I moved to where I now live in 09, and back then the shopping center where my local grocery store is had a Blockbuster (it has since become a dental office) and everytime I buy groceries I think about the good times I had at Blockbuster growing up. At least once a month we would order pizza and go to Blockbuster to rent some movies. I remember when that Blockbuster went out of business in 2010 and they had a hug going out of business sale with PS2 games as low as 3 dollars and I bought a ton of games that day (wish I had never given up my PS2). I also remember when I was little it seemed every store or gas station had a corner for video rental.
As a kid working at a video rental place always seemed like such a cool job and as a teen, I was busy with sports and when I did work it was at restaurants or temp agencies. I'm curious if anyone had ever worked there or any other video rental?
Also, you think that model could ever work again with some being more interested in physical media? I could possibly see a rental place but they would have to have some other stuff, but I do know some VHS collectors so you could make it work.
I worked in one in South Africa back in 1997, had a blast. Sat on my ass most of the day, watching the Bond movies, all of the Rocky and Terminator films (up until then anyway), playing through the PS1 catalog of games we had. The elderly pajeet who owned it also used to let me take the old movie posters home so my bedroom wall was covered in Robocop, Jurassic Park and Guyver Dark Hero. Best job ever for film obsessed teen 😆
Years later in 2012 my girlfriend (now my wife), got a part time job in the same store on weekends. I hung out with her for safety reasons (white woman working alone at night in SA is not a great idea). She would be at the counter serving customers while I sat in the back studying for my degree.
The place closed down some time in 2015 when the old man passed away. I think it’s a laundromat or something now. Good memories