As Blockbuster slowly shut down its retail stores in early 2014, many former consumers reflect on the golden age of movie renting. One customer had a $40.00 late fee that was six weeks old and ended up becoming the CEO of Netflix. It is thanks to this man, Reed Hastings that the once profitable business has declined. Their only downfall was their late fee policy and if it wasn’t for that, they might have been still strong today. There are so many reasons to miss the once glorious go-to video chain.

After a certain time, you could buy a Blockbuster movie you rented at a discounted price if you brought in the receipt. Nowadays, you can buy used movies only if you are risky enough to buy a movie you hadn’t seen before. How would you know if you liked it or not? Many people don’t buy an unseen movie and are missing out on movies that might have been appealing to them.

Also, another thing that is missed from Blockbuster would be the fact that there was more social interaction between customer and employee. With Netflix, there is no talk about what good movies are out, which classics are still incredible, and why a certain actor’s career has gone down the tubes. Those conversations simply won’t happen because Netflix is a virtual movie store and only can go so far. As I got older and increased my movie collection, I now look back and miss the days where I was able to talk to a Blockbuster representative about the films I was watching and even rent movies that the sales representative would recommend. I think why I appreciate the employees at Blockbuster so much was because there were a lot of beneficial conversations that further inspired me to invest time into filmmaking as a young actress. I will never forget what I learned from these knowledgeable movie connoisseurs.

Finally, nostalgia is the biggest reason why Blockbuster is missed. Friday afternoons were a highlight in my week when I was a child. My mother was a substitute teacher at the elementary school my sister and I attended and when she was subbing, she would drive us to school. When school was over for the day, my sister and I would meet her in her classroom and immediately go to our local Blockbuster. I visually remember the plethora of different movies to choose from and how organized it was from alphabetical to genre. The three of us debated the two movies we wanted to choose for the exciting weekend and always made compromises like “Can we rent 27 Dresses next weekend? You got to pick last time.” …or… “Dad won’t like that movie.” We would pick the movie and my mom would use her fancy laminated Blockbuster card before the transaction. After the three of us made our final decisions, we would pick up a pizza, head home and wait for my dad to get off of work. The second he got home, we popped the VHS in, enjoyed our pizza and watched the movie of our choosing. It was a process, but it was well worth it in the end. I’m sure that those at my age have their own story to tell about Blockbuster and miss the pure nostalgia that came along with it.