When was the last time you went to a video store?

[retromike22]

A few days ago my friend tells me he has to return a DVD. I somehow automatically assumed it was Redbox, until he told me it was a "video store"

His words: "Yea, an actual video store."

I walked in and immediately felt as if I traveled back in time at least 15 years. It was pretty interesting and they had a large collection of DVDs. The cashier guy was young, I was expecting some middle aged guy with a receding hairline.

Before that visit, I probably hadn't visited a video store in about 10 years.

[TDAS04]

I don't even remember.

[Badger]

Maybe 2010? Probably earier.

[DemPGH]

An actual video store? Wow. Probably late 1990s, really.

I've always been able to find movies that I think I'd like cheap on Amazon or at Target or Wal-Mart. In the old days there were a lot of mom-and-pop video stores (and there was no Internet, so you couldn't read up on a movie you were curious about), then at some point it went to all Hollywood Video or whatever. The mom-and-pop stores in the VHS days were awesome. 

[RR1997]

What's this "video store" you speak of?

[Mr. Smith]

3 years ago actually.

[Oak Hills]

Sometime around 2008 or 2009 I think.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Just last week! I didn't actually get anything, but there is one right on the Main Line that advertises itself as "The Last Video Store" - thought that was pretty neat.

Also, I frequently rented movies from my school's video store over the last few years, but I don't think that counts. Before that, I had been in Blockbuster like once. I'm too young for that.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

My hometown had a blockbuster until 09-ish. Now the building contains 3 separate businesses - a sandwich shop, a frozen yogurt shop, and a fast food Mexican place.

I think there is still a movie store up near my grandparents' house in the northern part of the state, but I haven't been to that store in at least 2 years.

[Mr. Morden]

Blockbuster still exists here in Australia, and there's one just down the street from me.  I was last there in April, over Easter weekend, when I rented Game of Thrones Season 4 to watch some of the DVD extras, in anticipation of the Season 5 premiere.

[RFayette]

2008 I think

[Mr. Morden]

As a followup….

I like video rental stores, and am kind of bummed that they're dying (or already dead, as seems to be the case in the US).  They fit my movie habits better than the newer options, I think.  I just am not interested in renting stuff often enough to merit paying a monthly fee, and from what I can tell, Netflix streaming still has a lot of holes in its selection.  I guess their "DVD-by-mail" (or whatever it is) options are much more comprehensive, but I usually want to rent more on a spur of the moment basis, rather than planning out what/when I'm going to watch days in advance.  And Redbox's selection is pretty limited, as far as I can tell.

So I still like having the video rental store, for the more infrequent home video watchers like me.  But I understand that their business model doesn't work if they just rely on people like me.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

As a followup….

I like video rental stores, and am kind of bummed that they're dying (or already dead, as seems to be the case in the US).  They fit my movie habits better than the newer options, I think.  I just am not interested in renting stuff often enough to merit paying a monthly fee, and from what I can tell, Netflix streaming still has a lot of holes in its selection.  I guess their "DVD-by-mail" (or whatever it is) options are much more comprehensive, but I usually want to rent more on a spur of the moment basis, rather than planning out what/when I'm going to watch days in advance.  And Redbox's selection is pretty limited, as far as I can tell.

So I still like having the video rental store, for the more infrequent home video watchers like me.  But I understand that their business model doesn't work if they just rely on people like me.

Agreed. Minneapolis still has a bunch of cool indie ones that are still doing well though.

[Miles]

Blockbuster about 2 years ago in Metairie...they were having a going out of business sale

I remember going to that one store a lot as a kid; sort of sad, really.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

2-1/2 weeks ago.  NARO Video has a really cool selection.

[Mercenary]

I think 2010. There is one in my home town. It is sort of a multi-purpose one though. It has DVD, Blu-ray, Video games for rental and sale as well as being a book store and there is even a coffee shop inside it. Besides that, there was a blockbuster near the same place but that business drove blockbuster out probably back in like 2007 or something. I haven't rented a movie in ages, I went to that store mainly for games when I did go.

I am not sure if the place is still there, but I think it probably is as it was diversified enough to survive. Although the video section of it may be considerably smaller.

[Dancing with Myself]

TBH I can't even remember. 2010  I believe?

I grew up pretty much a Blockbuster kid. We had one in town and Mom always took me there every Friday unless a rare occasion. I was poor so I didn't have a dvd/vhs until Christmas 2003. They were good with keep their VHS's for a while.  Games wise I had a SNES/PS1/N64 until 2004. They got rid of SNES early then PS1 and N64 had small sections. Eventually they got so specific they got eliminated and I had to get at least a gamecube to rent games.

From when I was 3-6 we went to a local chain called "Video Wiz,"  they were both cheaper and had much more variety of VHS's than Blockbuster had, but they had no games to rent. I watched a lot of weird, unique, edgier and oddly favorite films of mine still. A lot of the VHS's I pop in randomly are from that period. I remember renting Wayne's World 2 a ton from there and they would laugh. They tried to sell it to my mom but she wouldn't buy it. That's how nice they were.  Sadly the one I loved closed down in 1997 for some reason and I had to go back to Blockbuster. They did open another one but it wasn't our favorite because the selection wasn't as good nor were the employees as nice.

Blockbuster eventually got more DVD friendly around the time I upgraded. They started selling DVD sets of shows and I bought 1 or 2 of my old Simpsons sets from there. I got into wrestling heavily and they had a sweet area for wrestling tapes of WWF and WCW I got hooked into them quite hard for about a couple of years.

I can't even remember why we quit going there. I believe they changed their price rates and they screwed people we knew over so by the time i got to high school I wasn't driven over there much. The last time I remember going was when they were closing and selling their DVD's, we got several for cheap. That was sad because they had good business for years and years. I always wanted to work there and never got a chance.

[ElectionsGuy]

2009, at a Blockbuster.

[Bacon King]

Two weeks ago, at the Movie Stop in Buford. It's the price of a Redbox rental but you get to keep the movie (and there's a much wider selection)

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

2007. That's about the time the Hollywood Video closed down.

[SATW]

Like 2010 or 2011.

[Mr. Morden]

Bumping the thread because the Blockbuster down the street from my apartment just closed this weekend.  It looks like all of the Blockbusters in Perth may have closed (though not 100% sure about that), but the chain does survive in other parts of Australia.  Not sure how long that'll last though.

[dead0man]

There are four Family Video stores in the Omaha area.  Despite the name, it's just a chain.

website

[Classic Conservative]

2006 or 2007 maybe???

[Horsemask]

I remember going once to the video store that was in my town with my brother and his now ex-girlfriend when they were home from college, so that would be circa 2009-10. Store has closed since then.