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Badmovies.org Forum  |  Movies  |  Bad Movies  |  I hate blockbuster...again « previous next »
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Author Topic: I hate blockbuster...again  (Read 15245 times)
Susan
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« Reply #30 on: August 21, 2005, 06:40:02 PM »

maybe we all need to open up our own chain. Obscure movies, b movies, kickass movies, new releases. Large selection, decent prices, staff only comprised of absolute film junkies who will also help recommend titles and actually HELP customers find what they are looking for!  On that note they can have a staff pick shelf.  I suggested this to a kid at blockbuster (even tho we know their agenda would be pushing the new releases) and he replied "I tried suggesting that but they said no."

We can also have freshly popped popcorn cooking at peak hours for 75 cents a box (old fashioned boxes) or you can buy a bag of it to take home. There can be in the back a hotdog area where you can take home dinner. My mom and pop shop did this in their later years, I had forgotten about this. I loved going in and smelling the popcorn and munching on a box as I browsed the video store, they also had hot dogs if you wanted to take them home with your video. They didn't have an obscene wall of candy surrounding their checkout either.  Special ways for customers to win a free rental.  Cool music playing at a decent-low level (i'd rather have this than a bunch of movie screens trying to push new film releases on you, plus it's no fun if you have to be aware of the Ratings of what you can show)

I would also make sure the game shelves take up a small amount of the store - since it's a video store not a game store. And that's that.



Post Edited (08-21-05 18:48)
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AndyC
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« Reply #31 on: August 21, 2005, 10:05:07 PM »

Tell me about it. I remember when the nearest movie rentals were in another town. A big local TV and stereo shop started carrying movies in the late 70s, and they were the only game around for a while. The few gadget lovers who had VCRs at the time would have to drive into the city to get movies. In those days, the movies were cheap to rent, but the membership cost money (I'd seen lifetime memberships at some places going for $100). The great thing is, that place is still renting movies. When the big boys came to town, they were smart, and marketed their wide selection, older titles and expert staff. Probably helps that they're also more or less downtown, while BB seems to have remained more of a suburban phenomenon around here; it stays out with the supermarkets and the box stores.

I can remember when the first store opened in my home town around 1981 or 82 (also still there, but BB has not yet come to town - I'm hearing rumours). Just a young local guy who saw the next big thing and grabbed it. The place was tiny at first, with a diverse, albeit modest, selection of movies. Watched that grow into the thousands, as the store moved twice to bigger units in the same plaza. I can also remember the place renting Atari cartridges in the beginning.

I wasn't a customer for a couple of years though, until my family got our first VCR (for about $800). Before we had a VCR, we rented one a couple of times. It was something like $30 for the VCR in a big padded case, and four movies for the weekend. Then there was a hefty damage deposit, since it was such a valuable piece of equipment. Don't know when that service stopped. Probably around the time VCRs became pretty much universal. But I can remember seeing most of my movies at a friend's house. I'm sure everybody had at least one friend whose dad was into gadgets. This guy had the VCR (actually a portable unit with a shoulder strap, for use with a camera), and he had the movie channels - all two of them!

Those were exciting times. Now, of course, home video is taken for granted.

The sad thing about many of those early stores is that those people had vision, they took a chance on something new, and built something great with it - then some corporate a***oles muscled their way in and took it away, leaving us with crappy, soulless stores that are all exactly the same. Hooray for free enterprise.



Post Edited (08-22-05 08:48)
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Menard
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« Reply #32 on: August 21, 2005, 10:56:58 PM »

I agree that we do take home videos for granted. I remember in the 80s whenever I had an opportunity to have a VCR available, as I did not own one, it was a treat to watch movies, often times regardless what the movie was.

I had once, in the early 80s, worked with a company which used shoulder carry VCRs for its sales presentations. As I had one with me one weekend, I went out and rented movies like DOCTOR BUTCHER M.D. and I DISMEMBER MAMA (try to find those titles in stores today). I had a blast that weekend as it was a treat. Today I can just go to the video rack in my hallway and choose one of those titles (I have both). The novelty just isn't there anymore.

Oh yea. The early 80s was a time when a lot of the titles which were available on video were independents and imports. A lot of those titles are hard to find on video or DVD anymore. And if they are, few rental places are carrying them.

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ulthar
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« Reply #33 on: August 21, 2005, 11:28:39 PM »

AndyC wrote:

>
> Those were exciting times. Now, of course, home video is taken
> for granted.
>

So taken for granted, we now have DVD players in CARS.  I love movies, but that bothers me.

Anyway ...

My first exposure to video rental was in Germany in 1979.  My sister's husband was in the Army over there, and video rental was a big thing with the soldiers who did not want to watch German TV.  We went to visit them that summer, and we had to drive 45 minutes each way to rent movies.  We'd rent enough for several days, and go back for the next batch.

Exciting times indeed.  When I got back to the US, dudes I went to school with could not believe we were renting movies and watching them AT HOME!

And to Shadowfyre: drive-ins are endangered, but not yet extinct.  We go to one here several times a year (though Robots was our last outing).  It's great.  2-3 movies per night. On holiday weekends, they set up a real grill behind the concession stand and grill the burgers and hot dogs.  It makes the whole place smell, and feel, like a big block party.



Post Edited (08-22-05 10:44)
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ulthar
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« Reply #34 on: August 21, 2005, 11:32:27 PM »

Susan wrote:

>  I suggested this to a kid at blockbuster (even tho
> we know their agenda would be pushing the new releases) and he
> replied "I tried suggesting that but they said no."

Our BB here has that.  Or it did.  I did not see it last time I was there, so maybe they had to remove it.

> Cool music playing at a decent-low level
> (i'd rather have this than a bunch of movie screens trying to
> push new film releases on you, plus it's no fun if you have to
> be aware of the Ratings of what you can show)
>

I don't particularly like movies playing in the video store when I'm there, especially if it is something that I want to see, but have not yet.  Talk about spoilers.

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dean
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« Reply #35 on: August 22, 2005, 04:38:28 AM »


peter johnson wrote:

> We have Video Station in Boulder county.
> 50,000 titles, perfectly arranged and catalogued.
> I have no complaints at all.
> You may hate me now . . .
> peter johnson/denny crane
>

That's pretty darn impressive.

There's a few hardcore 'we love movies'-type stores in my area, some a good 15 minutes drive away, with new releases imported from the states [which sometimes means, before they are in cinemas here] but I barely go to that one in particular.

Lately I've just been borrowing DVDs from my Uni library: it's free, and because it's mainly collected through the Cinema Studies faculty, they have an excellent and diverse, though somewhat limited collection.

Also I've noticed that there's a very spiteful vibe going on towards staff at blockbuster.  Some perfectly valid, like the clerk trying to talk someone out of a rental because they think it's a crap movie, but some are a little unfair, especially when they are trying to 'add on' sales with a 'if you get one more' etc.

I have to do something similar at my work, the bosses insist on it, and it always annoys me when some customers are very rude to me for asking a simple question like 'would you like anything else' or 'with purchase A, you can get purchase B for half price.'

I know it may annoy some people, and can get a bit repetitive, but a simple no will suffice, no need to get cranky at someone just for doing their job.

Get annoyed at the heads of Blockbuster by all means for the way they run things, or to staff who are generally rude but don't, however, get angry at someone doing their job by asking simple questions.  It might make you feel better to have a go at them, but just don't, it doesn't help in any way to get all cranky over something so petty.

That being said, I too dislike the way some blockbusters are run in the sense that I really don't like anything that is geared towards a purely superficial, money making ideal without treating the customers with proper respect.
Though I don't have a problem with an extensive games list.  Why is that a problem, other than the obvious taking up of space? It's much better to rent a game you vaguely feel like playing rather than spending $50 on one you don't really care too much about, they're much more expensive than movies to buy...

Oh and I liked that blue gum ball and get a free rental idea, that is a nice touch.

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AndyC
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« Reply #36 on: August 22, 2005, 09:16:36 AM »

Oh no, I wouldn't be rude to the staff, of course (I do take exception if they are rude to me, however). Actually, the staff at my current local Blockbuster seem fairly nice. I lay the blame for any of the annoying things they do squarely on their employer, since it's pretty obvious they're following instructions, which is why I give it as a reason I hate going to Blockbuster - it's universal.

I only feel like yelling at the staff, but I'm aware that they probably consider the sales pitches as big a pain in the ass as I do. Perhaps more.

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AndyC
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« Reply #37 on: August 22, 2005, 09:22:10 AM »

My first experience with video rental was on a family vacation around 1980. We were driving across the country and stopped to visit relatives in Alberta. We went to a cousin's place for dinner at one point, and they had a VCR. As a special treat for us, they rented a movie - '9 to 5,' as I recall. We were very impressed.

Man, to think that in those days, renting a movie was special. It was something you could plan to do when company was coming. Now it's something people do at the last minute when they're not doing anything else.



Post Edited (08-22-05 12:13)
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odinn7
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« Reply #38 on: August 22, 2005, 10:47:03 AM »

There were times that I felt like yelling at the idiots that were working at Ballbuster but I held back. The ones that were telling me I shouldn't rent certain movies are the ones I wanted to give it to but for the most part, I just dealt with it. As I said, all of those people were suddenly removed and replaced with all new staff that are really quite personable. I realize that they are told to try and upsell everything so it's not their fault. Even though it annoys me, since the people are nicer now, I've tried to handle it by giving a thoughtful look and then remarking how it does sound like a great deal but I think I'll have to pass on it for now. Eventually they may remember me and just stop asking...until then, it's just people trying to get by at a job that they probably don't really like too much. I can sympathize, I've been there before.

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ulthar
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« Reply #39 on: August 22, 2005, 10:57:05 AM »

dean wrote:

> Though I don't have a problem with an extensive games list.
> Why is that a problem, other than the obvious taking up of
> space? It's much better to rent a game you vaguely feel like
> playing rather than spending $50 on one you don't really care
> too much about, they're much more expensive than movies to
> buy...
>

I think the gist of the games vs. movies taking up space is that (1) Blockbuster will do whatever will make them the most money and (2) this is a movies forum, so the denizens here would probably, in general, prefer to see those shelves lined with obscure horror, 50's sci fi, etc, like they USED to be.

It's a question of competing interest; we, the movie crowd, want what we want to rent at a video rental store; BB is maximizing profit.  Personally, I've never rented a game and probably never will.  That's just me.  And BB does not care about that.  Their "profit density" is obviously greater with games and a huge shelf of "Pearl Harbor" and other 'main titles' than the movies *I* want to rent.  I often wonder why it has gotten so hard to find fun, b movies, and the answer must simply be that there is no perceived market for it.

The big thing I can find to lament about this is that BB drove out so many GOOD locally owned MOVIE RENTAL shops while being a MOVIE store that now, in many places, they are pretty much all that's there.  So, we are again left with what I call the "Walmart Syndrome:'  the customer cannot find what he wants, he can only buy what is available, cheaply, today.  (Lowes and Home Depot are like this on the 'hardware' side of things....).

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Menard
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« Reply #40 on: August 22, 2005, 11:17:22 AM »

A proper reply for a sales pitch:



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dean
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« Reply #41 on: August 22, 2005, 11:43:06 AM »

Menard wrote:

> A proper reply for a sales pitch:
>
>
>
>

Somebody has been spending way too much time looking through the emoticons list!

But anyway, yeah I totally agree that Blockbuster is a big pain in the butt when it comes to renting more obscure titles, and their whole 'mission statement' of sell sell sell, especially when we already feel hard done by as fans of the Cinema Obscura,  I guess that's why I got a Quickflix subscription and have recieved a heap of lesser known titles which would never EVER be stocked at a blockbuster, not matter how much they like to think that they have a good and varied selection.  

I guess I'm not so affected by the whole corporate Blockbuster machine since I delibrately go elsewhere as we have so many different chains/stores and Blockbuster is so expensive in comparison that I fail to see the point.  As a point of interest I actually walked into the big Blockbuster in my local shopping strip and noticed that since I've last been in there it's been given an overhaul, is now expanding into the traded Dvds and Videos market and increased it's Video Games section twenty fold [with ones for sale as well as rent now, plus a few consoles you can play in store] and has that whole 'aisle of candy' area.  So now I can see why people are so p**sed off.  I guess the changes are starting to come into effect here now, because this store used to be pretty straight foward in it's setup and had a pretty good selection.  Now I just wonder what happened to all the stock that they used to have...

Anyway, the only Blockbuster I go to is, like I mentioned in an earlier post, pretty much a locally run business which hasn't changed since I've known of its existence, except in name.  So I guess that doesn't really count then...

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StatCat
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« Reply #42 on: August 22, 2005, 05:06:33 PM »

Blockbuster= Ballbuster, I had a stupid gift card with about $25 on it that someone gave me and they practically deducted the whole thing when I tried to use it a few weeks ago. It was old but not THAT old.



Post Edited (08-22-05 17:07)
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daveblackeye15
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« Reply #43 on: August 22, 2005, 07:01:05 PM »

I hate it to StatCat when those gift cards run out so quickly. Me and bro usally get those 25 dollar ones for our bithday's and Christmas.

Off topic: It's funny, you're one people that was here when I first joined the board and it was just before I started typing this reply that I noticed your name is StatCat, this whole time I thought you were "StarCat"

Lol.

Okay no more pointlessness.

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Susan
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« Reply #44 on: August 22, 2005, 08:27:10 PM »

ulthar, we don't just have dvd players in cars. I was at sears the other day sitting in the lawn section resting my feet when i looked up and saw a treadmill for sale with a dvd player/tv screen in the panel.

When we lived in germany my folks endured  2 years of crappy tv, so when we got stationed in the philippines (circa 70-80) they bought a vcr for $800 so they could have friends in the US ship them video's taped from HBO. It was awsome to have video's of our own to watch, because we didn't go to the movies often and they didn't have a ton of features overseas anyways. So each cassette could fit around 2-3 movies on it. We would rent them out each weekend (for free of course) to neighbors and set them out front like we were our own video store...lol

Now when cable came around I thought HBO was the bomb, but back then I dont' remember hbo showing alot of quality movies, if any movies at all, during the daytime when i got home from school. This was probably in 82-83, i remember how excited i would get when the movie of the week would premiere and the intro began with the HBO theme song and the camera zooming into the O from the HBO logo and them lots of lights and sparks and then darkness. Yay!!!  

Yeah, we do take it for granted, the younger generation doesnt' remember what it was like when it was a luxery. now it's a necessity. When i tell people i don't have cable i get the "look", like i'm from another planet and they go into a spiel about how they can't live without it regardless of the cost. Now cable is just a bunch of excess. I like living in my cableless world where i am surrounded by my movie collection and i can recreate the fun of the friday night movie of the week on my own!

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