Remembering Blockbuster

Man, kids today have no idea of the joy of walking into Blockbuster (circa 1997) on a Friday night, choosing three movies (buy 2 get 1 free!), grabbing some popcorn and heading home to enjoy some cinematic classics like Anaconda or G.I. Jane. Our plan was always this – I got to choose one movie, my wife chose one, and then we’d agree on the third. Believe me, agreeing on the third did not always go smoothly. Anywho, here are some things I remember about those magical visits to Blockbuster:

You had to get a membership card. To not do so was considered an act of barbarism.

Everyone wanted to avoid those strict late fees. Blockbuster didn’t mess around and you’d be fined accordingly, put on double secret probation, and your first born would be taken and forced to work as a Blockbuster shelf restocker.

You could be fined for not rewinding a video. I’m not even kidding. Be kind! Rewind!

In order to return your movie, you didn’t even have to speak to a human. Just drop it in the slot, man. Also, if you were looking for a hot new release and they were out you’d ask the Blockbuster employee to check the returns box just to be sure.

Browsing the “New Releases” section was the most exciting 10-minutes of your week.

Sometimes the movies were in the wrong cases, meaning you’d get home expecting to watch Titanic only to find you’d rented Mr. Magoo. On the other hand, sometimes you ended up with a pleasant surprise if you know what I’m sayin’.

Sadly, in 2000 the CEO of Blockbuster was offered a little company for the measly sum of $50,000,000. He turned it down because he thought the company’s business plan was dumb. That company, my friends, was Netflix.

As you may imagine it was all downhill from there for Blockbuster. Sigh.