Movie rental stores...Do you miss them?

[ArmyOfDarknessAW]

Originally Posted by Abby is Q

Yeah, and 9/10 times the recommendations I get on Netflix are complete garbage that are nothing like the movies I enjoy. The closest I get to finding something new these days is to hope Arrow, Kino, or Shout! Factory pull something out of nowhere that I somehow had not heard or seen already.

Also, I should mention that I miss the old mom and pop video stores. Good riddance to Blockbuster though. I do not miss their lack of selection, higher prices, and notorious late fees.

I wish I had a small mom and pop store near me in those days to get used to. Blockbuster was just so close to me (very short walk) that it was my go to. My local had a damn good selection, but it was bigger than the one a couple towns over. I found so many movies there that I loved.

[Jennifer Lawrence Fan]

Yes, I do. A lot. My local rental place (48 Hours) is in the process of selling off all their movies.

Cant get the same feeling from Redbox or Netflix.

Kids now a days won't know what it's like to walk into a video store. Because everything will be online for them. Which is sad.

[Abby is Q]

Originally Posted by toddly6666

Here's an idea for a town: Make a shopping center called 1980s Shopping Center or a mall called 1980s Mall. Or Retro Mall or Retro Shopping Center. Included stores would be:

- arcade
- video rental store
- roller skating rink
- a clothing department with a phenomenal toy section and video game playing section
- comic book store
- a CD/records/cassette tape shop
- a bakery
- a pizza place
- a mini golf/bumper car/trampoline playroom
- batting cages
- a fast-food Chinese restaurant
- a gimmicks store with amazing costume and poster selection
- a romper room for little kids

Anything missing?

If you build it, they will come.

Ice cream/root beer stand on a corner, a large fountain filled with loose change in the middle of the mall, small grocery store/pharmacy, scrunchy/hair accessories stand, and a movie theater without stadium seating.

[Rodney-2187]

Originally Posted by toddly6666

Here's an idea for a town: Make a shopping center called 1980s Shopping Center or a mall called 1980s Mall. Or Retro Mall or Retro Shopping Center. Included stores would be:

- arcade
- video rental store
- roller skating rink
- a clothing department with a phenomenal toy section and video game playing section
- comic book store
- a CD/records/cassette tape shop
- a bakery
- a pizza place
- a mini golf/bumper car/trampoline playroom
- batting cages
- a fast-food Chinese restaurant
- a gimmicks store with amazing costume and poster selection
- a romper room for little kids

Anything missing?

If you build it, they will come.

News Stand
Bennigan's
Glamour Shots
Laser Tag

[Monterey Jack]

I have a certain nostalgia for the video store experience of the 90's (my family didn't get a VCR until Christmas of '89), but do I really miss it in the era of movies delivered direct to my mailbox, or being able to stream them direct to my TV or watch them for free On Demand or on YouTube? Not so much. Sometimes change is good.

[Britbuffguy]

Oh yeah. We always would raid Blockbuster and hit a Taco Bell run every Friday night.
Would spend hours of my youth in that place.

I guess I just refuse to become a digital person, I like having a hard copy. I still rent big stacks from the library.

[SillySauce]

Absolutely not. I only buy movies that I like and have already seen, so I rent a lot of movies from Redbox, Amazon, YouTube and Xbox One video on-demand. Being able to rent tons of HD movies in seconds for $4 is awesome.

[Samus Aran]

I remember driving to a Blockbuster only to discover it was no longer there. That's how little I paid attention to the rental store at the end of its day. I think Hollywood Video was closer and I would go to that one, but that one I knew was going under. The grocery chains still rent movies, but I don't think I've actually seen anyone renting them. Someone must for them to keep doing it though.

I wonder if the lack of rental stores has hurt The Asylum any, since you'd have the clueless renter see The Day the Earth Stopped sitting on the shelf and think it was The Day the Earth Stood Still that was currently playing in the theaters.

Although they also name a lot of their movies starting with numbers so that they'll be at the top of the streaming lists.

[toddly6666]

Originally Posted by ArmyOfDarknessAW

I know you're being sarcastic more so, but I'd be up for that. However I'm more partial to 90's personally.

This time Im not being sarcastic! I miss the 1980s malls - all the malls/shopping centers now pretty much suck!

[Ironhorse75]

Originally Posted by Michael24

I do. It was so much easier to browse. You could just walk around, and any number of things could pop out and catch you attention. With something like Redbox, it's pretty much only new releases. At a video store I could browse and come across plenty of obscure older titles I'd never heard of before. Sure, you can still browse with a service like Netflix but there's plenty of stuff that's just not available for rent/streaming.

You're still browsing. You're browsing every time you hop on these forums. IMDB. Rottentomatoes.

I don't miss them at all. Sure there is nostalgia, but I love how refined the internet has made my selection process.

Young me - walking up and down looking around and reading cookie cutter descriptions of a movies on the backside.

Me right now in the same amount of time - saw an advertisement on the top banner of this website for Mad Max Fury Road. Looked up reviews and saw that it was one of the best reviewed of the year. Looked at imdb and saw that it is 173 in the top 250. Looked at what our own forum thougt of it and saw that it was voted #1 of the year.

Definitely interested. Now I have a decision. Rent/Buy digital and watch immediately or purchase with free 2 day shipping and have it on my doorstep just in time for my next day off from work. Click click done.

Bonus, didn't even have to put pants on.

[toddly6666]

Originally Posted by Ironhorse75

You're still browsing. You're browsing every time you hop on these forums. IMDB. Rottentomatoes.

I don't miss them at all. Sure there is nostalgia, but I love how refined the internet has made my selection process.

Young me - walking up and down looking around and reading cookie cutter descriptions of a movies on the backside.

Me right now in the same amount of time - saw an advertisement on the top banner of this website for Mad Max Fury Road. Looked up reviews and saw that it was one of the best reviewed of the year. Looked at imdb and saw that it is 173 in the top 250. Looked at what our own forum thougt of it and saw that it was voted #1 of the year.

Definitely interested. Now I have a decision. Rent/Buy digital and watch immediately or purchase with free 2 day shipping and have it on my doorstep just in time for my next day off from work. Click click done.

Bonus, didn't even have to put pants on.

not putting on the pants is the problem though! As someone else said, the convenience of internet takes away the social factor.

[harpolini]

Anyone else use the Cinemania 97 cd-rom to research movies before heading to the video store?

[Rodney-2187]

There's a few people in another thread who have said they order movies online because they don't want to put pants on, and now I see people don't want to rent movies from a video store because they would have to put pants on. Is it time for a "do you miss pants" thread?

[Ironhorse75]

Originally Posted by toddly6666

not putting on the pants is the problem though! As someone else said, the convenience of internet takes away the social factor.

It depends.

Between work and friends I have quite a few outlets and social circles to discuss movies.

One could argue that this right here (bulletin board systems) is the social factor.

[Blu-21]

I do miss the feeling of going there after school each Monday and browsing, good times. The one I went to back then is still there and does good business, but I haven't been there in a long time. I use Netflix now because its easier, but selection wise it is very limited in comparsen.

[Ray Jackson]

They serve very little practical purpose in today's modern world.

But as someone who grew up in the 80s and can vividly remember the pure joy I experienced as a little kid going to Silver Screen Video or Flicks N Picks...I have to say that yes...I do miss them.

The last Blockbuster in my town closed about two years ago.

...nothing left but Redboxes.

[Buscemi]

Originally Posted by toddly6666

Here's an idea for a town: Make a shopping center called 1980s Shopping Center or a mall called 1980s Mall. Or Retro Mall or Retro Shopping Center. Included stores would be:

- arcade
- video rental store
- roller skating rink
- a clothing department with a phenomenal toy section and video game playing section
- comic book store
- a CD/records/cassette tape shop
- a bakery
- a pizza place
- a mini golf/bumper car/trampoline playroom
- batting cages
- a fast-food Chinese restaurant
- a gimmicks store with amazing costume and poster selection
- a romper room for little kids

Anything missing?

If you build it, they will come.

A hair salon that specializes in 1980's hair styles as well as makeup and nails. If you got the clothes, you need the hair too.

As for the topic, I've got some Family Videos near me and I'll browse occasionally for used Blu-rays (I found The Walk last month for $4.99).

[slimdude]

I was never a movie renter, because of the inconvenience of returning them, the gas that you use and the time you've spent. Time is more valuable than anything! So therefore, I've always bought the movies that I wanted. So no I do not miss rental stores. Family Video is the only major chained rental store who're still in business, and If they close, that will be the end of B&M video stores.

[Coenskubrick]

Originally Posted by slimdude

I was never a movie renter, because of the inconvenience of returning them, the gas that you use and the time you've spent. Time is more valuable than anything!

I guess it depends how busy you are, but time wasting was never a huge issue from me. I often consider it restorative and relaxing to take time out of busy duties to go to the video store and see what they got.

[A Sith Lord?]

The last Movie Gallery shut down here 2 years ago.

Last Blockbuster was 5 years ago.

Last Hollywood Video was like 2006.