Remember back in the day when every single suburb you went to in pretty much the world would have a huge Blockbuster video store where you could rent all your favourite films and video games whenever you wanted – as long as you got there in time before everyone else. Especially if it was a big new release week.
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Sadly – well maybe not that sadly as streaming films has made life so much easier – those days are long gone now and very soon there’s going to only be one Blockbuster video store in the whole entire world. The honour will fall to the branch in Bend, Oregon after the one in Morley, Perth, Australia announced that they would be shutting their doors in the next month.
The Bend store was particularly excited about it, whereas the owner of the Perth one Lyn Borszeky seemed resigned to their fate:
We just got off the phone with an Australian radio station. The last Blockbuster in Australia is closing at the end of this month making our Bend Oregon Store the Last Blockbuster on the Planet!!!! #LastBlockbuster #IntheWorld
— Blockbuster Bend (@BlockbusterBend) March 5, 2019
We put in a pretty good effort to be the last one in Australia, I suppose, but it was going to happen eventually and now is the time.
I mean yeah fair enough, I’m amazed that they’re still around at all to be honest because it’s a completely redundant business model these days. Blockbuster Video themselves ceased trading in 2013, but a few franchises lived on by working off their own backs. It looks like their time is finally up though. RIP video libraries.
For more of the same, check out this guy visiting one of the last remaining Blockbusters on the planet a couple of years ago. That’s long gone now too.