Who here remembers video rental stores?

I definitely remember those. When I was younger my mother would take us there to pick out some videos to watch when we were off from school. Later we would rent the newest movies that we didn't get to see in theatre. But times have changed.

I used to manage one in London. Fun times!

Of course I remember. We weren't all born yesterday.
For me it was mostly Blockbuster and Hollywood videos...and later Netflix through the mail.
What I hated most was late fees..Blockbuster was the worst, I think..They really robbed us and we kept letting them.

But what I loved about them was that it was always great fun to go there on your days off and just browse around...I always looked forward to it like my treat of the week.. ..

I would pick out at least 3 films and almost always enjoy all my picks. How did that even happen?
More entertaining films back then? Lower expectations?
I don't know..But it almost always did end up well..


I have endless choices now but it's not nearly as exciting and I seldom luck out by even finding 3 films in a row that I enjoy. Or even in a week. Or more.
And somehow it's just not as much fun..

Same goes for bookstores..Use to love the meandering through a bookstore for hours but browsing online for digital content just lacks the same level of anticipation.

But I don't think they would work in today's society...
Everything today from entertainment to shopping has been streamlined to be easy.. instantaneous.. through your phone or computer. No one has the patience anymore for the old ways even though I'm not sure instant gratification hasn't dulled our enthusiasm and sacrificed some of the elements that made these hobbies so enjoyable.

I do! I do! They were interesting, but I don't particularly miss them. I get DVDs, and stream from Netflix.

😎

I remember there was a video rental store in a coastal town my family and I visit often. It has since closed down but they originally hired out VHS's before moving onto DVD's. All the VHS's were stored in a back room and and you could buy them for about $3 each. I used to frequently visit the store and pick up the videos, gradually building up a collection. I have still kept those videos to this day.

Last Blockbuster store in Australia closes. That leaves the Oregon store as the sole survivor.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/retail/last-blockbuster-store-on-earth-located-in-us-as-australian-location-closes

I do. That wasn't really that long ago.

😎

Uh, yeah I remember them, there is still one on my street.