A sad unpleasant thought came to mind last November upon hearing the news that Dish Network, which owns the financially troubled former Dallas based Blockbuster Video, made the decision to close the once powerful video retailer’s remaining 300 corporate stores in January in addition to ceasing the company’s online video subscription service.
The depressing thought that came to my mind that November day was the idea of digital downloading which had me wondering how long before such retailers as Barnes & Noble and Best Buy also go out the way of Blockbuster Video despite their attempts to stay current with today’s technology.
I only mention those companies because I enjoy visiting those retailers whether I buy something or not. I like hearing some newly released CD by some artist I never heard of playing while browsing through the magazine section of the bookstore. Were it not for Barnes & Noble, I would have never heard of, much less bought such CDs as Born to Die by Lana Del Rey, Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin, Celtic Woman’s Believe, or another CD of Frank Sinatra’s greatest hits which I really didn’t need but bought regardless because of the one song I didn’t have on my ipod, New York, New York.
Back in the day before DVD got engulfed by Blu-ray, Best Buy had isles of DVD movies old and new for sale as well as a decent offering of music cds. Today, they only carry the titles they know are likely to sell. I can’t rely on Best Buy anymore. I got to pull up the coming soon sections of Blu-ray websites to get a full list of what’s coming out or go to the digitalbits.com for the latest release news. Now if I want to buy a movie, either I got to go to video-on-demand or order them through, yes, you guessed it, Amazon.
I’d like to think sooner or later, people will come to their senses and realize the ease in which we get our entertainment now is overrated and prefer the days back when we could go to such places like Blockbuster Video to spend the time in and browse.
©1/1/14
Blockbuster Video’s demise was not unexpected. The company, which started in the mid-1980s with just 50 stores and grew at its peak to 9000 in 2004, was unable to reinvent itself when it came to how consumers began getting their entertainment today via the Netflix, Redbox, video-on-demand and online streaming services routes. Despite the fact Dish Network bought the video giant out of bankruptcy in 2011 the company continued closing stores.“I remember looking forward to making weekend plans, which included spending at least an hour at Blockbuster to find movies to watch and games to play,” said Angela Auzenne, associate dean at LeCroy Center. “It’s just so different now with digital. Something about holding that movie box in your hand, turning it over and standing there reading the movie summary with all the images. They had the best selection on Blaxploitation movies. Blacula. Super Fly. Anyone of those would be my last rentals.”
The depressing thought that came to my mind that November day was the idea of digital downloading which had me wondering how long before such retailers as Barnes & Noble and Best Buy also go out the way of Blockbuster Video despite their attempts to stay current with today’s technology.
I only mention those companies because I enjoy visiting those retailers whether I buy something or not. I like hearing some newly released CD by some artist I never heard of playing while browsing through the magazine section of the bookstore. Were it not for Barnes & Noble, I would have never heard of, much less bought such CDs as Born to Die by Lana Del Rey, Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin, Celtic Woman’s Believe, or another CD of Frank Sinatra’s greatest hits which I really didn’t need but bought regardless because of the one song I didn’t have on my ipod, New York, New York.
Back in the day before DVD got engulfed by Blu-ray, Best Buy had isles of DVD movies old and new for sale as well as a decent offering of music cds. Today, they only carry the titles they know are likely to sell. I can’t rely on Best Buy anymore. I got to pull up the coming soon sections of Blu-ray websites to get a full list of what’s coming out or go to the digitalbits.com for the latest release news. Now if I want to buy a movie, either I got to go to video-on-demand or order them through, yes, you guessed it, Amazon.
One of the joys I got out of going to Blockbuster was whenever all 100 copies of some new release was rented out, I could always find something else to rent as a result of browsing the store’s many categories. It was Blockbuster who advocated in carrying not just the current releases but the obscure never heard of before, straight-to-video titles, even if most of them weren’t worth the money you paid to rent them. Now those days are over thanks to the ease we have to get our hands on anything we want via the digital route.Call me old-fashioned or a grouch who refuses to embrace change when the new overthrows the old but I don’t get off on this “instant gratification”, “I want it now” thing as a result of digital downloading. I like to browse the bookstore and want to be able to have the book, magazine, or newspaper in my hands, not on some device called a “Nook.” I want places like Best Buy to carry everything for sale day and date I see listed on in the coming soon section of www.blu-ray.com and not have it based on their decision as to what they think will sell. I don’t want to go to iTunes to find out what the latest music releases are and download 30 second samples. I’d rather hear them off of Barnes & Noble’s stereo system if I am in the stores on Tuesdays and should such a song catch my liking, be able to ask the clerk in the video area what CD is that playing?
I’d like to think sooner or later, people will come to their senses and realize the ease in which we get our entertainment now is overrated and prefer the days back when we could go to such places like Blockbuster Video to spend the time in and browse.
©1/1/14
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