So I just got a job at Blockbuster, and I am curious as to what most people think of. When you see the word Blockbuster, what is the first thing you think of?
That’s right people, free association…now…
GO!
Waiting in a line, & getting billed even when the DVD/video was returned on time. BTW, there’s nothing free at a Blockbuster either.
That’s…not too positive. We gave out free popcorn tonight!
crushing independent video stores and all other chains…using their domination of the industry to impose their tastes upon the viewing public…pandering to the lowest common denominator…soul crushing evil…etc.
Evil. Smarmy, hypocritical, “we know what you want so you don’t have to think” evil.
Shitty video selection, too.
Wow… that is rather depressing. If Blockbuster is so evil…how did it come to dominate the industry?
Either some people have a much lower tolerance threshold than me or the Blockbuster in Australia is a different entity from in NA. I usually find what I want and the only time I ran up a significant fine (I rented out a bunch of overnighters, my grandpa died, and I spent 2 weeks in Canada for the funeral) they waived it completely.
The only real complaint I’ve had is that they moved X-men out of weeklys and into new releases so they could charge more money for it since the sequel’s out. Fair enough, there’s nothing stopping them, I’ll just go to a different store if I want X-men.
Snazzy polos. Bright lights. Very long membership forms. Laminated cards. Blue.
The hair sample I had to give for the pre-employment drug test.
Trying to find “State and Main,” when the wall was covered with hundreds of copies of “Dude, where’s my car?”
Heading over to the Hong Kong action section and reading all the backs of the boxes in incredibly fake (and probably offensive) accents.
Yeah, that’s right & I forgot no X rated videos. It’s a form ,as was noted above, of they know better. Why so big ? Success doesn’t mean good. BTW what American owns the company? I forget. & sorry about forgetting the free popcorn.
I think they’re good. Not complete, but reliable. They stay open until 1AM on the weekends, which makes a huge difference for me.
I have some kind of ultra platinum/gold membership since I have rented over 400 moives in the last 2 years. Its so hard lately to go in and find a good movie, actually its been like that for about 8 months now. I actually watched The Mission.
I think of how the workers know me by now and how my son tries to finagle Christmas themed movies all the time.
I hate Blockbuster, and it seems like I am not alone in Las Vegas. Until recently, they were the only game in town, and now Hollywood Video has come along (usually across the street) and you only have to look at the parking lot to see how many people have switched.
So why do I hate Blockbuster?
Example 1:
Showgirls was a truly horrible film However, when it came time to put it out on video, Blockbuster refused to release it as it originally was in the theaters. About 10 minutes had to be cut before Blockbuster would agree to carry it. MGM had to obey (lordknows they needed to find a way to make up for the lose of $$$ on this turkey) so they actually agreed to recut the film in order for it to be rented at Blockbuster. It galls me to think that, despite Showgirls being a truly crappy movie, Blockbuster bullied the studio into making it even worse.
Example 2:
I have never turned in a film late. I usually watch everything the same day I rent it and turn it in the next day. Once I went in and they said I had two late charges. I vividly recall turning those films in days before they were due as that was the day I was late for work because I had to drive over there to turn in the films…two days early. Yet the manager pretty much called me a liar and said if I didn’t pay, they were going to revoke my card.
Example 3:
After the first season of Queer As Folk, I asked if they were going to be stocking it. The idiot behind the counter said, “we don’t rent those kind of things.” Actually, a few months later they did indeed rent it and it was almost constantly rented and off the shelf.
Now that Hollywood Video is in town with 5 day rentals on all films, suddenly Blockbuster is doing the same thing. Now that Hollywood Video sells used DVDs and Videos really cheap, Blockbuster has lowered their price on used films.
I wish you the best at your new job, but trust me…the bad karma from when Blockbuster was the only game in town is going to come back and bite them in the ass. I for one will not lose any sleep about it.
“Never again.”
Blockbuster sucks. Everything is overpriced and the selection is pretty weak. All they really have to offer that my local independent didn’t is a billion copies of popular (or assumed to be popular) new releases, and long rental times… But really, if you need five days to get a movie back, you don’t really have time to be watching them in the first place, do you?
And there’s that ratings BS too, but I don’t know all the facts on that.
But I don’t blame individual cogs in the machinery of evil. It’s a job.
I do not like BB and rarely go there. First they bought out another chain, Soundwarehouse, when I lived in Fort Worth that rented older movies for .99 cents. Immediately all videos went to a couple of bucks, so rather than just browse and rent something on the spur of the moment, I only went when there was something I wanted. When I do rent a movie it is usually for overnight and I usually want to return it the next morning. I do not want or need to keep it for several days, so I would rather pay a little less for one night rather than have to pay for several.
They do not carry widescreen movies, and if it comes between seeing a movie in pan and scan or not seeing it I will choose the latter. I find overall that the selection they offer is generally weak. Also I like obscure, low budget, silent and offbeat movies while BB seems to only go after the more “mainstream” audience. It is their business choice to offer what they want, however if they did offer more of the type of movies I like, I would be more inclined to rent the more mainstream stuff as well. Currently it has been well over a year since I have rented any movies, and with DVD most movies I would want to make an effort to see, I would prefer to buy rather than rent anyway. As it is they do not seem interested in my business, so I go elswhere. Lastly, if I am not motivated enough to see a movie in the theater, in spite of saying I will see it on video, I usually never get around to it.
Also I agree with what Little Nemo & Dmark and the others said below.
The time they applied late charges to my credit card without attempting to notify me of said charges. This drove me over my limit, created an embarassing situation for me, and ended up costing me an extra $35 I had to pay my credit card company for going over the limit.
The worst thing about it? I go to the Blockbuster that charged my credit card to find out what movies I supposedly returned late. It wasn’t the Blockbuster I usually went to, but I had been there a few times a few months before. They cannot tell me what movies I supposedly rented. Why? Those records were kept at another store, where I supposedly rented these movies a couple of weeks before. Apparently if a Blockbuster thinks you owe them money, they will contact the one you got your card at and transfer the charges over to their records, where they can then apply it to your credit card. I go to the Blockbuster where I supposedly rented these movies, and I had NEVER BEEN THERE BEFORE IN MY LIFE. I ask them what movies I supposedly rented and when I rented them, and they could not tell me, because I apparently rented them over 6 months before, and they don’t keep the records that long. They referred me to their district manager when I expressed my disbelief that they could put charges on my credit card without saying what or when they were originally made. I called the district manager, never got hold of him, left him messages with my phone number and the hours I was available. He called once well outside my hours of availability and left me a voice mail telling me nothing more than he was returning my call. I tried to get my credit card company to reverse the charges and explained the situation, and they said that I signed an agreement allowing Blockbuster to make charges to my card, and because of that I could do nothing.
The Blockbuster in the small town I lived in sympathized with me, and couldn’t believe they wouldn’t provide those records, as they said they kept backup copies far longer than 6 months, but they couldn’t do anything for me.
They do carry some widescreen versions, though occasionally they’ll have five million copies of a new release and they’re all fullscreen. Why, I have no idea, but it’s pretty obnoxious.
Blockbuster seems to be carrying more films that it wouldn’t carry ten years ago. However, it still has only the rated/edited versions of anything too sexually explicit, which I find ridiculous.
There are many classics and great movies that Blockbuster simply doesn’t carry. Some Blockbusters will carry some of them, while others won’t. Yet, Maid In Manhattan will get three whole walls of the New Release shelves. If they were really interested in movies and people who love movies, they would manage their inventory a little differently. As it is, their system and procedures reflect an interest in only one thing: squeezing the life and money out of the mindless masses.
Still, they are more reliable than most when you want to find a copy of a new release.
I’ll always remember my friend who works at BlockBuster telling me that there is a corporate policy not to use the word “policy” with customers.