But could you do it in your sleep while hungover and hald-dead with the flu? If not, I’m not impressed.
Is it just me, or can the folks posting into this thread be divided into two camps:
- Intelligent, sensible, normal people
vs.
- Raving loonie stupid Blockbuster customers
I swear, I read some of the messages in this thread and wonder if the folks are posting to the wrong forum. We’re here to fight ignorance, not flaunt it.
Well, I did once work a double (8 am to 1am) and then a turnaround the next morning (back at 8 am) with no babysitter, so I had to bring my 4 year old to work with me and *he *had the flu. And then all the computers went down the second morning, so I was working manual - writing down every transaction on paper. And my CSR called in sick, so I was working alone. It wasn’t too bad until the electricity went out and some asshole drunk guy drove his car through my front window, right through the drop box.
No, I’m not joking.
I thought I was hallucinating. The cop thought is was the funniest thing he’d ever heard.
I closed the store and went home. After the window boarder-uppers finished putting plywood over my wall.
And got reamed out by my district manager the next day.
Yeah, that sounds like a bad day.
The worst one I recall was when we reopened after a 3 month hiatus.
One day I went to pick up my paycheck, and the doors were locked and the security grates were down. There was a sign on the door saying the state had seized the store. Apparently there was a tax problem, and all that needed to be done was for the store’s lawyer to go to court and sign something. But the lawyer forgot all about it. So the state seized the store.
Of course, I didn’t know anything about this at the time, since there was no one to tell it to me.
Then one day, out of the blue, I got a call from the owner. We’d reopened, could I come in immediately and work the very first night shift? Sure, it’s not like I had a life or anything. So I went in. I had to reaquaint myself with with how to do things. Then the manager announced that she was going home, and I would have to close. That pissed me off. Oh yeah, and starting today, we’re closing an hour later than usual, so I got another hour of my night taken from me.
Keep in mind that at this point, I was already having a severe nicotine fit, and wanted desperately to leave that hellhole place.
Finally I got to the end of my extra long, unplanned shift. Just minutes before I could go home. And then in walk four Greenpeace hippies who could not, for the life of them, agree on a movie. They kept trying to decide a for a full half hour after we closed. Finally, they decided on something. Oh yeah, did they need to be members or something? Fine, I had to create a new account. Oh yeah, they didn’t have a VCR, could they rent one?
At that point, I lunged over the counter and stabbed them all in the neck with a flair pen. Their bloody corpses were on the floor. The cops came, arrested me, yada yada long story short, I was executed by lethal injection 6 years later.
That was a bad day.
Do I know you? I swear you must. It’s just too uncanny. Same thing happened at another store in our district.
Also, around Thanksgiving a few years ago at my store someone ran their car into our back wall and came crashing into the store right smack dab in the middle of the new releases. I thought we’d just had an earthquake. I watched it on the monitor, and saw the back end of a pickup truck sticking into our aisles by about 3 feet. That was fun.
I found that even after I quit working there, I would absent-mindedly greet anyone who came in the door, anywhere I was. And as far as long hours, I used to regularly work close-inventory-open, so after inventory was done (we started after the store closed at midnight, and finished up around 5AM) I’d head to Waffle House, grab some food, then try to catch some sleep while curled up under my desk in my office before opening at 8AM. Oh, did I mention that because we were a franchise store we did inventory over two days, every single month? :sigh:
Then there was New Year’s eve, where 4 of my CSRs called out or didn’t show. I ended up closing with one other person, and each of us had a line of about 20 people consistently for about 5 hours that night. When we finally closed we’d netted twice our normal Friday night revenue with less than half the staff. I told him to just get out of there and forget about closing duties. My boyfriend came up to the store to help me close. We shut the doors at 10PM, and I was there until 2AM clearing tapes and closing.
Between that and the memories of being robbed at gunpoint, you guys are doing a great job of wearing down all the nostalgia I had remaining about my days in blue and yellow. Thanks.
Not true. The computers run on a 24 hour clock, and all rentals are entered the exact moment they are scanned, thus if you rented something on Tuesday at 12:59 AM (Assuming in the first place that the store you were renting from is open that late, which most aren’t) and it were a two-day rental, it would be due by noon on Thursday. So you would actually be getting a two and a half-day rental.
Have you ever actually been to a store or rented anything yourself? Does your mom know you stole her card?
I used to be a Blockbuster customer, but no more. It wasn’t just the late fees.
I always paid those without complaining, even though there were times I was 99.99999% positive I returned the movie on time…I figured, sometimes my head is in the clouds, who the hell knows, maybe I forgot what day it is, and although I’m pretty damn sure I returned it on time…fuck it, it’s 4 bucks, and I don’t feel like arguing about it.
My problem was specifically, the incompetence of my local Blockbuster. Let me preface by saying, I don’t know what employee turnover is usually like at a BB, but the one by me apparently has a pretty high turnover rate, because I rarely saw the same people working there for more than a month or two.
Before I signed up with Netflix, BB was the only place we rented from, and I only ever rented from that one store. I returned movies on my way home from work, which is after the store closes (I work in a bar, so 2 AM).
Not once, not twice, but three times, they “lost” the movie I know godamn good and well I returned, because I dropped them in the overnight slot myself, on the way home from work. I’d go back in a week or two later to rent, and WOOPS! We never got this movie back from you, you owe us 20-some odd dollars.
Bullshit. I don’t know if they had a employee theft problem or what, but if you have an overnight slot, once I drop it in there, it shouldn’t be my problem anymore.
So, I got tired of arguing about it. Late fees I’m unsure of whose fuckup it was, fine, but I sure as fuck ain’t paying for movies I returned.
The first time the manager just dropped the charges, the second time they “found” it 2 weeks later after it had been returned by someone else they’d rented it to after I returned it (don’t ask me how the hell that happened, I don’t even know how that’s possible, since everything’s done by scanning the code on the box, no?), the third time I argued with the clerk for 15 minutes before she told me I had to come back in the next day and speak to the manager, and she couldn’t let me rent with the outstanding total.
So, fine. I went home and signed with Netflix that night. I absolutely love Netflix, their selection seriously rules, and I have an average 3 day turnaround. We use the 5-at-a time plan for 29.99 and go thru about 5 movies a week average. We definitely get our money’s worth.
About a month ago, I wanted to watch a specific new release and didn’t feel like waiting a few days for my Netflix queue turnaround, so, like a chump, I pulled my BB card out of the junk drawer, went to BB, rented the movie, watched it, and returned it later that night at about 3 AM, since I did a late-night grocery run, and the BB is right next door.
A bit over a week later, the motherfuckers call me to tell me I never returned the movie, and it was now overdue.
Lesson learned. I’ve since cut up my Blockbuster card, they can go fuck themselves.
And as I told the manager who I called and spoke to, if they think I’m paying them for the fucking movie, they’ve got another think coming.
Cerri, I haven’t even been working there for two months yet and from your story, I can tell you that BB manager didn’t know their ass from their elbow.
I’m glad you found a company that you enjoy. But don’t assume all BB are run that way, because mine sure as hell isn’t.
That’s far too much think-ing to expect.
Cerri, I think I can guess why employee turnover at your local store is so high. With managers like that, who need obnoxious customers? For what it’s worth, if you call the district manager, all your problems will go away. Those guys give credits out like water in a rainstorm.
I had a turnover rate of just under three years, for the seven years I worked for the company. Most of my people left to go away to college or have babies. Every single one of my college kids begged me to put them on the schedule when they came home for vacations (which I did.)
I had to fire one guy for theft and using credits on his friends’ accounts. The putz actually created a fake account under the name Clinton, William J., with authorized users Hillary, Chelsea and Socks. The dimshit used the actual White House address and everything. He’d use this account to rent to himself, and a free rental coupon code to not pay for it. I probably wouldn’t have found out about it, either, until I got a letter from the White House informing me that neither Mr. Clinton, nor anyone authorized on his account, had rented from my store and would I take the enclosed automated letter demanding $2.50 in late fees and insert is posteriorally? (I may be paraphrasing.)
Oh, I know. I rented from Blockbuster in Chicago for years and never had problems, even the one down here in TX that was by our old apartment was fine.
Like, I said, my problem was specifically with that particular Blockbuster store, but the next closest one is about 15 minutes away and on the other end of town, (and in no way on my way home from work, which as I said, is when I generally drop off movies) unlike the one I used to rent at, which is 3-4 minutes away and only a tiny bit out of my way…so, to me, it’s just really not worth the hassle to try and go out of my way to take movies back, when I get a far better selection at Netflix (I’ve been on a huge British film, especially British comedy, binge lately), I don’t have to take my inherently-lazy ass to and from the store anymore, I don’t worry about late fees anymore, and with the amount of movies our household goes through monthly, I save a ton of money. 
It’s too bad for Blockbuster though…not counting late fees, my hubby and I averaged spending 20-30 bucks a visit, several times a month there. We had a rather large tendency to not only rent 3-5 movies at a crack, we’d impulse-buy used DVDs quite often. We also purchased not-a-few times, those deals where such-and-such movie is coming out on DVD, and for X amount of dollars you get a card worth a rental a week for so many weeks, in addition to the upcoming movie when it was released. Oh, we were also Rewards members.
It’s not as though we were unprofitable customers, is the point I’m tryin to make here. 
I still haven’t resolved the issue of the last missing movie with the manager yet…she/he (I wasn’t the one who talked to em this time) told my hubby two weeks ago “they’d look for the movie and call if they found it” :rolleyes: and we’ve heard nothing so far, so I may yet write that letter to the district manager if I get motivated enough…being sure to let him know just what a profitable customer they’ve lost entirely due to this one store’s complete and utter incompetency.
Hm…in fact…kung fu lola, you wouldn’t happen to know how I’d contact whoever’s in charge of the Euless, Texas area, would you?
Checking their website just gives me a standard customer service website form to fill out, and tells me if I need further assistance, to contact my local store manager, which I don’t think will help me any seeing as the one who manages this store obviously couldn’t find their ass with both hands and a map.
Read the post–I didn’t say they shortened the time. I said they changed the time. Not shortened it. Changed it.
In other words, in the olden days if it said due Wednesday it meant any time Wednesday. 7 am, noon, 10 pm.
Wanna bet they did this to decrease the late fees?
But it’s worth it not to have to deal with the fucking cunts at the counter, and apparently those fucking cunts are just as happy not to deal with dimwits such as dumb old me.
Byeee.
They did it because customers complained that they hated staying up all the way until midnight, and would prefer to turn their movies in on the way to work. Then when they switched to noon, people complained that they can’t come it at noon because they are at work. I sense the problem doesn’t lie with the deadline.
Well, I work at Blockbuster, so I know about this No Late Fees thing (I have to wear a god-awful yellow Tshirt Fri-Sun).
Here’s how the cost of the ovie thing works (using movies whose prices I know): A new movie, let’s say Elf, costs $19.99. We don’t have any PVD (previously viewed) of it yet, so you’d be charged 19.99+tax-rental fee. For an older movie that we have PVDs of, like Super Size Me for $12.99, you’d get 12.99+tax-rental fee, even if we have new copies. It’s JUST like walking in and buying the movie.
Personally, I think it’s a damn goofy thing. What’s the incentive to bring movies back by the 2 or 7 day due date? It seems to basically extend the rental times by a week. But I figure people will return them - the folks on the Movie Pass have unlimited rental time, and they rarely seem to keep them for more than 5 days, usually 2.
And my store treats me well. At least it seems that way compared to the B&N I worked at before it. The customers are really friendly, and I’ve only seen two get mad since I started in October.
Thank, Silver Serpentine. Hey, could you look in your District listings (ask your manager for it if you don’t know where it is - it should be in the office) and find out what district the Euless, Texas store is in and who’s the DM for Cerri? Phone number would be awesome, as well.
By the way, Cerri, by company policy, the manager of your store is required to give you the DM’s phone number if you request it. If you’re feeling up to it, I’d call and ask. If they refuse to give it to you, you’ll have one more piece of information the DM will be highly interested in. We will get you in touch with him or her, I promise.
I really, really hate it when jerks like that give an essentially good (though underpaying! Did I mention that?) company a bad rep. And so will the DM.
You think Euless and Austin are in the same district (I’m still new to the company and don’t know the higher up stuff)?
But it really would be easier for Cerri to go into a store and ask for the number. I could do it on Sunday, tho.
Hey, has anyone else’s store discontinued the In Stock Guarantee? Mine did right after Day After Tomorrow came out.
I don’t know if they’re in the same district or not (I don’t know Texas, but I hear it’s a big place! 
) but your store manager (and the assistants, if they know where it is) has a list of all the stores in Texas and their phone numbers, listed by district. The district manager’s name and phone number should be on it. If not, your DM’s phone number would work, as s/he would certainly know how to track down another DM.
I know it would be easier if her store would give it to her, but they’re being rather putzworthy. I’m not convinced they’ll even give it to her if she asks, even though they’re supposed to. If you could do this for her, it would show some really awesome initiative and customer care on your part. And you’ll be my personal hero for at least a week. 
I left the company in 2000, so I don’t know any recent changes around here. I’ll check next time I’m there.
Regarding the 12-hour “extension”: I do believe Blockbuster was being a bit shady when they made the switch. As Justin_Bailey already pointed out, people have been trained by video stores nationwide to believe that “due on Monday” means “due on Monday before store close”. Let’s say I go get some movies, and on the way out, the clerk says to me “these are due back on Monday before noon”. During the course of the week, these exact words fade from my memory, leaving in their stead a mental note of “due back on Monday”. So, I return the videos on Monday on the way to my 5:00 shift at work. Next time I go to BB, I find myself smacked with late fees. Now, I’m not going to bitch at the clerk about this, because it’s my own stupid fault for forgetting. Still, I don’t believe for a minute that Blockbuster wasn’t banking on this exact thing happening to people across the US when they decided to do the customers a 12-hour “favor”.
This new plan, however, is not nearly as insidious, nor indeed can I find anything malevolent about it at all. Actually, it seems like one hell of a great deal, and I wish Hollywood would implement the same system, since they’re currently my first choice due to their wider selection. I don’t see where anybody arguing for the evils of this plan has made a salient point yet.
Hey, you don’t by any chance work in Roanoke, do you? This happened to a local Blockbuster a few years ago, and I seem to recall hearing that the clerk was alone on duty at the time.
Nah. I’m a midwest girl - Illinois.
Apparently, the car running into a Blockbuster building thing is pretty freakishly common. I worked at four stores (one primary, three where I’d sub for managers on vacation) and two of them were hit by cars. The tale I related was the most angsty, simply because of the lack of sleep, staff, computers, electricity and the presence of a cranky sick child, but the other time wasn’t really a picnic, either!
Neither of the drivers, nor anyone in the store were hurt, I hasten to add. But I do know now how to order a new dropbox from corporate HQ, if anyone needs to know. It’s actually easier than getting foreign films in corn country. Turnaround time is about a week and they will send someone to install it. Getting the brick repaired took much longer.
How can I turn down being a personal hero? I work Sunday, so I can do it then.
Except it does.
From the employee point of view in this thread the 12 year extension was just that, an extension so people wouldn’t get sacked with fees for using the overnight drop.
Which is more than fair.
But that’s not what was advertised. It was advertised as:
YOU GET YOUR MOVIES ONE DAY LONGER!!!
It’s not one day, it’s 12 hours. And I (and many others) think Blockbuster didn’t do a good enough job letting their customers know about this change.
To quote another pit thread: suck it up hauss.