Give it the prize!
There was a time where Blockbuster was ubiquitous. But, the rise of services like Netflix slowly bled the chain dry over time. Following the closure of the two remaining stores in Alaska, the Blockbuster in Bend, Oregon was the last Blockbuster in the U.S. But now that the final Blockbuster in Australia has closed, the Oregon store is, in truth, The Last Blockbuster.
While the final store’s general manager, Sandi Harding, expresses condolences to her Australian compatriots, even she admits there’s a certain thrill to being the final Blockbuster in existence. While her store has been open for 20 years, it still offers its patrons the newest releases. That said, Harding notes that the store’s bread and butter lies in the older films they carry.
You can go to Redbox and you can get the new titles, but they don’t have the older ones. Netflix and Amazon don’t have everything, either.
Sandi Harding
And being the last of the chain does, in fact, bring a few boons. The Last Blockbuster is an opportunity to relive the past, so to speak. Harding notes that mere nostalgia brings them a large number of visitors. All of them seeking to relive a time from their youth, or to enjoy the novelty of renting something manually. And that may be the key to continued longevity.
We’re proud to still be open.
Sandi Harding
Source: CNN
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