The last Blockbuster video has already defied the idea that it couldn’t possibly survive in a world where video stores are a thing of the past, but even during the pandemic it’s doing the impossible by keeping its doors open to the public. Some might want to argue that this is because otherwise the store would shut down, which is true enough, but they’re still operating as well as they can by taking the same route that other stores have implemented. At this time only ten customers are allowed in the store at a time, much as it’s been seen with liquor stores and other retail stores that have individuals standing near the door to regulate how many people come in and out. Being a smaller store obviously Blockbuster can get away with only ten customers at a time, though it does sound as though it might take longer considering that those visiting a movie store tend to take their time when selecting what to watch, versus those in a grocery or retail store who are there looking for something they already had a mind to purchase. As Ryan Scott of MovieWeb has made it clear though this store is staying open and taking every precaution they can in order to keep it that way.
Simply staying open when every other store in the chain has closed is impressive enough, but finding a way to keep their doors open when they’re not exactly considered an essential business is beyond any and all expectations since from a realistic standpoint movie stores would have likely been shutting down had they still been in existence at this point. The last Blockbuster store has made it clear that they’re not going down without a fight since they’re determined to see their way through the pandemic just as they’ve seen their way through the closure of the rest of the chain throughout the years. At this point one can’t help but think that it might have more to do with nostalgia and the idea of keeping this one last remnant of an era alive than anything else, as movies have gone the way of streaming in a big way since the 2000s when the video stores really started to close up shop. Some people are bound to root for the last Blockbuster and others might be wondering just when it’s going to fold up and go the same way as the rest of them, but until that day comes there are plenty of us that are going to watch and remember what it was like to walk into a Blockbuster on a Friday or Saturday night and try to pick out the right movie, assuming that one arrived in time to have their pick from the new selections and their favorites. Jenny Powers of Roadtrippers has more to say about the place.
With so much closed down by the pandemic it’s kind of a wonder that the Blockbuster has stayed open, but again it likely has just as much to do with the fact that the doors need to stay open to pay the bills as it does the fact that they’re holding on to the interest that remains in their part of the world. There is something intrinsically valuable about a movie store that’s hard to explain to those that didn’t grow up with them or don’t remember said stores, as it’s another part of our history that a lot of people are either happy chucking into the archives with everything else or are desperately trying to save in order to have that one little piece that’s still hanging around, refusing to go quietly into the good night so to speak. A person could wax poetic about movie stores all night and day if given a chance, which is kind of odd really since back in the day they were just another common part of life, a place where people congregated to select their favorite movies or just something to watch and possibly pick up a few bags of microwave popcorn and a drink while they were at it, just to make it feel more like the cinema. It was in effect a poor person’s cinematic experience since even back in the day the theater was a little too pricey at times, whereas going to the movie store wasn’t all that bad.
It’s fair to say though that a lot of people don’t miss the late charges that could stack up until the movies were returned, or the fact that during the VHS days there would be a charge incurred if the tape wasn’t rewound. There are a lot of memories concerning movie stores, both good and annoying, but the fact remains that so long as there’s one left in Oregon it would appear that those in charge are going to do whatever they can to stick around. Amy Paige of Little Things has more to say on the topic.
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