The last Blockbuster store in the world continues to survive because of its loyal pool of older customers who 'can't use Netflix', a store manager has said.
After the world’s penultimate Blockbuster announced it would be closing its doors in Perth, Australia, the Bend franchise in Oregon became the last one standing.
And among the reasons for its continued success, along with a community spirit and great customer service, is because some of the older regulars don't have access to, or are unable to use, online streaming services such as Netflix, an employee said.
Going strong: This Blockbuster located in Bend, Oregon, is the last Blockbuster location in the world. It continues to survive because of its loyal pool of older customers who 'can't use Netflix', a store manager said
Going Strong II: Among the reasons for its continued success, along with a community spirit and great customer service, is because some of the older regulars don't have access to, or are unable to use, online streaming services such as Netflix, an employee explained
'Some of them just don't want to access the new culture of technology, and some don't have laptops or devices to stream the sites,' said duty manager Dalton Chambers, who agreed it made sense that the store continues to thrive on DVDs alone because of the technology gap.
'That also goes with things such as Blu-ray DVDs,' Dalton told the DailyMail.com.
'A lot of the older generations also just choose regular DVDs because they don't want to mess with Blu-ray. They don't want to take the chance that it might not work for them.'
But Dalton also pointed to its unique location and customer base as an another reason for the store's historic success.
'We're in Bend, Oregon, and here in Oregon a lot of things thrive,' he explained.
'We're a mecca for craft breweries, we're a really outdoorsy town, we're just in the right niche that can keep things thriving.
'People are like "oh, there's the last Blockbuster surviving - let's keep it going!" - that's everyone's personas here - that's our mantra.'
Going Strong Returns: The Bend Blockbuster has been in business for over 20 years and owner Sandi Harding credits its success to the demand for old classic movies they have that aren't available on streaming services Netflix
Going Strong IV: Blockbuster was once the lead video renting franchise boasting 9,000 locations worldwide before going bankrupt in 2010. By 2017 there were 10 remaining in the US (the store has become something of a tourist spot due to its unique position as last ever store)
Another member of staff also gave an insight into the renting habits of the Bend customers - with the latest Jumanji, starring Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, among the most popular releases.
Sam, the duty manager alongside Dalton at the time, also pointed to new releases such as Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Green Book and Mortal Engine, as movies she expects to fly off the shelves.
Blockbuster was once the lead video renting franchise boasting 9,000 locations worldwide before going bankrupt in 2010. By 2017 there were just 10 stores left in the U.S.
At the start of March, the last Blockbuster in Australia located in the Perth suburb of Morley, announced it would close down by the end of the month.
Owner Lyn Borszeky posted signs on the storefront window announcing the shut down and a going-out-of-business sale starting on March 8.
'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,' Borszeky told reporters.
Sandi Harding, the general manager of the Oregon Blockbuster, said she is excited to be running the last Blockbuster on the planet but is sad to hear of the Australian branch's closure.
Sad: At the start of March, the last Blockbuster in Australia located in the Perth suburb of Morley, announced it would close down by the end of the month. Owner Lyn Borszeky posted signs on the storefront window announcing the shut down and a going-out-of-business sale
'We're proud to still be open,' Harding said to CNN, while lamenting the closure of their sister location Down Under adding, 'We all have a kinship with the other Blockbusters.'
While Blockbusters across the globe have close their doors, the Bend location seems to be doing just fine business-wise, she said.
The Bend shop has remained open for more than 20 years, with most of its sales coming in thanks to classic old movie titles - the shop's 'bread and butter'.
'You can go to Redbox and you can get the new titles, but they don't have the older ones. Netflix and Amazon don't have everything, either,' she added.
The Bend location celebrated being the last Blockbuster in the U.S. after Alaska closed its last couple of shops in 2018 by selling T-shirts and hats.
Now Harding hopes being the last location on the planet will be good for business and attract tourists craving a walk down memory lane.
'We probably open up 10 accounts a day. It’s crazy the amount of people that come in and want a Blockbuster card,' Harding said to the Bend Bulletin.
'I don’t foresee the store closing. I think we are good for a while,' she added.
For many Blockbuster fans, the closure of the last Australian location is a sad one.
'We knew change was coming but were a bit surprised how quickly it affected our customer base once Netflix hit the Australian market,' Borszeky said last year on the effect of online movie streaming services.
'We get customers all the time pleading for us not to close as they still enjoy the experience and service that we provide. It is sad to see where our industry has gone for a number of reasons,' she added.
Blockbuster flourished in the 1980s and 1990s but shut down its last corporate owned stores in 2014.
Link hienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2019/03/17/secret-to-the-last-blockbusters-success-oregon-workers-reveals-why-the-last-store-is-thriving/
Main photo article The last Blockbuster store in the world continues to survive because of its loyal pool of older customers who ‘can’t use Netflix‘, a store manager has said.
After the world’s penultimate Blockbuster announced it would be closing its doors in Perth, Australia, the Bend franchise ...
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Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/03/17/05/11095354-6818547-image-a-30_1552802341153.jpg
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