Rest in Peace, Blockbuster

You know, I miss video stores.  Are they still considered video stores when they don't have videoes anymore?  Anyway.  We are living in a time where everything is so at our fingertips that we don't need to make sure the movies we rented yesterday are back before 7:00 the next day.

When I was little, there was a different video on almost every block.  Prime Time Video, Late Nite Video, Video World, and, finally, Blockbuster.  Blockbuster was the last, and most commercial, chain to arrive in Ellwood City.  I remember my mother complained that they charged almost twice the amount as other stores in my town, but it was the closest to our house.  These stores are a thing of the past now, and it was announced today that Blockbuster fully joins the video store in the sky.

To be honest, I didn't know Blockbuster had any stores left.  By mid-January, however, they will all be gone.  USA Today reported that Blockbuster will close the final 300 locations, and the DVD-by-mail operation will stop before the end of the year. 

Maybe I am turning into an old man, but I think that sucks.  Whenever I see a Family Video (and I have extra time), I will stop and just walk around.  I liked trying to figure out what movie I wanted to pick for a quiet Friday night.  Yes, it's easier to flip on OnDemand, or run to a RedBox, but it felt like movies lived more in a video store.  You had to reserve your copy of Scream 3 at Video World, because if you didn't, all the copies would be claimed for months.  Yes, it's easier to hit a button and see a movie, but I liked being surrounded by them all when I went to a video store. 

So, farewell, Blockbuster.  We hardly knew ye.  To mourn, watch this scene from the original Scream.  I wonder where Randy would work next...