in the ashes of our corporate overlords.
PS. I do feel bad for all the individuals and families who will be affected by working at Blockbuster - but I feel worse for all the entrepreneurs who had to shut down their homegrown video shops they had invested so much in and get a job at Blockbuster using the 300+ question electronic employment assessment kiosk.

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blockbuster didnt kill the mom and pop shops just like wal mart didnt kill them either what killed them is there own greed thinking they can over charge for half the service and products and not even half the pay to there employees wal marts and blockbusters improve communitys raise wages and make the world a better place to live name me 1 mom and pop shop that offers medicane for 1 doller or 1 mom and pop shop that has half the selection or employees of a blockbuster its businesses like wal mart and blockbuster that not only make it possible for a normal 9 to 5 person to get food cloths medicane or some home entainment at a decent price but they also employ more then a quater of the people in this country think of how many people that would be left unemployed if wal mart or blockbuster went under that number farrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr out shines the number of small business owners that have went under remember that before celebrateing a big company going under

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Hey Kenny, heard of a little thing called a period?

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Kenny -
it is a shame and by now a tragedy how many people would become unemployed if walmart went out of business. But the biggest tragedy of all is that this risk exist.
This near monopoly on the American workforce SHOULD not exist, and the fact that it does says a lot about what we should worry about.
I will not try and guess your political leanings, as we are on a movie blog chatting about the demise of Blockbuster.
But as an American, I believe that corporate monopolies on specific industries, like Walmart and Blockbuster, are inherently anti-american. Besides my ideological opinions, let's see how the Wal-Mart American economy does in 10 years. You may, at that point, be begging for more independent shops, farms and companies to work for when the only option you have is a corporate socialism minimum wage that has been set and lobbied for by big business. Capitalism is driven by competition. Competition becomes extinct when Blockbuster is the only video store in town. Netflix is now making Blockbuster extinct. Is Netflix the bad guy now or are there no more good guys? What is the next business model?

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I have to disagree with you, Kenny. Mom and Pop stores that have half the selection of a Blockbuster? You've got to be kidding. I don't know where you live, but where I live it's the independent stores that have the obscure movies that I'm looking for as well as all the mainstream stuff that Blockbuster carries. If the day comes, I won't be sad to see them go.

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As someone who used to work at the Block, I'm kinda happy they are going down, but I have so many memories from my times there, that when they do go, I'll be a bit sad. I can't even go into one anymore because their new look just bothers the crap outta me. I think adding apparel will mean removing movies to make room, which means it will only quicken their fall.

Oh well, that's what they get for having stupid upper management and not caring about the employees and especially the customers.

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Yeah Kenny.. you must come from a magical land where Wal-Marts and Blockbusters are the best thing on the horizon. Personally, the customer service at mom-and-pop stores versus huge chains that pay people next to nothing, and have management turn-around so fast that no one gets to know anyone and you can't negotiate a wage, is so staggering that there almost ISN'T customer service at the big chains.

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Yeah, I ran across a Jaws movie poster reprint that was shillacked to a canvas like it was supposed to be fine art or something. I admit, it would look classy in my bathroom... but not for fifty goddamned dollars for a ten dollar poster on six dollar canvas.

Good luck Blockbuster. Give disco my best.

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I used to go to Blockbuster or some of the other chains but I also switched to Netflix.
Although I enjoy the larger selection at Netflix
the real reason I switched was the way these
places gored you on late charges. I could understand paying another regular charge when you are late but the fee for being late greatly
exceeded the normal rental fee.
As far as "mom & pop" video stores I have never had any which were close to where I lived.
I am happy with Netflix and I doubt if I will ever change.

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