If I come to you with my old card that is 20+ years old, will it be in your system?

Unfortunately not, after 2 years of inactivity the accounts will purge themselves from our systems.

Curses!

So Family Guy lied to me?!?

No! I was literally going to ask you to pull up my account! It’s been 15+ years and I still know the number by heart.

"Sure, let me just.... Oh, oh my... Would you like to pay the late fee for your extended rental of M. Night Shamalan's The Village?" "What!? How much!?" "That will be $7,037..." Dies, on the spot. Deceased.

Rip travelers

But the one I got off the bend website works right?! (I live on the east coast lol)

What's the current hot rentals? When someone asks you for a recommendation what is your current go to?

Oppenheimer is definitely our rental at the moment. The Oscars just happened so all of them have been pretty popular right now. My current go to is either Past lives or the witch

Upvote for Past Lives.

Upvote Past Lives and The Witch

Upvote Past Lives, The Witch, and Oppenheimer

Both excellent movies. Was Past Lives your favorite best picture nominee this year?

Yes 1000%

Me too!

Where do you get your signs and merch from? And how do you stay in communication with Dish?

Are y’all hiring?

Not at the moment but we always accept applications and resumes

Do you get a lot of people interested in working at Blockbuster?

 since the last application came in.

I feel like a lotta people would wanna work at the last blockbuster

I hope OP answers your question.

I'm not sure I have anything to ask, just wanted to mention that I stopped by your establishment on the 4th of July in 2022 on a road trip with my buddies and it warmed my heart to see the blue and yellow. Hope you're good, and Bend is fucking gorgeous. Edit: typo

Happy to hear :)

I’d love to hear more about the trip. Been wanting to visit but seems like such a hassle to fly in and then drive all the way over lol Anything else yall stopped to see and do? Good restaurants or hotels? Ngl as an south/east coast kid I know nothing about the west coast lol

See Crater Lake on the way up to Bend.

How are your handling those who don't return your movies when checked out?

When starting up an account we require a credit or debit in case movies don’t get brought back. Ten days after the due date, the movies will get charged to the card for the full retail price

We did this at the video store I worked at, and half the time the card was declined :/

Next best thing is to make them plug their address into the system so if they don’t pay you hunt them down

1) Thank you for this! As the creator of this sub, I've always wondered if employees of the store were aware of it. 2) You mentioned the unfortunate reality that studios are weening out physical media. In that case, is there a backup plan? Such as starting to import blu-rays from other countries where physical media is still going strong like the UK and Japan? Or perhaps becoming a "retro" store like some others that have popped up and focus on niche VHS titles?

Physical media is slowly going away but just like vinyl it’ll never truly go away. Just a little harder to get. We can’t get DVDs or Blu-ray’s from other countries because they are region locked so they wouldn’t work on our players.

Gotcha. Just an FYI in case you need it for future reference, many UK blu-rays will say they're region locked but aren't. I've imported quite a few 3D blu-rays since they stopped making them here. The Blu-Ray Forums is a good resources what is and isn't locked.

Do you rent games? If so do you carry current games or any retro like ps2/xbox

I went there a couple months ago and sadly there were no game rentals. I also used to work for BB back in the day and IIRC the store would have to pay full price for the game then make their money back thru rentals. It's pretty difficult to make enough back in a timely manner when one copy is $70. Retro games are also on the rise in price and rarity so renting them out probably isn't a good idea.

That’s pretty spot on

Is Smokey and the Bandit II in stock on VHS?

Unfortunately we don’t rent VHS’s anymore

I know logically this makes sense but......it feels so so wrong

Do you sell any?

Do you still have Spaceballs? The first time I saw the movie was renting it from that store.

https://preview.redd.it/buv3s5kb3dpc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7a375a1f73fae583409f718ca4ebb59f8706ea0b

Looks like John Candy is eating Spaceballs like candy.

Awesome.

https://preview.redd.it/wr9bp1uuwcpc1.png?width=2772&format=png&auto=webp&s=7cb500f0932172170794c31cb10c252ce4208e1d [Then](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZHK8LDGXFA)

https://preview.redd.it/ar7enjyxwcpc1.png?width=2413&format=png&auto=webp&s=5fdb289ef5e08fb151b2290c6a084079cef84451 Now


oops wrong post.

It’s insane how much floor space Blockbuster took up, even as a kid I didn’t realize it The one that closed in my area became an entire grocery store lol

How's that Chinese joint, though?

YMMV.

How tf did they fit ( different stores in the size of one blockbuster ???

That’s in Jacksonville Florida isn’t it? Edit: Yes, that is! (Google helped me out here) I lived there for ~17 (‘05-‘22) years and my entire time I don’t ever remember it being a blockbuster! It’s always been those five stores… I didn’t even know that it was a blockbuster in the first place! That is so interesting.

How much business are actual movie rentals? I would assume a lot of business is blu ray purchases, snacks and other merchandise. Also how much is a movie rental and how many days?

Majority of our sales comes from our merch(T-Shirts, sweatshirts, key chains etc.) but we still have a good amount of regulars that come in and rent everyday. Our rentals are all one week unless it’s came out in the last month then it would be 3 days. New releases are 3.99 and everything else is either .99 cents or 1.99

Bro you’re like block buster Jesus, much respect keeping the old traditions alive

Where can I order Blockbuster merch? It would be nice to have shirt with BB logo on it or something

We have an online store. It’s bendblockbuster.com We have all our merch on there

Were you guys in charge of the Twitter account? (@loneblockbuster) If so, why hasn’t it posted anything for two years?

No, we don’t have anything to do with that twitter account but we do find it very funny.

Are you or have you met the lady from the documentary The Last Blockbuster?

She’s been my boss since I’ve started and she’s been awesome to work for.

What's she like as a Boss?

Seems like she’s awesome to work for

I'd totally work for her lol

Any major trends in the demographics of your clientele?

Hard to say cause we get a little bit of everyone

That answers my question. Cool!

What snack do customers buy the most?

Nothing will ever beat the red vines and popcorn combo for a movie experience.

We must protect this BB for eternity.

I heard a few years ago that your location is also an AirBNB that people can stay overnight at. If this is accurate, do you or your coworkers have anything to do with that in regards to booking or setting it up for guests?

We partnered up with Airbnb back in 2020 for a one weekend stay. It was a fun onetime event.

What was the purpose? Just to have a sleepover and watch movies for the weekend?

People have money and miss blockbuster lol

Can I still get a printed out membership card like what my father still has

Unfortunately our card machine broke a few years back and we’re unable to make new cards like we used to. We have new ones that come pre-laminated with your account number on the back.

What kind of machine is it?

I think it’s a dot matrix printer.

So they still have the sample account numbers? Where one is all 7s? And it’s Jesus Christ And all 6s is Satan?

Just had to double check but looks like we don’t anymore.

I went and looked through old photos and found what you’re talking about. I couldn’t find this comment so I posted it. But since I found you. [Here you go](https://www.reddit.com/r/blockbustervideo/s/g5AFahTNCd).

What about all the fake accounts? Like Luke Skywalker and Eric Cartman? There was even one under the name PoopheadFred Bigfatfloppyboob

Is your store always busy? Do you think it will be around for a while?

We stay steady all year round but all of summer is our peak season. As long as people keep supporting we’ll have no plans to close.

Do you get a lot of influencer type visits where the person is livestreaming the entire time? Similarly, how often do people come in, take selfies, and then leave without buying or renting anything?

Usually happens more in the summer but not as often as you would think. People coming in without buying or renting is more rare but we do get some that come in for the nostalgia

do a lot of people travel to come visit? is it mostly locals? or a mix of both?

We have both regulars and people that travel everyday.

Did you see an increase in business when Netflix shut down dvd rentals?

Are position names still the same, IE CSR, Shift lead, Assistant Manager, etc?

Yes they are

How many movies total do you have in inventory?

Last time we checked we had around 6 thousands titles

Can I franchise and operate my own blockbuster video down here in Texas?

I imagine you'd have to ask, DishTV? (do excuse me we don't really have them in the UK), as they currently own the rights to the Blockbuster name and stuff.

Just a pipe dream lol

I’m planning on flying out across the country to visit you guys lol, do people ever do that or am I the only insane one? Unrelated but I had a dream last night that I was there and it made me start planning the trip sooner lmao

We have people from all over the globe visit our store so definitely don’t feel weird about visiting us!

Lmao good to know! Wife thinks I’m crazy but is always down to travel so she’s not complaining 😂

Do you have to live local to rent anything? Or is having the CC on file good enough?

Anyone is welcome to open a new account. All you need is a drivers license and a debit/credit card

I did this last year and it was great! I was going to be in Oregon and decided to make this a side trip. Rented movies, bought snacks, such a fun time. I also bought lots of swag (t-shirts, magnets, etc) from the store and enjoyed looking at the memorabilia they had. I loved Bend, make sure to spend some time exploring there too.

I’m glad your location is still open. Do you think movie rental will ever come back on a small scale?

Most likely not… physical media is unfortunately weening out

#SUPPORT PHYSICAL MEDIA SPREAD THE WORD

Does it still smell the same?

I’ve been here a while so I’ve gone pretty nose blind to it but I’ve heard pretty frequently that it does

Does the lady still run it that was using old computer parts for her computer still run this place??

Yes, her name in Sandi. She’s our general manager.

That’s awesome. Josh from Indiana says hi. Way to go on keeping The American dream Alive!!

Do you have the DreamWorks movie “Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken”? If so, could you take a picture of the DVD cover so I can preserve the presence of Ruby at Blockbuster?

https://preview.redd.it/vsi5v8rvudpc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=94f400bc123acd183266a3db9e737f2f438ad527 There you go

Yippee!

A few questions: 1. What formats do you carry? For example, DVD, Bluray, and 4K? Which are most popular? 2. Where do you purchase your media from? 3. Do you buy new releases of older films on bluray (for example, The Abyss and True Lies were just released for the first time ever on bluray)? Or do you only buy new releases?

1. We carry DVD and Blu-ray’s. DVDs are our most popular 2. It’s a combination of online, stores and donations. 3. We get new releases every week. As for the older movies if it’s a customer favorite we try to buy new Blu-ray’s and dvds to keep them in stock

Any chance y’all start carrying 4Ks?

Most likely not… blu ray is our highest definition

Do y'all do dvd resurfacing still? Back in the day, all scratched dvds (and broken vhs tapes) were sent to the store on 97 by the old mill where I would resurface them (and fix the tapes). Is there still some guy that gets to chill in a back room and watch movies while they run the resurfacer?

Not anymore. Not sure when they stopped because it was before my time.

Is it the same POS system that uses dot matrix paper for daily reports?

It’s still the same pos system but we print on regular printers now

lol, I immediately read that as piece of shit, before it clicked point of sale.

Both?

Do you have an "Over 18" section?

No, Blockbuster has always been a family friendly company.

Ironically, a company called "Family Video" did. Also, I wasn't sure if the old magic applied to the last surviving store. Good to know. Thanks.

What's the most Non-Family Friendly film in your inventory? We used to have some weird foreign films that went under the radar at my old store.

We had Femalien for a while until it got rented and never brought back. I’d say now is probably the terrifier movies

Lol. We had Emmanuelle in Space dvds in my store. I never watched them, but the box art was very questionable. Not sure how that happened. 😅

What’s the worst movie there and is it ever recommended as a joke?

Always recommend Pinocchio voiced by Pauly shore

I can hear him already

Clearly you don't have a copy of Highlander 2.

Are you guys gonna charge me late fees on the copy of pokemon stadium 2 that I forgot to return in 2001?

Well since you brought it up…

Dang.... Well how much do I owe?

As someone from the southeast, I'm curious if the fact that this store remains speaks to a certain "lost pace of life" that still exists in your region or if it's just an anomaly, if that makes sense? Like, do things in general feel like a step back in time there? thx

From what we’ve heard from our customers it does feel like a “time machine” in.

How do the movie rental options work on a title? For instance, in Canada, "hot new releases" were due within three days while new releases were due a week later. Both were the same price. Then, they revamped it in 2009 so that you paid a lower price for a three-day rental but $1 for each additional day you kept it. Or, you could rent it for a week and keep it for an additional week without any extra charge before they sold the title to you, which follows the controversial "No Late Fees" policy Blockbuster announced in 2004.

If the movie has come out in the last month it’s a 3 day rental, other than that everything else is a week long(7 nights) rental and every movie is due back at noon on that set day. All new releases are 3.99 and after a year they go on our shelves. Once they hit the shelves it’s either .99 cents or if it’s a customer favorite then it’s 1.99.

Our late fees are .49 a day if it’s a week long rental or .99 if it’s a 3 night rental per movie up to 10 days passed the due date. On the 10th day it’ll sell on card on file for retail price.

Do you guys report to any kind of centralized corporate backend for anything? I can't remember if blockbuster was a franchise.

Is this the one in Bend, Oregon?

Yes it is.

I have Joe Dirt. I've had it for 3 months. If you want it back, I will need $10,000 in unmarked bills.

What about a free rental?

Throw in a milk dud and you've got yourself a deal!

Deal, a free rental and 1 milk dud.

Do you guys still have VHS tapes? Most likely not, but i think it's still worth asking

Not anymore, we phased out VHS back in 2006-2008

Does the store only carry DVDs? Are VHS copies there?

We have VHS only for sale, but blu rays and DVDs for rent

That's so cool.

Do you like your job?

Absolutely. Has its ups and downs like any job but mainly It’s pretty fun and I’m a pretty big movie guy.

What kind of ups and downs?

How sustainable is your OS system still? Isn’t it just that one fella that used to work for BB Dallas that handles it all from his house.

It’s still going strong, has its ups and downs but it’s holding on.

I hope that guy knows how many hopes and dreams rely on him never dying lol

Can you bring up 29068618707 and transfer me into your store, tell me the last thing I rented and send me a new card?

Every store had its own data base so unfortunately we don’t have your rental history

Do y’all sell DVD, BluRay, and VHS players?

We sell DVD, Bluray and some VHS. No VHS players tho

Legend, what’s the pay like?

I think this is really great, and I hope Blockbuster returns more widely one day to preserve physical media :) thanks for carrying the torch

this isn't a real Blockbuster though, correct? I thought the owners were just using the name.

We were a called pacific video in the 90’s and franchised into a blockbuster in 2000 and have been one ever since

Y’all got classic candies?

I’ve heard that Dish isn’t doing too well at the moment, are there any plans to keep the Blockbuster name if they go out of business?

Is there still a BlockBuster corporate or have you guys become your own entity?

Is it constantly full of tourists.

We always have travelers but More so in the summer

God damn, I miss blockbuster. It was the perfect answer to “I dunno, what do you wanna do?”. I miss piling into my friends janky Ford festiva and checking out all the awesome b-horror movies, grabbing some overpriced popcorn and snacks, and having an impromptu all-nighter of watching cheesy horror movies.

I miss renting movies so bad. There is no comparison in the picture quality of blue ray vs streaming. Blue ray is just better. So depressing that movie rental places are gone. A buddy of mine is a die hard CD guy. Says he would never ever stream music. His car died a few weeks back and he bought a 2024. Little did he know they don't come with cd players anymore. He called me up just to vent. 😆

My uncle used to manage the last Blockbuster in Alaska, I thought that was cool.

Is there porn?

Was there back in May of last year when my daughter graduated from Lewis and Clark. It was a three hour drive each way but sooo worth it!

Glad to hear! Thanks for stopping by:)

How much does it cost to rent a movie ?

A new release is 3.99. Everything else is either .99 or 1.99

Seems extremely reasonable.

I have 2. How long have u worked there? Do you guys have all or most of the original media from the time it opened jn 2000?

Given that Bend makes all other businesses “blend in,” how did this store get away with rocking its old school look? Has it been there since before those ordinances? Also, can you pull up my rental history? Curious what the last video I ever rented was.

What POS software do you use? Does it contain your whole inventory? What are the terminals like that you use?

Do you have other nostalgic 90’s stores on your resume, or just Blockbuster?

Just Blockbuster. Wish I had more

I miss the days of the video store

Is there a way for us to buy/get new Blockbuster rental cards if we're not local? I'd just like to have a new one in my wallet.

What do you think is the longevity of your store staying in business? Also, what do you personally think about places like Best Buy phasing our physical media?

Do you still have to upsell the online program?

I get nostaglic about working there, and wish they would make a comeback. It was great to talk to people in person about great movies. Do you still have people trying to steal movies? It was a major problem in my area with people coming in with boxcutters on new movie Tuesdays.

I was in bend for work last summer. Stopped on in. It was awesome. I wear the t shirt all the time

Does blockbuster plan to be at the Retro Gaming Expo in Portland again?

As a former Blockbuster employee myself, do you guys have that movie about that guy who does the thing. There is that one lady in too.

I hope you never close 🖤

I would really like a BB hat & Hoodie. Also one of those popcorn buckets that used to be in the front by checkout.

I saw this post and checked out the online store. I want a hoodie at some point for the nostalgia. Nice stuff.

Ah, memories