I lack the ability to truly describe how this photo makes me feel. Some of it’s good, some of it’s sad.
Looking back, the death of the video store seems like it happened so quickly. Early 2000s Friday or Saturday nights at the video store were pure chaos. A decade later, almost every video store was closed down.
In the early 2010s, I randomly discovered that there was a Blockbuster still in business, walking distance from the apartment I’d been living in for the past 2 years by that point. Superficially, the store certainly looked like a Blockbuster from years past, but most of the time when I’d go in, I would be the only customer and I think I only ever saw one employee working at a time. Hey, at least it was guaranteed that they’d have whatever new release I was looking for in stock!
Along the same lines, I took a trip last month and ran across a store called Big Lots – something I have not seen in quite awhile. It’s a discount retail chain that was basically my mom’s favorite place to go for retail therapy back in the day. I had some time to kill and curiosity got the best of me, so I went into the store.
Similar experience as with Blockbuster. Superficially, it all looked right for a Big Lots. But, it was eerie because it’s a giant store (not quite Walmart size, but still large) and I was one of three customers. I was walking through the aisles just kind of imagining the joy it used to bring my mom, and made me wish I could go back and time and experience a shopping trip at Big Lots with her once again. She never really bought a lot, but she loved window shopping there.
It makes me think of how big cities in the US used to have railcars that ran everywhere. At the time, people were like “to hell with this, I can have my own car!” Now we reminisce.
I was so grateful to start getting movies through mail and not have to deal with showing up to Blockbuster to see the entire new release wall completely empty and have to settle for something else from racks I’d looked at a thousand times because it was the same story every time, unless you were lucky and the guy at the counter was willing to dig through the returns for you and found one.
There are things out there today that you’re experiencing that you’ll later reminisce on. It’s inevitable.
In the meantime, plan a trip to Bend, Oregon to see the last Blockbuster. The city is amazing if you enjoy being outdoors.
I lack the ability to truly describe how this photo makes me feel. Some of it’s good, some of it’s sad.
Looking back, the death of the video store seems like it happened so quickly. Early 2000s Friday or Saturday nights at the video store were pure chaos. A decade later, almost every video store was closed down.
In the early 2010s, I randomly discovered that there was a Blockbuster still in business, walking distance from the apartment I’d been living in for the past 2 years by that point. Superficially, the store certainly looked like a Blockbuster from years past, but most of the time when I’d go in, I would be the only customer and I think I only ever saw one employee working at a time. Hey, at least it was guaranteed that they’d have whatever new release I was looking for in stock!
Along the same lines, I took a trip last month and ran across a store called Big Lots – something I have not seen in quite awhile. It’s a discount retail chain that was basically my mom’s favorite place to go for retail therapy back in the day. I had some time to kill and curiosity got the best of me, so I went into the store.
Similar experience as with Blockbuster. Superficially, it all looked right for a Big Lots. But, it was eerie because it’s a giant store (not quite Walmart size, but still large) and I was one of three customers. I was walking through the aisles just kind of imagining the joy it used to bring my mom, and made me wish I could go back and time and experience a shopping trip at Big Lots with her once again. She never really bought a lot, but she loved window shopping there.
So anyway, now that I’m thoroughly depressed…
It makes me think of how big cities in the US used to have railcars that ran everywhere. At the time, people were like “to hell with this, I can have my own car!” Now we reminisce.
I was so grateful to start getting movies through mail and not have to deal with showing up to Blockbuster to see the entire new release wall completely empty and have to settle for something else from racks I’d looked at a thousand times because it was the same story every time, unless you were lucky and the guy at the counter was willing to dig through the returns for you and found one.
There are things out there today that you’re experiencing that you’ll later reminisce on. It’s inevitable.
In the meantime, plan a trip to Bend, Oregon to see the last Blockbuster. The city is amazing if you enjoy being outdoors.