Nowadays movies are at people’s fingertips, readily available for streaming on demand. There once was a time when enjoying a movie was a much more special experience. LIke a trip to the theater, a trip to the movie store was a treat, one usually reserved for weekends in my family. As both movies and television have now entered the digital streaming world, the video store is all but extinct. One of the more popular rental chains, Blockbuster, recently closed two of its locations in the state of Alaska, leaving only one remaining Blockbuster in the United States, which resides in bend, Oregon.
Blockbuster Alaska General Manager Kevin Daymude, took to Facebook to say goodbye.
“These are the last two Blockbuster stores in Alaska that survived and it is sad to say goodbye to our dedicated customers. We have thought of you as family for the past 28 years. Both Kelli Vey and I (Kevin Daymude) have been with the company since 1991 and have had great memories throughout our career. Thank you for sticking by us throughout all these years. I can’t tell you how much it means to us. We hope to see you at our stores during the closing, even if it’s just to say “Hello”. What a great time to build your media library and share some Blockbuster memories with us.
We will miss all of you!”
It’s likely that this last surviving location will hang around long enough to become sort of a novelty as it is said to have no intentions closing anytime soon. This could provide parents with an oppotunity to treat their own kids to an experience from their own childhoods, and take in a bit of nostalgia in the process.
I don’t have much experience with Blockbuster, but I used to work at Hollywood Video, and while it did drive me nuts at times, it was for the most part fun to work at a movie store. Giving people recommendations, or checking the return box a for the tenth time just to see a little kid’s face light up when you hand them the latest animated film.
When was the last time you rented from a Blockbuster, or any brick and mortar video store? Let us know in the comments down below!
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Source: Anchorage Daily News