Once-ubiquitous Blockbuster has just one location left
It's a Netflix-driven world, and Blockbuster is just barely living in it.
The former movie retailer giant has whittled its locations down to just one single store — the Blockbuster in Bend, Oregon. Saturday is the last day of operation for two of Blockbuster's other longstanding locations, reports CNN. The two stores in Anchorage, Alaska, will close on Sunday, leaving the Bend location all alone to hold down the fort for the once-mighty franchise.
At its peak, reports Deadline, Blockbuster ran more than 9,000 stores, where movie watchers would come to peruse their options before renting a VHS or DVD to be returned within the week. Today, the Bend Blockbuster has maintained its vintage look, with its signature blue and yellow logo and shelves full of DVDS that are supervised by a staff of 19-year-olds in blue Blockbuster shirts. Alaska was a major holdout for the franchise, but finally crumbled to the modern day, joining thousands of other locations that have closed since the franchise filed for bankruptcy in 2010.
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"It is sad to say goodbye to our dedicated customers," wrote the general manager of Blockbuster Alaska in a Facebook post. "We have thought of you as family for the past 28 years." Local movie-renters in Anchorage made a "shrine" to the store upon hearing the news, but nostalgic appreciation alone can't keep the store afloat.
As for the Bend location? The store manager promised CNN that "as of now we have no plans on closing." Read more at CNN.
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Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.
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