This video from The Onion made us nostalgic for late night trips to the video store. Not really. Not unless the definition of nostalgic has suddenly changed to “ew, remember how much that sucked.” Watch. Laugh. Rewind.
Historic ‘Blockbuster’ Store Offers Glimpse Of How Movies Were Rented In The Past ??????? ??????? ?????? 50 ??? ????? ????? ??? ??????????? ???
Comment by MC
May 15, 2008 @ 9:12 pm
I was just in a Blockbuster… it does have a museum quality to it come to think of it.
Comment by Bape
May 16, 2008 @ 9:50 am
I think that stores like blockbuster wont last very long if you ask me. New cable boxes allow video renting for the same price – why go to the store?
Comment by Jeremy
May 16, 2008 @ 8:02 pm
I used to have to walk to the video store in the snow, uphill both ways. You try and tell some downloading kid that these days and they won’t even listen to you.
Comment by MC
May 16, 2008 @ 8:08 pm
I think those stores are going to change to a purchase only model myself.
Comment by MC
May 17, 2008 @ 12:13 am
Oh, and BTW, you won the Pageant of the Transmundane this week:
http://rantocracy.blogspot.com/2008/05/year-3-week-1-pageant-of-transmundane.html
Comment by Heidi Nyburg
May 17, 2008 @ 7:46 am
MC- I saw that first thing this morning when I was reading your blog in my Bloglines feeds. Thank you so much! So excited! Can’t wait to post my badge!
Comment by Roberto
May 17, 2008 @ 3:35 pm
Ha — but you know, I go to Blockbuster pretty often because I like the instant gratification. Netflix means planning ahead…
Comment by Arjan
May 17, 2008 @ 11:31 pm
Our equivalent of blockbuster has almost completely switched to dvd’s (probably like everybody did) but you have to pay 4€ for a daymovie. Most of the time after a half year of the release on dvd I can búy a movie for that price.
reminiscing a bit further..aaaw the time when you were politely asked to rewind your videotape before bringing it back.
Comment by MS
May 18, 2008 @ 3:23 pm
The Onion has done it again. This video is dead on. My antediluvian VHS tape rewinder is but a fossil collecting dust in the corner of the storage room.
Comment by SN
May 19, 2008 @ 10:10 am
I think the crowning achievement was the hiring of reinactors who did research on their character. ha ha.
Comment by Pom
June 15, 2008 @ 10:21 pm
I’ve never been a big fan of Onion humor…and this one was no exception for me. I remember there was one sometime back that made me laugh…something about “the internet is broken” or “someone turned off the internet” or something like that. That one was well done. But most of these don’t even make me smile a little.
Comment by videoizlet
June 24, 2008 @ 3:26 am
Always good to hear from Derek. He is a buddy of mine and a true inspiration in the aff marketing field…
Comment by Sachina
June 25, 2008 @ 2:19 am
I think those stores are going to change to a purchase only model myself.
Comment by Alex
July 28, 2008 @ 3:34 pm
So true. Next things to go, magazine shops, cd stores…..well pretty much any media that I can get on the web or my iPhone.
Sad but true, but hey…….A WHOLE LOT MORE ECO FRIENDLY
Comment by Monavie
July 31, 2008 @ 1:40 pm
Ha what a funny video. I like the “actual employee” part of it. If RedBox didn’t put video stores out of business, I think the internet might. Every time I ask someone to go watch a movie with me they tell me they watched it online already.
Comment by Vikki
August 1, 2008 @ 7:22 am
Blockbuster definitely wont last long – they are on the way out. All downloads and free movies on the Internet now.
Comment by Ramesh
August 20, 2008 @ 1:28 am
Hi this is ramesh. I have sen your video .. it was very good.
Onion made us nostalgic was very good.
Thanks
ramesh
Comment by fossil
September 10, 2008 @ 10:44 am
Blockbuster is already trying to get a piece of Netflix pie, but I think it’s too late.
Comment by Jarthur
September 14, 2008 @ 10:10 pm
Bwah! Good one, Jeremy, about walking in the snow! I worked in the first video store in our town (small, locally owned) when I was in high school. It was a tiny little room with just me and the owner working. How things have changed since then!
Comment by Claire
September 17, 2008 @ 1:41 am
I must admit i quite like a trip to the video shop – get the popcorn, the fizzy drinks and the icecream and then melt in the sofa when watching the movie. The only problem i have is choosing the movie! It takes me all night! So by the time i have gone to Blockbuster, chosen a movie, got all the munchies and got home, its too late to watch a movie! And then there’s having to return it the next day!
Comment by kaycee725
October 15, 2008 @ 6:13 am
a blast from the past though.. i guess there is nothing wrong with it but in today’s generations kids and teens won’t surely get interested. we can download anything from the internet.
Comment by Sumit
October 18, 2008 @ 6:17 am
I have never been a big fan of Onion humor…and this one was no exception for me. I remember there was one sometime back that made me laugh, something about “the internet is broken” or “someone turned off the internet” or something like that. That one was well done.
Comment by Bill
November 1, 2008 @ 5:21 pm
This was very funny. Although I don’t feel nostalgia for Blockbuster, I do remember the old local video store (pre-blockbuster) where we would go every weekend night. Unfortunately when Blockbuster came to town they did away with them. Perhaps it is poetic justice now that Blockbuster is the one going out of buisness.
Comment by Philip
November 13, 2008 @ 9:29 pm
God it’s amazing how quickly the industry can change! I don’t know anyone who “rents” traditionally anymore!
Comment by Dave
November 24, 2008 @ 6:22 pm
hahahaha who needs blockbuster when you have torrents for free! whooops, I mean they did step out the stone age and they have made a online presence with their online store, great video though 
Comment by Roger Hamilton
November 28, 2008 @ 11:12 pm
Nostalgic. But nowadays, the younger generation wouldn’t care so much as they have the INTERNET!
Comment by Warren
November 29, 2008 @ 2:20 pm
Ha. That reminds me of the old days when we’d go over to each others houses and watch the black and white television screen, listen to those old records, and just hang out.
Comment by JDans
December 1, 2008 @ 6:38 pm
Yea the only problem with torrents is there are tons of viruses!
Comment by Rundll32
December 12, 2008 @ 5:52 pm
Blockbuster screwed the pooch when they didn’t move fast enough to compete online with Netflix!
Comment by Gerard
December 12, 2008 @ 10:53 pm
lol – it is funny but in ten years time we probably will look back at Blockbusters and things like it and laugh
Comment by Peter
December 16, 2008 @ 6:45 pm
All the blockbusters in my area have closed down. In fact almost all video stores are (Blockbuster had eaten everyone else up). Video stores really are a dying breed especially when we will just be able to download movies online as instead of “rentals”.
Comment by Ernie Small
December 17, 2008 @ 4:00 pm
actually, the last time i was in a video store i took one look around the eerily empty place and asked the clerk how long she thought places like this had. to my surprise she said that it would be a long time till she thought the need for video stores would completely go away. company loyalty, i suppose….
Comment by Jack Cust
December 27, 2008 @ 7:00 pm
Anyone who has gotten a netflix account knows video stores are practically useless now.
Comment by Go Kart Joe
January 3, 2009 @ 6:26 pm
Thats awesome. I actually used to work at a blockbuster, so it was just a little more funny to me.
Comment by Kevin
February 1, 2009 @ 11:51 am
I do often frequent Hollywood video. I have not rented in 5 years. I only go there to purchase inexpensive used DVD movies. I see that NetFlix will be offering video on demand service in the near future. This will send the video stores into a death spiral.
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