The current generations can't even begin to imagine...the excitement on a Friday or Saturday evening....choosing a movie you were excited to see with your family...all sitting in the car...getting some take out and driving home. Paradise!
Or when it's a three day weekend and you take home four videos. Or the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving when you went from Blockbusters to a pizza parlor.
@cellarentertainment5988 Obviously you haven't had many real life experiences or much, if any, empathy for others. Do you ever even set foot outside your home or workplace?
Even Library's are closing ! Library near me Now cut back on many services they had for the kids!. They would have a good selection of magazines you could read, they had s places to write and do research for home work for the kids . They stop all that because of the homeless coming into the library sleeping in the library causing bed bugs & roach's in the library . Library now has you check out books online then pick them up !
Back then, watching a movie was actually a special event. It took some commitment in time and effort to go pick up a movie. The experience of walking around the store to look at the titles, read the back covers, talk to store employees and even other customers about movies they liked.
Yep now we just click buttons on a remote and have access to hundreds and hundreds of movies and tv series. It’s pretty crazy How much instant access we have to entertainment these days
Nope, wait by the depository at the front and you'll luck out with the first one that slides down the chute OR...if you play your cards right with the clerk and not act a fool, s/he will pull out the new release copy from the back.
I can imagine the customers thinking "Why are you filming such a boring everyday experience?" They would have no idea how much we in the future miss this!
At least we still have book, board game and PC game stores which offer a similar expirience, although those dwindled in numbers too. It's up to us, to support what still is around and open new ones.
Miss it ?? why? Today we can get whatever we want without losing our time in these stores and losing fuel going there... We have Steam, Netflix, Primevideo, etc etc...
I'm 54 years old and I so miss this. I actually get emotional. I used to take my daughters and their friends to Blockbuster. Let them pick out some movies and some snacks. I just miss it.
Let me tell you at the age of 35 I feel confident your daughter has the same feelings about going to Blockbuster. I miss it so much going with my mom and getting popcorn and candy. We would go on a Friday and it was such a treat.
I’ve heard that VHS tapes back in these times were very expensive to own so that’s why everyone went out and rented copies for 2 days or 5 days. New releases were 2 day rentals
@@hippiecheezburger5457 nope, just the way of watching movies and deciding if they were worth the purchase or not, and new releases that weren't out yet.
@@hippiecheezburger5457 Back in these times lol. The f man we we arent dinosaurs. And no videos werent expensive to own lol, it just saved money and space overall to rent stuff if you watched a lot of films all the time.
@@Mario_N64 Always thought the carpet choice to be a terrible choice, it gets nasty very quickly with so many people walking on it, especially on stores where you entered right after coming from dirty, and wet sidewalks!
This pastime alone was SO much healthier for people. -You got up, physically left and walked the store. -You interacted with people. -You learned disappointment when the new release was sold out, figured out how to make the best of it renting something else -You actually sat together as a family and watched the movie the night you rented it because you physically went through the trouble, it was an event……VERSUS today where because streaming is so easy, and because people have multiple TVs and TV options, you don’t sit as a family nearly as much.
@@gdw121 well said. that's why i prefer old DVDs (mostly tv shows tho) cause it reminds me of the 90's. or blurays if it's a movie or tv show that's visually important. i don't watch netflix anymore or the other services cause it got too boring (ok well i watched ONE movie on disney recently, idiocracy. cause i've had disney for a while now and didn't bother to cancel it and they happened to have that movie that i wanted to see for a while, so i watched it on my computer like i used to do in the early 2000s when DIVX/VLC was popular) man i'm getting old, lol
Nah I much prefer the luxuries of modern technology. Streaming movies and shows lets me save time for school and work. Gotta invest in my future right?
@@abstract5249 sometimes convenience is detrimental. A lot of times it is actually. Maybe you save the 20 minute blockbuster run, but piss away far more than that binging shows cuz it’s easy, or sitting on social media, or shopping on Amazon etc…. Living a more idle lifestyle Carries over into all areas of your life. People used to go to blockbuster on Friday night and watch 1 movie. The whole process was 2 hours. Now people will steam 4-5 episodes of some show in the middle of a Saturday and spend 3-4 hours. Technology is a doubled edged sword.
@@gdw121 Good point. It's sort of like how I miss playing older video games and my childhood even though, in reality, it was an awful time since my parents were always fighting and yelling, school was bad, and games were more of an escape than an actual passion. And yet, I still somehow miss my childhood while also feeling thankful I don't have to live it anymore. Humans are complicated.
Ever here of the term "bittersweet." *sigh* ....me too. It's not only what we've left behind, it's what we're headed toward. Way too much to expound upon here and now.....if not here, where? If not now, when? Do you understand?.... As well, the old "you can't take it with you" is referring to when we pass on. Check it out- that applies to lots of things before you check out. Such as the very thing in this video. When it became obsolete did anyone take with them into the future. I doubt it. Just ask the owners of Blockbuster and Hollywood video. Life is a journey not a destination, enjoy the ride.....
I miss all the family I had back in the 90s. I don't even want any of the presents, but if I could go back to every christmas, thanksgiving, easter I'd give everything I had
My wife has turned on Netflix as I watch this video on RUclips on my phone. Going to Blockbusters in the rain, choosing a few movies with my brother alongside the snacks we wnated for that evening. So simple but loved it. I still have my old blockbuster membership card till this day
....like FAKE NEWS! We FINALLY KNOW most of what were blatant lies because internet. Loved those days - but was ASLO when they unleashed 9/11 on us and were planning ALL of the things they are doing to us know....destroy America and the West. Will only make us stronger though - God Bless Youu!
@@thefoxdoctor1072 yes, however our reality would be similar to what was being shown in this video. That is : we would go out to rent movies, have face to face conversations with people etc,.
I would still go to front and ask if they had any in stock fingers crossed hoping someone brought one back and it wasn't put back yet. Worked a couple times.
Probably helped motivate you to actually play through more of it and thus gain inferred value for your purchase or rental of said game. These days you looks at my steam account and it’s appalling how many things I’ve bought and have less than a handful of hours played on. Somethings I’ve never even gotten around to, and the chances only dip lower as time moves forward.
I can't help but feel bad for people who missed out on this part of history. There was nothing more exciting than renting a film solely based off of the cover art of a VHS big box. So glad I've kept all of my tapes over the years.
When things become too easy, we get depressed or unhappy. Movies were destined to be streamed but it’s a good reminder that most of the fun of life is the journey, not the destination.
@@sirjojo7278 prolly just meant that the natural evolution for tv/film was to one day end up being streamed purely out of convenience. Like with how it went from VHS to DVD and so on, it was just a matter of time before streaming became the norm.
I worked at a Blockbuster video in 1997 - 1998. I was there before DVDs were available for rent. I remember the day we had to clear a shelf just for DVDs. You wouldn't believe the lines we had when new releases came out. It really was like a Blockbuster movie experience. The store would be packed, and customer after customer being so happy to get a copy of whatever title. It brought communities and families together. Internet is isolating and perfect for research, however it lacks in it's social elements. Regardless of what online gamers, redditors, zoomers, and influencers, and followers, think. There is NOTHING like actual social interactions. The Mall, Church, Movie Theatres, Movie Rentals, Public Swimming Pools, Christmas Shopping, Toys R Us, Kaybee Toys, etc. These are all things on the decline with no replacement. Kids don't even get a decent Mc Donalds happy meal, play area, or a decent Chuck E Cheese anymore. They will never know the amazing wonder of animatronic musicians on stage in a dark and dim lit environment with space age lights and sounds dazzling you in a maze of arcade machines. The sheer joy of riding inside a giant plastic UFO with flashing lights, then hoping out to go bash some creature skulls for a daisy chain of paper tickets. Then cashing in that currency for squiggling sticky wonders and finger puppets and stuffed toys or candy.
Surprisingly, other things exist that now occupy children’s time that will one day be gone that they will feel nostalgic about. We’re not special, it’s just a cycle.
I worked at one in '98 - 2000. I much preferred the old VHS clamshells to the DVD. They stacked easier when putting them away, and were much, MUCH easier to scan when doing the dreaded inventory 😄. But yeah, it was the interactions with the customers that I miss the most. You really got to know the people in the community, and chatting about your favorite movies or the new releases just made it feel like not work. Best place I ever worked.
THIS IS MAGICAL! God I miss the 90s and early 2000’s. If there was one thing I could tell kids these days that they missed out on….it would be this. I will forever remember running down to the only Hollywood video in our city with my mom or dad on a Friday night. We would go home and pop them into our huge box screen TV we had in our furnished basement that we called “the family room”. The smell, the sights, the snacks they had…..nostalgia. Later, in the 2000s, you could also rent games. My dad would always get us one of those too. Tony Hawk Proskater 2, Nascar Thunder, Sly Cooper. God. Take me back
That sounds exactly as you put it, Magical! Such memories. I always tell people who think it's a joke to go out and "rent' movies that it was also an excuse to hang out. To be with your Mom/Dad/Brother/Sister best friend...what have you. Who know what that day will bring...memories for sure. Like you wrote above!
Right there with you! I was 10 yrs old in '93. Great memories for sure! Going on a Friday night to pick up a couple of games, knowing my cousins and I could stay up late. Don't forget that feeling of dejection, when you walk up and there's no game/movie behind the cover, lol.
It's 1993, and I was twelve years old. I loved going to Blockbuster to rent NES games. My dad would take me almost every weekend. I miss those days. It's hard to explain to younger generations the pure thrill of walking into that store. I still have that "Blockbuster smell" engrained into my memory. God, it's hard to believe this was thirty years ago.
@@maxwell-gn2jn That's cool that you were born in 1981 too. It's awesome to know that other 1981 kids are representing in the comments. Us 81 kids have to stick together.
It was 30 years ago. Not over 30. I was born in 93. I'm 30. Don't make me feel older than I already do, please 😢 *Edit* You're the man for editing your comment. Thank you buddy.
We didn’t have blockbuster in my town, it was just local owned convenience stores that rented them out (but it was still exciting go there). I would have been jealous of you getting to go to blockbuster back then :)
So bad is right. I wish we could go back. But waiting for Jesus in the clouds to take up rapture his church. Which then everything will totally fall to pieces more than now.
I loved growing up in the 80’s and 90’s. We weren’t distracted by technology and cellphones, Friday’s meant meeting up with friends and hitting up the video rental store, staying up until 3am with friends sleeping over watching the movies we rented. I would hate being a kid today. I’m glad I grew up in the last great generation before technology took over.
@@OrkoSukisuki it’s technology the changing people. We’ll never go back to interacting with one another like we did before the internet took over. Never.
I was 12 years old when this was filmed. I loved going to Blockbuster and renting a Sega Genesis game, and getting a movie on a Friday night. I feel really lucky to have been born in 81 and lived through this.
I was 13 at the time and I used to go there with a group of friends. Many happy memories of my youth before the www and social media era. Also glad to say that I have a much sharper and inquisitive brain than "Gen Y and Z" of today!
I worked at Blockbuster back in 2005. I was actually working right next door at Movie Gallery when the BB manager offered me $1 more an hour to join their team lol. After all these years of having a career in tech, I can honestly say that working at Blockbuster was the most fun I've had at any job. I loved talking to people about movies, and I loved working with my friends. We didn't have to worry about so much back then because we were just kids. I still remember some of the fun times we had at that store. Man, if only I could go back in time, I would remind myself to stop and enjoy every moment. One day you wake up and are hit with the dreadful realization that life has sped by in a blur. Some of us look in the mirror and we don't recognize the person looking back. If you are reading this, please take the time to slow down and do something you enjoy doing. Hug your friends and your loved ones. Take out a piece of paper and write a letter to someone. Do something positive for a total stranger. At the end of every day, reflect on the positive things. Say nice things about yourself out loud. Last but not least, be good to each other.
@@Connection-Lost Yeah, I don’t think it ever slows down, but we can at least try to do positive things for ourselves and others. You never know, your interaction with someone could make their day. No matter how small the gesture. Just smiling at someone could set a wonderful tone to their day.
Well said! There is an Auto Zone now where my Blockbuster used to be. Every time I pass by I am sad. I can still picture some of the faces of people who worked there. I miss it. Yes, life has sped by in a blur. 😢
It reminds me of "my dream job" was to work at the record /cd store 😅 My family always though it was "below me". Then my goal was to work at E.M.I. then it went "bankrupt". Long story short, I am still looking for a job that involves art without having to stress yourself too much. 😅 The must relaxed i ever felt was on a job where i only had to categoriza and archive files... I guess i stress myself too much, but it is nice when they compliment a segment of a film that you edited, a particular bassline that you played, or that one sculpture you made for 16 hours straight (before deadline) 😅. I love those moments, but it takes thousands of hours of effort 😳.... But i guess it's not about the seconds of praise 🤔 but about how proud we are about ourselves and we create 😀❤️
Blockbuster had the exact same smell in each location. The odor of plastic combined with buttered popcorn was one of those sensory experiences that does not exist anymore. It was always cool to find new movies on tape every week was pretty cool. Now you have to find DVD movies online because the stores selections are limited or very limited.
Thanks for pinpointing that combination. Been trying to remember what is was besides the movie cases. My nose can still conjour up that unique smell thru memory of walking into the entramce.
Maybe someone should start a restaurant chain that mimics the look and feel of a blockbuster, and when you come in to eat you can watch a movie there while you eat or you can still rent it and take it home if you want. Gotta find a reason to get people in to rent movies since renting movies alone isn't enough anymore.
That's awfully optimistic. Assuming time travel were even possible, it would take much longer than a second to travel back to 1993. I mean it would take at least a minute to a minute and a half just to get through the wormhole itself, and then you'd have to drive to Blockbuster, without GPS, mind you.
The nights you would fully commit to a movie instead of changing it multiple times because you had too many options with streaming. Side note: that Looney Tunes T-shirt is iconic!
Movies had to be good for that reason. I mean, there were still bad movies. But the big releases were good. They had to be. Now there is so much over-saturation and it's so easy to stream that the pressure is off. It's quantity over quality, and there are so many shitty movies and TV shows now.
I used to work at block busters. My manager used to have sex with me. I was 16 and she was maybe 40? Idk. Best summer job ever. It’s around the time when Batman and Robbin came out.
Yeah. I've found very few recent Netflix movies I've actually like. Most of them are what would have been considered "straight to DVD" quality. I miss not only Blockbuster but that era of film. @@automnejoy5308
For me it was Hollywood Video. I didn't realize how much I would miss picking out a game to rent for the weekend and some snacks to go with it. For some reason Hollywood Video seemed to always carry my favorite snacks when the grocery stores and Walmart and Kmart didn't even have them.
They were a predatory company that made most of its money off of unreasonable late fees. They forced their employees to harass anyone with an outstanding balance. If you didn't pay, they'd report you to a credit agency.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane! I worked at a Blockbuster Video in High School. It was the first to open in my town. At one point I was able to balance a stack of about 25 VHS tapes on one arm while walking around to put them back on the shelves. I must have heard their jingle (Blockbuster video! Wow, what a difference) a million times. It still pops into my head every now and then. And to make us all feel old, that kid at 0:41 is now in his 30s.
30 years from now we'll be watching videos of how we used to actually go to grocery stores to buy food and reminiscing of the good old days, you wait and see .
I mean with all the delivery apps & everything teenagers nowadays actually refuse to learn how to drive!!! Back when I was a teenager I couldn't wait to be able to drive so that I could go out of the house & hang out with my friends!!!
Start recording because some people already don't go to the grocery store anymore. I don't go to the grocery store anymore. Don't think I have in 2 years, maybe more.
Remember when there were so many movies that you wanted to rent? The final decision was tough. Now I can’t find one movie at the movie theater that I would spend money on.
Renfield was pretty fun recently, and the new Dungeons and Dragons is not bad. They're both schlocky but play it serious enough that they work. I mean don't expect masterpieces, but they're fun. I think the superhero movies have been pretty consistently good. I mean I'd rather have some new property along the lines of Terminator 2.... in 1993 we really did have stuff like that.
I miss the 90's. Going to Blockbuster as a kid was always fun! You walked down the isles looking at all the cool movie covers deciding what you were gonna rent for the weekend and if you were lucky your parents might even let you rent a Super Nintendo or Sega Genisis with games!
That’s what kids look forward to on Friday night and the weekends was blockbuster getting some pizza or some of your favorite fast food taking at home chilling out having a good time just being a kid Of course Blockbuster and other video stores wasn’t the only thing we look forward to doing but it’s one of those highlights as a kid we fondly remember
i lived across the street from one 1991-1999 so we walked there at night around 7 on the weekends to pick out movies and games. i remember the warm night air and the sunsets that felt like they came and went so slowly. guess that was because their was no news buzzing in our pockets every 15-30 minutes.
I would have to agree with you, because I too miss the 90s and I also miss Blockbuster Video, I remember every Saturday my Husband Adam, our four children, our 5-year-old Identical Twins named Zoey (Girl) and Julian (Boy), our 7-year-old daughter named Anita, our 9-year-old son named Ben, and I would get into our Family Minivan, we would go grocery shopping at a local grocery store, after that we would go to the local Blockbuster Video, Zoey, Julian, Anita, and Ben would be going over where the Children's Movies were at, while Adam and I started roaming around each movie aisle, looking at each movie, picking one up and reading the back of it, Adam and I would check out a Movie, Zoey, Julian, Anita, and Ben would check out a Movie, we would be going back to the house, Groceries put away, we would have dinner, sometimes the kids would watch a movie, and when the kids are asleep, Adam and I would watch a movie, sometimes we would watch a movie that He likes, and sometimes we would watch a movie that I like, our top ten favorite movies is, Adam's Favorite Movies. 10. Indiana Jones and the last Crusade. 9. 48 Hrs. 8. Batman. 7. Star Trek 2 The Wrath of Khan. 6. The Blues Brothers. 5. Staying Alive. 4. Beverly Hills Cop. 3. Rocky. 2. Rambo. 1. Ferris Buller's Day Off. My Favorite Movies. 10. Tootsie. 9. The Color Purple. 8. Splash. 7. Romancing the Stone. 6. Three Men and a Baby. 5. Coming to America. 4. An Officer and a Gentleman. 3. Look Who's Talking. 2. Pretty Woman. 1. Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. Zoey's Favorite Animated Movies. 10. Betty Boop for President. Animated. 9. Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (And Don't Come Back). 8. Scruffy. 7. The Trouble with Miss Switch. 6. Yogi's First Christmas. 5. The Fox and the Hound. 4. The Little Fox. 3. The Last Unicorn. 2. Miss Switch to the Rescue. 1. The Secret of NIMH. Julian's Favorite Animated Movies. 10. Pinocchio's Christmas. Stop Motion Animated. 9. The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie. 8. Daffy Duck's Fantastic Island. 7. The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie. 6. Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie 1001 Rabbit Tales. 5. GALLAVANTS. 4. Samson and Sally the song of the whales. 3. The Black Cauldron. 2. The Care Bears Movie. 1. Here Come the Littles. Anita's Favorite Animated Movies. 10. A Journey Through Fairyland. 9. The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus. Stop Motion Animated. 8. Rainbow BRITE and the Star Stealer. 7. You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. 6. An American Tail. 5. Care Bears Movie 2 a New Generation. 4. Castle in the Sky. Anime. 3. The Elm-Chanted Forest. 2. The Great Mouse Detective. 1. Liberty and the Littles. Ben's Favorite Animated Movies. 10. John the Fearless. 9. My Little Pony Rescue at Midnight Castle. 8. My Little Pony Escape from Katrina. 7. My Little Pony the Movie. 6. Pound Puppies City Pound. 5. Pound Puppies and the legend of Big Paw. 4. The Transformers the Movie. 3. G.I Joe the Movie. 2. The Brave Little Toaster. 1. The Chipmunk Adventure.
The sheer nostalgic feeling you get watching this. Used to get so excited when you go to Blockbuster and rent a game. The smell of the place and that good feeling it always gave you.
Not sure how YOUR local B-Buster smelled, but with mine, the smell was definitely NOT the exciting part of going! XD I never rented games either, would hate the idea of not owning a game, or having to pay money just to get 1/2 way through before returning it. But I loved going there and looking at EVERY SINGLE movie, on all the walls and displays, the movie-art on the front and reading the backs, discovering new films (pre-internet) like looking for gems in a cave.
If you miss this, go to the library or the thrift store with your family and friends. It may not be as magical as when we were kids, but it’s still fun and it’s a similar tradition to share with my son.
Yeah.. where I live.. we gotta place called vintage stock.. it's pretty cool. .. almost like hastings. But man.. It's still just different from these old video stores
Agreed, and the cover art, the summary, the little pictures in the back that are chosen to represent the film.... I feel this way with CDs and books also. Everything was just more intimate and tactile than it is now.
Really cool ?? Yeah the 420p resolution format, wooow so cool dude... The 20 minutes need to reverse the tapes, advance it or put it into the beginning of the tape, WOOOW SO COOL DUDEEEEE!!
Yeah, and you know what's really cool about our life and obviously your life since you're downing this time period? Everyone has become very robotic, dull, anti social, cold, spoiled apathetic, selfish jerks with no attention span. Thanks A.I, Internet, and streaming! You really "enriched" our lives. @@Big1_
I remember one of the many weekends that my godbrother slept over at my house when we were about 17. We walked 20 minutes to Blockbuster Video to rent "Dead Presidents" which, as it turned out, was unavailable. So, we just chit-chatted for a few minutes while contemplating what else to rent. All of a sudden, the employee came back to us and said that the customer just now returned "Dead Presidents" if we still wish to rent it. My godbro and I were so ecstatic. Despite the inconvenience before streaming services, I actually miss those days of struggling to get a movie we wanted, such as also when I was a pre-teen trying to rent the newly released "Problem Child 2" from a local mom & pop video store (before the Blockbuster my godbro and I frequented, was built). The owner said, "Sorry, someone else has that movie." Sometimes, sex isn't the only forbidden fruit. Shoutout to the citizens of Oregon for still having a Blockbuster Video. You guys are beyond blessed!
Back in the 90s, us kids would have never imagined that a future generation would want to watch a video about us going to blockbuster 😂 who knew how times would change! Even I enjoyed the flashback! I was a more "Hollywood video" shopper but still ❤
I always thought Hollywood had a better selection of the genres that were my favorite. There was also a Video Row in our neighborhood that had a large inventory and carried music, though that was a destination my family and I wemt to when I was younger, like 7, 8... I remember it had a small room in the back for adult films, and I would be both titillated and freaked out by the video covers in the horror section. I always felt nervous walking among that section's aisles alone because of all the scary cover art 😅
@laurendaryani4893 😂😂😂 I remember I came across IT and damn near freaked out lmao. I was scared everytime we went back to Hollywood because of possibly running into it again😂😂😂
Thank you for posting this. It so perfectly captures the environment at the time. I was 8 that year; 93-98 were the best years of my life. I actually think that was the perfect time in the world to be a kid. Nothing will ever come close.
@@cube2foxit’s not really “ foresight”. This stuff was filmed as background footage for various nightly news reports. Some local news station was probably doing a segment on some aspect of video rental business and sent one of their people out the day before to shoot some footage for the segment.
For me, it's not just about renting movies at blockbuster---an experience I do miss---it's also the time it represents. A time before social media, and all the rot it has perpetuated throughout our culture. I just miss the 90s in general *sigh*
This makes me tear up, because it shows how easy-going things seemed to be back then and how happy people were inside all these stores. No stress, no hustle, just taking your time to make a pick for yourself or for your whole family to have a good time together. I never visited a Blockbuster store since i was born in Berlin, Germany in 1991, but i remember our video rental stores like Video World, and i had the same experiences which i'll never forget.
It’s a Friday evening. Let’s put on our shoes and drive (or bike) to the video store. It’s an adventure all in itself. Walk around with those distinct smells and the excitement of what to rent and snack on. We’ve got the whole weekend ahead of us and not a care in the world. Born in 81 and growing up in the 90s was a very fortunate experience.
I was born in the 60s and a teen in the 80s. Enjoyed every decade and trying very hard to find it enjoyable now. Even the early 2000s was better. I keep thinking it is because I’m old but I’m not sure. Glad I’m not alone tho.
1976 born, but if there was a time machine I would go back to 1994, was 18 not too many worries, working in an apprenticeship, living at home, going out with mates, and my mum was still alive ❤
Man I miss the video store. The delayed gratification and the bonding of actually having to drive to get it together, rent it together and watch it together. These are fond memories for me. I look back on those days and I’d trade in the streaming for the video stores any day.
My father passed away in December 2022. I just dropped off his VHS tapes and Magnavox VHS player and his collection of cassette tapes at Goodwill. Love you, Dad. Thank you for sharing this.
This video randomly came in my suggestions and after watching it I was simply amazed. I was born in the 90’s and grew up in the early 2000’s so never really had the chance to personally experience how simple and genuine life was back in the 80’s and 90’s but these videos will become my source of escapism now whenever I feel overwhelmed with the harsh realities of today’s life. Sometimes I wish there was a time machine so I could travel back to those good old days. From the bottom of my heart, thank you very much for these videos. You just earned a new subscriber.
@@northernrebel1402 I don't even think that's true. In 1993, a young man was stabbed to death in South East London for the crime of 'being black'. Things aren't perfect now, far from it, but the racism in those days was worse. The trend is a positive one.
@@Fordnan If we were to look at it from that angle, I would say things aren’t much different today. Incidents like the one that you mentioned are still happening. Especially in America. What I meant by human interaction and simplicity of life was the absence of social media and how most people were genuinely interacting with one another rather than spending all their time on a phone screen. Most kids weren’t suffering from depression or loneliness because they were all spending time outside rather than seeking validation online. Another thing to mention is that there was no cyber bullying back then. Nowadays so many people delete themselves due to cyber bullying. The worst thing about that is most of the time you don’t even know who’s doing the bullying since it could be anyone with a fake account.
It was more about families coming together and browsing the aisles selecting what they wanted to watch that night. It was that experience that really made it unique and special. Browsing Netflix selections from your couch just doesn’t have the same kind of feel.
Wow, this video really takes me back to the good old days! 😄 I remember the excitement of walking into a Blockbuster store, browsing the aisles, and picking out the perfect movie for the weekend. 📼🍿 It's amazing how technology has changed the way we watch movies, but there's something special about those Blockbuster memories that will never fade. Thanks for the nostalgia trip! 😊👍
It was a very exciting thing to visit a Blockbuster. You went with your big brother, sister, or friends while your Mom got the popcorn or maybe even pizza ready for you at home. It was an experience--not something you instantly clicked on Netflix. Sometimes fast and easy is not always better.
I worked at two Movie Galleries, two Hollywood Videos, and a Blockbuster between '96 and '02. Suffice it to say, I'm hyper-nostalgic for anything video store related, particularly the VHS era. LOVE seeing footage like this, thanks for posting!
I worked in a Blockbuster too for a short period of time, just a little later than you did but it was not the best experience for me; it was like working in a normal shop, sometimes boring, sometimes stressful... and my place was not that big, nothing like this one. I don't know, maybe I was too young and way less addicted to films than I'm today but I have mixed feelings about Blockbuster: as a customer yes, I do miss it but as a former worker... no thanks!
I was a manager for Blockbuster in the mid-2000s just before the company folded. The biggest impact it had on me was the severe disappointment I felt after realizing I wouldn't be working with people who loved movies anywhere close to as much as I did.
I liked Movie Gallery better than Blockbuster. There was a two-floor one near where I lived back in 2008 that I'd find the most obscure films at. Sadly, they closed in 2009 or 2010, I don't remember when.
@@andreabruson5558 I feel ya. My feelings about Blockbuster are more fond these days due to general nostalgia for video stores, but during my time working at them, Blockbuster was my least favorite of the bunch. Even though they were all chains, Blockbuster felt the most corporate and restrictive and I'd find myself jokingly referring to it as Viacom Video... One thing in particular that bothered me when I worked there, was that the selection was a hybrid of VHS and DVD, and with DVD growing in popularity they needed to discontinue some of the VHS rental offerings to make more shelf space for DVDs in the catalog aisles. Instead of offering up those VHS tapes to customers at a good price as previously viewed videos, they instead had us employees demolish and destroy them and toss them in the dumpster. I'm sure the accountants at corporate had their reasons for doing so, but it really rubbed us the wrong way as a very wasteful and anti-consumer way to phase VHS out. I have equal fondness for Movie Gallery and Hollywood Video, though. Movie Gallery was smaller and had more of a mom-and-pop feel despite being a chain. Hollywood was big and flashy with the walls of TVs and us employees dressed in silly tuxedo shirts with red bow ties and cummerbunds. They allowed more flexibility to expand the selection based on customer or employee requests and both were a more fun working environment overall.
The experiencie to be there, reading the back of the boxes, picking up what we thought it could be a great movie. Such a great decade!!! The 90's oh my! I definitely lived that decade with full awareness of it.
This was the last stage. The end of us. Any Blockbuster night was special. The interaction with the store clerks and other customers where priceless. The mom and pops dolar video store were the rage before this. In the 80s it was renting a movie for a dolar for an entire week.
I miss this, but it wouldn't be the same if the video stores made a comeback today. Now that streaming technology exists, I doubt people would give that up. Back then, getting off work on Friday, stopping by the video store to rent movies for the weekend, and then grabbing a pizza before heading home to the family was something we looked forward to. Streaming is convenient, and we have access to more varity at our fingertips, but that has spoiled people to a point. Not having access unless you went to the theater or rented a movie when it was released somehow made it more special and fun.
Streaming and the anti-socialism that came with the social media cancer. People are now too intimidated to face the likes of a video store. Just hide away and steam quietly instead
There's actually still one blockbuster in the world today. I think it's in Portland. And although streaming is improving, blu ray disc still has superior quality, especially in the sound department.
I also think video games kind of killed movies abit, as they improved, people had more entertainment options, and alot of people prefer playing video games to watching movies.
My mom was a blockbuster manager from 2004 to 2009 and boy were those times amazing😢, she would get early releases of video games/movies and bring them home before any of my childhood friends did lol
There was something so fun about going to Blockbuster on a Friday and picking out a video. My parents would let me pick out a couple. We didn't go all the time, but it was such a treat. At the time, you couldn't imagine anything else. You couldn't imagine it never being there.
I have 2 sons a 20 year old and a 14 year old. They’re amazing gentlemen and I’m very proud of them. But I feel extremely sad for them, life sucks now compared to what I lived. Watching this channel just continues to reassure me our times were great!
I like the fact that It was something you had to actually get up and do. You actually had to make some effort and it was fun, you went with friends or family. Now all most people do is order food and binge watch Netflix by themselves.
@@algerae1984 Yup. It was social and interactive, it was fun. I used to mostly go to the smaller video rental places in my neighbourhood. I knew the owner and he would order tapes for me if they weren't in stock. Good times.
Running up to Blockbuster as a kid was truly memorable. It was a great buisness idea at the time. It was actually a fun experience, cheap, and really simple.
As a child of the 90's and early 2000's I feel lucky to have experienced Blockbuster Video. I remember as a kid begging my parents to rent N64 games and later PS2 games from the local Blockbuster most Friday evenings, before returning home for movie night. I'd play the games over the weekend, though on Monday they'd be returned. I frequently rented the same game if I could, so I could continue my progress in them, especially in the PS2 era with save data being stored on memory cards rather than the cartridge with N64. My family didn't have a lot of money, so I only had a few games of my own. Blockbuster was my way to play many new releases. I miss this time dearly. In the age of streaming and digital distribution, it is really not the same experience anymore.
This unlocked some core memories. I've always been obsessed with nostalgia and the old days, but seeing it on video like this really reminded me how exciting it was to see the box behind the front box which meant they at least had 1 copy for you to take home that day.
I would offer my kidney to live through this. I was born in 1996 and I have very fond memories of my hometowns blockbuster. Something I feel is lacking in my life now is a sense of community, there are so many people where I live now and I feel like I’m alone.
It’s often made out to be more than it was. People are nostalgic now, but at the time it was a means to an end. Sure it was a fun experience looking at stuff sometimes, but peeling that back you often found yourself browsing the same titles at the same stores, trying to find something that would not suck, and there was a lot of terrible stuff! The fact that you can still see all these movies now so easily should be seen as a positive thing instead of a nostalgia for something that you didn’t really get to experience much of anyway.
Oh how I miss this!!!! 1979 baby here and you just can't replace these memories. They were so fun. Love that I was lucky enough to be in that generation. My kids never knew a world without internet. I wish they could've experienced this as well, among a ton of other Gen X things! ❤
Especially the adult video stores that had the big box video covers with xxx action! Nowadays, nobody has to drive to a sketchy area to get their rocks off. Nowadays they can just look at stuff on their phone from bed and let it fly!!
I'm 53 and remember doing this very thing countless times. First thing that struck me was NO CELL PHONES! Everyone quietly shopping for their movie choice. Running through their heads what someone may of told them this movie was good or that was a bad one. Then the man paid cash and had every key to everything he kept locked up on his keychain laying on the counter as he paid.
@@trustoldpaths1415 I do miss those days, but I do love the access we have with the internet. I just try to ignore the junk online. Much happier that way!
@@coolkingakram.incorrect, as a 20 year old i definitely still watch movies. i probably have 500+ but also i love the 50s-80s in general so i'm not your "average young person" lol
That's the cleaner spray they use, it like a perfume after cleaning up, they spray on any soft fabric. Like Febreeze but more Industrial. One of my local hotels has nice smell to it.
I miss the good old days. I was 10 going on 11 years old in 1993, Friday nights everyone got so excited to go to Blockbuster to wander around the "Movie Wonderland" which is what I used to call it, to browse and choose a movie. I miss the Blockbuster aroma, the feeling of the air conditioner, the smell of the plastic movie boxes, the candies, and sodas on the sides. I recently drove passed where the old Blockbuster used to be and saw it was replaced by some sort of carpet shop. I nearly teared up.
Gosh I remember it very clearly. Me, my dad and brother would go down to the local Blockbuster and choose a few films to watch. I loved reading all of the blurbs on the backs of the boxes. Dad would often let us have a treat like a bag of Maltesers or toffee popcorn. It's so, so surreal to me that this is now an old, defunct, vintage way of living. It was a lovely experience that felt relaxing and fun and a good treat at the end of a week and I definitely miss it.
Oh wow. This brings back memories. I loved renting movies at Blockbuster. The interactions I had with people some led to friendships, is something I miss these days. I never realized how I took everything back in the days for granted. I'm truly blessed that I got to see that beautiful era.
Being family oriented and having manners were some of the most important priorities for a lot of people back then and there was no real reason to isolate yourself inside your house or people thought there was a problem. We also had to get things done in person outside of the house. It was such a different time. For those of us that were children growing up with this, we were used to life being this way. When the internet and modern technology changed this, it was a tough adjustment for those of us who were young adults trying to put our lives together because everything was changing.
One of the many adventures that is shared with a family. From going shopping at long gone retail giants. Then picking up a movie to video games at places like this. This puts us into a wall of nostalgia that is deeply missed.
I actually remember a time before Blockbuster when they had mom and pop home video stores in the 80s. Going to the video store on a sunday with your parents and choosing movies was half the fun.
Yeah i remember the first two places in my part of town to rent vhs movies was a tv repair shop and across the street a gas station. The tv repair shop had about 100 movies, the gas station had about 30
To think that kids today are watching this video and looking at it like I would've looked at a video from 1963. Wow. I was 14 in 1993 and vividly remember going to Blockbuster all the time with my brother and friends. ☺️
What a nostalgic memory. After having eaten something outside my family and I stopped by any blockbuster video rent to get some movies for the whole weekend. Watching this 1993 vintage video truly brings back my middle-teen years.
In a way, I hated Blockbuster for putting all the small video stores out of business. That said, there's something lost without them. It gave us an adventure out on a Friday night not knowing what you might bring home. And talking movies with the people that worked there. Streaming is convenient, but that's all.
I remember going to blockbuster in the early 2000s (2003-2007), when I was a kid. There was something always so exciting about going to blockbuster...like, the smell of the store, mixed with the fun of getting to try a new game they had. So much better compared to Netflix.
My favorite part (or not so favorite if you lose) is when it's CLOSING time, and people are circling the desk hoping the hot movie will be returned to the store slot. The sound of the VHS case being returned to the store bin is very nostalgic, AND the tape being rewound at the same time. You could argue there were more people at Blockbuster on Saturday early nights than the local bar.
In 1993, I was still studying electronics engineering at college. I do not remember when we started renting at Blockbuster, but I do know we were doing it in the Y2k era, up until Blockbuster suddenly up & died around 2012-2013. I had a mail rental DVD still at hand when they bankrupted & it was too late to mail it back, so instead Blockbuster carded me for the DVD. That's ok, I kept the disc for nostalgia, even the return envelope, as a memento of the store. What was special was that me & my dad would peruse Blockbuster many times for many years. He is also gone now & that is what makes Blockbuster special because of those memories of me & Dad browsing the Blockbuster aisles.
Man, I miss video rental stores. Such a fun experience 😊❤ As a kid, my thing was taking a chance on an art, foreign, horror, animated, or cult film and getting a bag of popcorn, a fat spicy pickle in a baggie, an Arizona iced green tea (when they would come in the glass bottles), and a small vial of ginseng from the convenience store that I'd dump into it. I was mostly an introvert so this was usually what I looked forward to on the weekends chilling by myself.
I remember going to Blockbuster in the mid-90s as a kid, hoping to rent a new release. There would be 30-ish copies of the movie, but they're all rented out. My dad would ask the employee to check the return bin to see if somebody returned one of the copies. On a lucky day, there will be a copy returned in the bin and we'd be able to rent it. I never thought I'd cherish those odd little memories today.
Tell me about it. You get there and hoped to rent this awesome movie like Jurassic park and it was all rented out. Always found something to watch though. Good times.
One of my favorite things to do as a kid was going to my local video store and pick a vhs to rent. I dreamed about growing up and owning my own store, that's how much I loved that experience. Little did I know the internet was going to change that completely.
![Blockbuster Training Video [1990] - Buster Sales Pt 1](/img/1.gif)
The current generations can't even begin to imagine...the excitement on a Friday or Saturday evening....choosing a movie you were excited to see with your family...all sitting in the car...getting some take out and driving home. Paradise!
We take it for granted now because all you have to do is simply type a few words on the keyboard to access a movie.
Or when it's a three day weekend and you take home four videos. Or the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving when you went from Blockbusters to a pizza parlor.
Yeah except if the movies u wanted arent available lol
@@artsyhyd Not always getting what you want was regular, normal life for us.
@@artsyhyd Made you appreciate it more when you did finally get to see that movie.
Watching this and realising it's an experience you'll never be able to repeat is actually heartbreaking.
@cellarentertainment5988 Obviously you haven't had many real life experiences or much, if any, empathy for others. Do you ever even set foot outside your home or workplace?
@@cellarentertainment5988have a heart what’s your issue
Sad but true, in my town we had a library which also worked as a video rent, it closed this year 😢
Great times ! when we hit 2010 everything start to fall a part. No more video stores, Malls are closing, very few movie theater left anymore !
Even Library's are closing ! Library near me Now cut back on many services they had for the kids!. They would have a good selection of magazines you could read, they had s places to write and do research for home work for the kids . They stop all that because of the homeless coming into the library sleeping in the library causing bed bugs & roach's in the library . Library now has you check out books online then pick them up !
Back then, watching a movie was actually a special event. It took some commitment in time and effort to go pick up a movie. The experience of walking around the store to look at the titles, read the back covers, talk to store employees and even other customers about movies they liked.
Yep now we just click buttons on a remote and have access to hundreds and hundreds of movies and tv series. It’s pretty crazy
How much instant access we have to entertainment these days
I used to watch movies on tv with my family.We were more connected back then. Today there is nothing.
Watching movies as an experience just died out. Very few people still have little movie rituals.
@@aldairmarroquin4184 I still have my own coffee and movie nights where i watch old classic movies but thats just me.
@@aldairmarroquin4184 I havent watched TV in years.Im done with it.Nothing to watch anymore.
Nothing worse than walking to that back wall where the new releases were just to see the one you wanted is completely rented out.
Nope, wait by the depository at the front and you'll luck out with the first one that slides down the chute OR...if you play your cards right with the clerk and not act a fool, s/he will pull out the new release copy from the back.
@@lakebay972 i aint waiting by no hole bru
well they only had so many lol first come first serve : )
@@jameswilliams-zr8co no shit
But if you waited around the cashier for a little bit someone would always drop one off
I can imagine the customers thinking "Why are you filming such a boring everyday experience?" They would have no idea how much we in the future miss this!
At least we still have book, board game and PC game stores which offer a similar expirience, although those dwindled in numbers too.
It's up to us, to support what still is around and open new ones.
Miss it ?? why? Today we can get whatever we want without losing our time in these stores and losing fuel going there... We have Steam, Netflix, Primevideo, etc etc...
Missed the point@@Big1_
@@Big1_what’s your weight
@@threethirtynine1514 obese
It’s not the movies, it’s the experiences we miss. Having to get out of the house and actually interact with people.
The puzzle has been revealed! Thank you Bobby for solving the puzzle.
Yep, you are right. Used to take my son there most Fridays, such good memories.
And the Mega Drive games section.
That was it. 👍👍
We appreciated cars more back then 😅
I'm 54 years old and I so miss this. I actually get emotional. I used to take my daughters and their friends to Blockbuster. Let them pick out some movies and some snacks. I just miss it.
Let me tell you at the age of 35 I feel confident your daughter has the same feelings about going to Blockbuster. I miss it so much going with my mom and getting popcorn and candy. We would go on a Friday and it was such a treat.
It was a fantastic time. How has it been so long?? I miss it too.
I’ve heard that VHS tapes back in these times were very expensive to own so that’s why everyone went out and rented copies for 2 days or 5 days. New releases were 2 day rentals
@@hippiecheezburger5457 nope, just the way of watching movies and deciding if they were worth the purchase or not, and new releases that weren't out yet.
@@hippiecheezburger5457 Back in these times lol. The f man we we arent dinosaurs. And no videos werent expensive to own lol, it just saved money and space overall to rent stuff if you watched a lot of films all the time.
Two videos, bucket of popcorn from Blockbuster. Home Run Inn Pizza Friday night. Brings tears to my eyes. The simple life.
All Blockbuster stores had a specific scent - a poetic mixture of plastic and popcorn.
And frequently some stellar poon if you had good game.
And carpet.
Always loved the smell of brand new, fresh VHS plastic! haha
@@Mario_N64 Always thought the carpet choice to be a terrible choice, it gets nasty very quickly with so many people walking on it, especially on stores where you entered right after coming from dirty, and wet sidewalks!
@@you2be839 It was cheap, high-traffic carpet, in grey to disguise dirt.
This pastime alone was SO much healthier for people.
-You got up, physically left and walked the store.
-You interacted with people.
-You learned disappointment when the new release was sold out, figured out how to make the best of it renting something else
-You actually sat together as a family and watched the movie the night you rented it because you physically went through the trouble, it was an event……VERSUS today where because streaming is so easy, and because people have multiple TVs and TV options, you don’t sit as a family nearly as much.
@@gdw121 good points
@@gdw121 well said. that's why i prefer old DVDs (mostly tv shows tho) cause it reminds me of the 90's. or blurays if it's a movie or tv show that's visually important. i don't watch netflix anymore or the other services cause it got too boring (ok well i watched ONE movie on disney recently, idiocracy. cause i've had disney for a while now and didn't bother to cancel it and they happened to have that movie that i wanted to see for a while, so i watched it on my computer like i used to do in the early 2000s when DIVX/VLC was popular) man i'm getting old, lol
Nah I much prefer the luxuries of modern technology. Streaming movies and shows lets me save time for school and work. Gotta invest in my future right?
@@abstract5249 sometimes convenience is detrimental. A lot of times it is actually. Maybe you save the 20 minute blockbuster run, but piss away far more than that binging shows cuz it’s easy, or sitting on social media, or shopping on Amazon etc…. Living a more idle lifestyle Carries over into all areas of your life. People used to go to blockbuster on Friday night and watch 1 movie. The whole process was 2 hours. Now people will steam 4-5 episodes of some show in the middle of a Saturday and spend 3-4 hours. Technology is a doubled edged sword.
@@gdw121 Good point. It's sort of like how I miss playing older video games and my childhood even though, in reality, it was an awful time since my parents were always fighting and yelling, school was bad, and games were more of an escape than an actual passion. And yet, I still somehow miss my childhood while also feeling thankful I don't have to live it anymore. Humans are complicated.
We never realized just how much we would miss so much about this era. But as they say, don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened.
Ever here of the term "bittersweet." *sigh*
....me too.
It's not only what we've left behind, it's what we're headed toward. Way too much to expound upon here and now.....if not here, where? If not now, when? Do you understand?....
As well, the old "you can't take it with you" is referring to when we pass on. Check it out- that applies to lots of things before you check out. Such as the very thing in this video. When it became obsolete did anyone take with them into the future. I doubt it. Just ask the owners of Blockbuster and Hollywood video. Life is a journey not a destination, enjoy the ride.....
But not everyone saw it happened.
Amen!!!😢😊
I miss all the family I had back in the 90s. I don't even want any of the presents, but if I could go back to every christmas, thanksgiving, easter I'd give everything I had
Here we are 20 years later facing WW3. Crazy how things change.
My wife has turned on Netflix as I watch this video on RUclips on my phone. Going to Blockbusters in the rain, choosing a few movies with my brother alongside the snacks we wnated for that evening. So simple but loved it. I still have my old blockbuster membership card till this day
Me too.
Shame on you for having Netflix, you're now killing Cinemas off
I still have my blockbuster member card too, and a couple of blockbuster rental game cases.
Hi there 👋
now i'm thinking that Internet has sucked the life out of so many things.
It really has and it has completely changed the way we socialize
....like FAKE NEWS!
We FINALLY KNOW most of what were blatant lies because internet.
Loved those days - but was ASLO when they unleashed 9/11 on us and
were planning ALL of the things they are doing to us know....destroy America and the West.
Will only make us stronger though - God Bless Youu!
Technology did
True but without the internet we wouldn't be able to watch these gems and reminisce.
@@thefoxdoctor1072 yes, however our reality would be similar to what was being shown in this video. That is : we would go out to rent movies, have face to face conversations with people etc,.
The heartbreak of looking behind the cover of the VHS/DVD movie you wanted to rent, only to discover there were no more copies left 💔 good times
Yeah. And you end up leaving either empty-handed, or with something else.
I would still go to front and ask if they had any in stock fingers crossed hoping someone brought one back and it wasn't put back yet. Worked a couple times.
Lies again? Raw Emotions + Special Effects = Bang Bros
@@chrishince8947 or have them call when it was returned:D
Remember how the adult videos back then had the giant box covers.
There was nothing like going to blockbuster on a Friday night to rent a game and having it for the weekend.. 😂😫 good times
great times
Beautiful
Genesis for me! Road Rash, Batman Returns, Desert Strike. I could go on for hours. Great times!
Probably helped motivate you to actually play through more of it and thus gain inferred value for your purchase or rental of said game. These days you looks at my steam account and it’s appalling how many things I’ve bought and have less than a handful of hours played on. Somethings I’ve never even gotten around to, and the chances only dip lower as time moves forward.
dont forget the bottle of coke and box of candy & popcorn to pick out!
I can't help but feel bad for people who missed out on this part of history. There was nothing more exciting than renting a film solely based off of the cover art of a VHS big box. So glad I've kept all of my tapes over the years.
When things become too easy, we get depressed or unhappy. Movies were destined to be streamed but it’s a good reminder that most of the fun of life is the journey, not the destination.
“Progress takes away what forever took to find” My favorite Dave Matthews Lyric.
can you develop what you mean by "movies were destined to be streamed" ?
@@sirjojo7278 prolly just meant that the natural evolution for tv/film was to one day end up being streamed purely out of convenience. Like with how it went from VHS to DVD and so on, it was just a matter of time before streaming became the norm.
Damn. That was profound and definitely something I needed to read tonight.
Hello
I worked at a Blockbuster video in 1997 - 1998. I was there before DVDs were available for rent. I remember the day we had to clear a shelf just for DVDs. You wouldn't believe the lines we had when new releases came out. It really was like a Blockbuster movie experience. The store would be packed, and customer after customer being so happy to get a copy of whatever title. It brought communities and families together.
Internet is isolating and perfect for research, however it lacks in it's social elements. Regardless of what online gamers, redditors, zoomers, and influencers, and followers, think. There is NOTHING like actual social interactions.
The Mall, Church, Movie Theatres, Movie Rentals, Public Swimming Pools, Christmas Shopping, Toys R Us, Kaybee Toys, etc. These are all things on the decline with no replacement. Kids don't even get a decent Mc Donalds happy meal, play area, or a decent Chuck E Cheese anymore.
They will never know the amazing wonder of animatronic musicians on stage in a dark and dim lit environment with space age lights and sounds dazzling you in a maze of arcade machines. The sheer joy of riding inside a giant plastic UFO with flashing lights, then hoping out to go bash some creature skulls for a daisy chain of paper tickets. Then cashing in that currency for squiggling sticky wonders and finger puppets and stuffed toys or candy.
Great comment 👍
Surprisingly, other things exist that now occupy children’s time that will one day be gone that they will feel nostalgic about. We’re not special, it’s just a cycle.
That was potentially the best era of gaming. You had Half-Life, Goldeneye, MGS, Ocarina of time, Starcraft...
I worked at one in '98 - 2000. I much preferred the old VHS clamshells to the DVD. They stacked easier when putting them away, and were much, MUCH easier to scan when doing the dreaded inventory 😄. But yeah, it was the interactions with the customers that I miss the most. You really got to know the people in the community, and chatting about your favorite movies or the new releases just made it feel like not work. Best place I ever worked.
BEST COMMENT! Im an 80s child. People will never understand unless they lived it.
THIS IS MAGICAL!
God I miss the 90s and early 2000’s. If there was one thing I could tell kids these days that they missed out on….it would be this.
I will forever remember running down to the only Hollywood video in our city with my mom or dad on a Friday night. We would go home and pop them into our huge box screen TV we had in our furnished basement that we called “the family room”. The smell, the sights, the snacks they had…..nostalgia. Later, in the 2000s, you could also rent games. My dad would always get us one of those too. Tony Hawk Proskater 2, Nascar Thunder, Sly Cooper. God. Take me back
That sounds exactly as you put it, Magical! Such memories. I always tell people who think it's a joke to go out and "rent' movies that it was also an excuse to hang out. To be with your Mom/Dad/Brother/Sister best friend...what have you.
Who know what that day will bring...memories for sure.
Like you wrote above!
Right there with you! I was 10 yrs old in '93. Great memories for sure! Going on a Friday night to pick up a couple of games, knowing my cousins and I could stay up late. Don't forget that feeling of dejection, when you walk up and there's no game/movie behind the cover, lol.
Wtf are you talking about? You could rent games in the late 80s. I rented Genesis games every weekend.
@@bassage13 Not every location had that buddy.
@@vampirerobot Yeah, no sleepover party was complete without a trip to Blockbuster to rent some games and movies.
The good old days .. I miss this so much. I'm so grateful I was able to grow up renting movies. Such a wholesome experience .
It's 1993, and I was twelve years old. I loved going to Blockbuster to rent NES games. My dad would take me almost every weekend. I miss those days. It's hard to explain to younger generations the pure thrill of walking into that store. I still have that "Blockbuster smell" engrained into my memory. God, it's hard to believe this was thirty years ago.
A lot of us were 12 in the comments. 81 baby here. We all have a soft spot in our hearts for these times.
@@maxwell-gn2jn That's cool that you were born in 1981 too. It's awesome to know that other 1981 kids are representing in the comments. Us 81 kids have to stick together.
It was 30 years ago. Not over 30. I was born in 93. I'm 30. Don't make me feel older than I already do, please 😢
*Edit*
You're the man for editing your comment. Thank you buddy.
@@maxwell-gn2jn’81 baby here too! I miss experiences like this.
We didn’t have blockbuster in my town, it was just local owned convenience stores that rented them out (but it was still exciting go there). I would have been jealous of you getting to go to blockbuster back then :)
This.... is amazing. I miss these days SO BAD. Thanks for these few minutes of profound nostalgia.
So bad is right. I wish we could go back. But waiting for Jesus in the clouds to take up rapture his church. Which then everything will totally fall to pieces more than now.
Movies are shit these days, so it's not just the experience people miss.
Looking back now, the 90s were awesome times. You don't know what you got until it's gone…
@@LSD123. so true , we don't know what we got until it's gone 90s
@@LSD123.I want to go back to the 70s
I loved growing up in the 80’s and 90’s. We weren’t distracted by technology and cellphones, Friday’s meant meeting up with friends and hitting up the video rental store, staying up until 3am with friends sleeping over watching the movies we rented. I would hate being a kid today. I’m glad I grew up in the last great generation before technology took over.
It's not the technology, it's the people.
I remember the staying up till 3am playing Super Nintendo at a friends sleepover while he was sound asleep, lol.
It's both @@OrkoSukisuki
@@maxwell-gn2jn It's always 2-way street of course.
@@OrkoSukisuki it’s technology the changing people. We’ll never go back to interacting with one another like we did before the internet took over. Never.
"Be kind, please rewind." .. ugh memories 😢
Be a friend rewind the tape when you reach the end
you piss your pants when you fall asleep and the vcr auto rewinds
Hello adams
I was 12 years old when this was filmed. I loved going to Blockbuster and renting a Sega Genesis game, and getting a movie on a Friday night. I feel really lucky to have been born in 81 and lived through this.
I was born in 81 and used to remember renting games for the sega master system.
I was 13 at the time and I used to go there with a group of friends. Many happy memories of my youth before the www and social media era. Also glad to say that I have a much sharper and inquisitive brain than "Gen Y and Z" of today!
I was 12 too, lol. Born in 81 as well. What a time to live back then. I miss those days so much now. Back then though, I took it for granted.
So true@@atulnayak5715
@@maxwell-gn2jn I think we all did.
I worked at Blockbuster back in 2005. I was actually working right next door at Movie Gallery when the BB manager offered me $1 more an hour to join their team lol. After all these years of having a career in tech, I can honestly say that working at Blockbuster was the most fun I've had at any job. I loved talking to people about movies, and I loved working with my friends. We didn't have to worry about so much back then because we were just kids. I still remember some of the fun times we had at that store. Man, if only I could go back in time, I would remind myself to stop and enjoy every moment. One day you wake up and are hit with the dreadful realization that life has sped by in a blur. Some of us look in the mirror and we don't recognize the person looking back. If you are reading this, please take the time to slow down and do something you enjoy doing. Hug your friends and your loved ones. Take out a piece of paper and write a letter to someone. Do something positive for a total stranger. At the end of every day, reflect on the positive things. Say nice things about yourself out loud. Last but not least, be good to each other.
I already do the things you suggest but time isn't slowing down. Class of 2000 here.
@@Connection-Lost Yeah, I don’t think it ever slows down, but we can at least try to do positive things for ourselves and others. You never know, your interaction with someone could make their day. No matter how small the gesture. Just smiling at someone could set a wonderful tone to their day.
Well said! There is an Auto Zone now where my Blockbuster used to be. Every time I pass by I am sad. I can still picture some of the faces of people who worked there. I miss it. Yes, life has sped by in a blur. 😢
❤❤❤
It reminds me of "my dream job" was to work at the record /cd store 😅
My family always though it was "below me".
Then my goal was to work at E.M.I. then it went "bankrupt".
Long story short, I am still looking for a job that involves art without having to stress yourself too much. 😅 The must relaxed i ever felt was on a job where i only had to categoriza and archive files...
I guess i stress myself too much, but it is nice when they compliment a segment of a film that you edited, a particular bassline that you played, or that one sculpture you made for 16 hours straight (before deadline) 😅. I love those moments, but it takes thousands of hours of effort 😳.... But i guess it's not about the seconds of praise 🤔 but about how proud we are about ourselves and we create 😀❤️
Blockbuster had the exact same smell in each location. The odor of plastic combined with buttered popcorn was one of those sensory experiences that does not exist anymore. It was always cool to find new movies on tape every week was pretty cool. Now you have to find DVD movies online because the stores selections are limited or very limited.
Thanks for pinpointing that combination. Been trying to remember what is was besides the movie cases. My nose can still conjour up that unique smell thru memory of walking into the entramce.
Kinda like Subway restaurants all have that distinctive smell
Good one. That bread smell is pretty distinctive.
Maybe someone should start a restaurant chain that mimics the look and feel of a blockbuster, and when you come in to eat you can watch a movie there while you eat or you can still rent it and take it home if you want. Gotta find a reason to get people in to rent movies since renting movies alone isn't enough anymore.
I can confirm it even smelt the same in Australia. Dirty carpet, plastic, and popcorn from the snacks they used to sell.
I would go back to these times in a second.
Me too, I was 15 years old 😅
That's awfully optimistic. Assuming time travel were even possible, it would take much longer than a second to travel back to 1993. I mean it would take at least a minute to a minute and a half just to get through the wormhole itself, and then you'd have to drive to Blockbuster, without GPS, mind you.
The nights you would fully commit to a movie instead of changing it multiple times because you had too many options with streaming. Side note: that Looney Tunes T-shirt is iconic!
True, although it could take hours in the store to decide on a movie with family and friends
Movies had to be good for that reason. I mean, there were still bad movies. But the big releases were good. They had to be. Now there is so much over-saturation and it's so easy to stream that the pressure is off. It's quantity over quality, and there are so many shitty movies and TV shows now.
@@automnejoy5308That's so true!!!
I used to work at block busters. My manager used to have sex with me. I was 16 and she was maybe 40? Idk. Best summer job ever. It’s around the time when Batman and Robbin came out.
Yeah. I've found very few recent Netflix movies I've actually like. Most of them are what would have been considered "straight to DVD" quality. I miss not only Blockbuster but that era of film. @@automnejoy5308
I actually miss Blockbuster
Video store trolling on a Friday or Saturday night was a great excuse just to get out of the house.
Me too, I miss blockbuster video
@@hectorlopez1069 why people create Netflix why ?
For me it was Hollywood Video. I didn't realize how much I would miss picking out a game to rent for the weekend and some snacks to go with it. For some reason Hollywood Video seemed to always carry my favorite snacks when the grocery stores and Walmart and Kmart didn't even have them.
They were a predatory company that made most of its money off of unreasonable late fees. They forced their employees to harass anyone with an outstanding balance. If you didn't pay, they'd report you to a credit agency.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane! I worked at a Blockbuster Video in High School. It was the first to open in my town. At one point I was able to balance a stack of about 25 VHS tapes on one arm while walking around to put them back on the shelves. I must have heard their jingle (Blockbuster video! Wow, what a difference) a million times. It still pops into my head every now and then.
And to make us all feel old, that kid at 0:41 is now in his 30s.
Lol I I'm 34 and was just thinking that he's probably about my age at the time.
I was 16-17 in 93, I’m 47 as of 2023. How time flies lol
💪👍🙌👏🙏😘🙏 What an Honor Sir!!! GOD BLESS YOU FOR BRINGING US SO MUCH HAPPINESS...AMEN!!! 🙏😇🙏
This is really old, this is back when American women still slept with white men. I saw the end of those days as a kid, never as an adult.
@@whiteprivilegedenier7459 American women still sleep with white men.
Back then I never could’ve imagined that renting a video from Blockbuster would become something to be reminisced in the future.
Yeah, back then I thought Blockbuster would just be around forever.
Hi there 👋
30 years from now we'll be watching videos of how we used to actually go to grocery stores to buy food and reminiscing of the good old days, you wait and see .
You probably aren't wrong. It'll probably get delivered by drones or autonomous delivery vehicles from non-descript white warehouses by then.
Well be uploaded To the Internet by then
I mean with all the delivery apps & everything teenagers nowadays actually refuse to learn how to drive!!! Back when I was a teenager I couldn't wait to be able to drive so that I could go out of the house & hang out with my friends!!!
Start recording because some people already don't go to the grocery store anymore. I don't go to the grocery store anymore. Don't think I have in 2 years, maybe more.
Sadly, SkyNet is taking over, and we're not going to be able to stop it
We didn’t know, but one of these times it was our last time in a video rental store. Enjoy life, you never know when something is your last time.
Damn, this cuts deep
So true.
Well said
Remember when there were so many movies that you wanted to rent? The final decision was tough. Now I can’t find one movie at the movie theater that I would spend money on.
Renfield was pretty fun recently, and the new Dungeons and Dragons is not bad. They're both schlocky but play it serious enough that they work.
I mean don't expect masterpieces, but they're fun.
I think the superhero movies have been pretty consistently good.
I mean I'd rather have some new property along the lines of Terminator 2.... in 1993 we really did have stuff like that.
True. I haven’t been to theater in years.
@@anonamatron - I wish people would give original movies a try again; they did in the late 20thC.
Much like music , when entertainment basically becomes free the content gets worse as well .
Politics and CGI ruined a lot of movies.
39 years old here...I grew up hanging out with my cousins there every weekend to rent & watch movies at home
I miss the 90's. Going to Blockbuster as a kid was always fun! You walked down the isles looking at all the cool movie covers deciding what you were gonna rent for the weekend and if you were lucky your parents might even let you rent a Super Nintendo or Sega Genisis with games!
I rented PlayStation, Xbox and GameCube games, as well as N64.
@@WatermelonJiki yep! Later on I rented many N64 games also, first game system I ever owned!
That’s what kids look forward to on Friday night and the weekends was blockbuster getting some pizza or some of your favorite fast food taking at home chilling out having a good time just being a kid
Of course Blockbuster and other video stores wasn’t the only thing we look forward to doing but it’s one of those highlights as a kid we fondly remember
i lived across the street from one 1991-1999 so we walked there at night around 7 on the weekends to pick out movies and games. i remember the warm night air and the sunsets that felt like they came and went so slowly. guess that was because their was no news buzzing in our pockets every 15-30 minutes.
I would have to agree with you, because I too miss the 90s and I also miss Blockbuster Video, I remember every Saturday my Husband Adam, our four children, our 5-year-old Identical Twins named Zoey (Girl) and Julian (Boy), our 7-year-old daughter named Anita, our 9-year-old son named Ben, and I would get into our Family Minivan, we would go grocery shopping at a local grocery store, after that we would go to the local Blockbuster Video, Zoey, Julian, Anita, and Ben would be going over where the Children's Movies were at, while Adam and I started roaming around each movie aisle, looking at each movie, picking one up and reading the back of it, Adam and I would check out a Movie, Zoey, Julian, Anita, and Ben would check out a Movie, we would be going back to the house, Groceries put away, we would have dinner, sometimes the kids would watch a movie, and when the kids are asleep, Adam and I would watch a movie, sometimes we would watch a movie that He likes, and sometimes we would watch a movie that I like, our top ten favorite movies is,
Adam's Favorite Movies.
10. Indiana Jones and the last Crusade.
9. 48 Hrs.
8. Batman.
7. Star Trek 2 The Wrath of Khan.
6. The Blues Brothers.
5. Staying Alive.
4. Beverly Hills Cop.
3. Rocky.
2. Rambo.
1. Ferris Buller's Day Off.
My Favorite Movies.
10. Tootsie.
9. The Color Purple.
8. Splash.
7. Romancing the Stone.
6. Three Men and a Baby.
5. Coming to America.
4. An Officer and a Gentleman.
3. Look Who's Talking.
2. Pretty Woman.
1. Robin Hood Prince of Thieves.
Zoey's Favorite Animated Movies.
10. Betty Boop for President. Animated.
9. Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (And Don't Come Back).
8. Scruffy.
7. The Trouble with Miss Switch.
6. Yogi's First Christmas.
5. The Fox and the Hound.
4. The Little Fox.
3. The Last Unicorn.
2. Miss Switch to the Rescue.
1. The Secret of NIMH.
Julian's Favorite Animated Movies.
10. Pinocchio's Christmas. Stop Motion Animated.
9. The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie.
8. Daffy Duck's Fantastic Island.
7. The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie.
6. Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie 1001 Rabbit Tales.
5. GALLAVANTS.
4. Samson and Sally the song of the whales.
3. The Black Cauldron.
2. The Care Bears Movie.
1. Here Come the Littles.
Anita's Favorite Animated Movies.
10. A Journey Through Fairyland.
9. The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus. Stop Motion Animated.
8. Rainbow BRITE and the Star Stealer.
7. You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.
6. An American Tail.
5. Care Bears Movie 2 a New Generation.
4. Castle in the Sky. Anime.
3. The Elm-Chanted Forest.
2. The Great Mouse Detective.
1. Liberty and the Littles.
Ben's Favorite Animated Movies.
10. John the Fearless.
9. My Little Pony Rescue at Midnight Castle.
8. My Little Pony Escape from Katrina.
7. My Little Pony the Movie.
6. Pound Puppies City Pound.
5. Pound Puppies and the legend of Big Paw.
4. The Transformers the Movie.
3. G.I Joe the Movie.
2. The Brave Little Toaster.
1. The Chipmunk Adventure.
The sheer nostalgic feeling you get watching this. Used to get so excited when you go to Blockbuster and rent a game. The smell of the place and that good feeling it always gave you.
I was so pumped when they started renting games.
The SMELL 🥰 .. glad someone else has that very distinct memory of Blockbuster ..
Going in to check out the Nintendo power magazines was also an awesome part of the experience.
Not sure how YOUR local B-Buster smelled, but with mine, the smell was definitely NOT the exciting part of going! XD
I never rented games either, would hate the idea of not owning a game, or having to pay money just to get 1/2 way through before returning it.
But I loved going there and looking at EVERY SINGLE movie, on all the walls and displays, the movie-art on the front and reading the backs, discovering new films (pre-internet) like looking for gems in a cave.
@@TheVanillatechyou must be fun at parties…..
If you miss this, go to the library or the thrift store with your family and friends. It may not be as magical as when we were kids, but it’s still fun and it’s a similar tradition to share with my son.
Yeah.. where I live.. we gotta place called vintage stock.. it's pretty cool. .. almost like hastings. But man.. It's still just different from these old video stores
Agreed.
libraries are totally corrupted and thrift stores have been picked over by ebay flippers
Hollywood Video by my house used to be Video Library that rented porn.
I remember men standing in the line of shame. 🤣🤣
Very much similar. These people complaining don’t actually want to recreate the experience otherwise there’d be more people doing this.
I’ve just been in tears watching this, the nostalgia, the loss of a parent all came and hit me like a ton of bricks, such great times they were
nothing will ever beat the feeling of cassette tapes and vhs tapes. there was something really cool about holding them
Agreed, and the cover art, the summary, the little pictures in the back that are chosen to represent the film.... I feel this way with CDs and books also. Everything was just more intimate and tactile than it is now.
Really cool ?? Yeah the 420p resolution format, wooow so cool dude... The 20 minutes need to reverse the tapes, advance it or put it into the beginning of the tape, WOOOW SO COOL DUDEEEEE!!
Yes, it was called being normal! Something today's society knows little about!
Yeah, and you know what's really cool about our life and obviously your life since you're downing this time period? Everyone has become very robotic, dull, anti social, cold, spoiled apathetic, selfish jerks with no attention span. Thanks A.I, Internet, and streaming! You really "enriched" our lives. @@Big1_
@@Big1_ ....it took less than 20 seconds to rewind a tape. and less than 10 to do a cassette. it taught patience as well.
Blockbuster was my job in high school in 2001. Worked there for 4 years. Soooo many great memories!!!
Great life
That would have been an amazing job for a teenager!!
Do you remember what the most popular titles were that people rented from the store?
@@andrewburgemeister6684 I remember American Pie, Harry Potter, and The Fast and Furious were really big!!
I worked there. I remember when Master and Commander came out, we couldn't keep copies on the shelf.
how beautiful life was back then 💖😘😘
I remember one of the many weekends that my godbrother slept over at my house when we were about 17. We walked 20 minutes to Blockbuster Video to rent "Dead Presidents" which, as it turned out, was unavailable. So, we just chit-chatted for a few minutes while contemplating what else to rent. All of a sudden, the employee came back to us and said that the customer just now returned "Dead Presidents" if we still wish to rent it. My godbro and I were so ecstatic. Despite the inconvenience before streaming services, I actually miss those days of struggling to get a movie we wanted, such as also when I was a pre-teen trying to rent the newly released "Problem Child 2" from a local mom & pop video store (before the Blockbuster my godbro and I frequented, was built). The owner said, "Sorry, someone else has that movie." Sometimes, sex isn't the only forbidden fruit. Shoutout to the citizens of Oregon for still having a Blockbuster Video. You guys are beyond blessed!
That kid is about 30 years old now.
I'd say about 34
More like 36-39. This was recorded 30 years ago, and last time I checked, babies don’t look like that.
Yeah I was born in 91 and I'm 32
@@fortheloveofgod_leave that kid looks no older than 3 years old at the time. I'd say he's about 33 rn. I was born in 90' and I'm 33.
He was probably my age back than. I was 4 in 1993. He is probably 34-35
Man thanks for posting such a personal video but letting us go back in time with you. Those were the days I will cherish for the rest of my life
Back in the 90s, us kids would have never imagined that a future generation would want to watch a video about us going to blockbuster 😂 who knew how times would change! Even I enjoyed the flashback! I was a more "Hollywood video" shopper but still ❤
I always thought Hollywood had a better selection of the genres that were my favorite.
There was also a Video Row in our neighborhood that had a large inventory and carried music, though that was a destination my family and I wemt to when I was younger, like 7, 8... I remember it had a small room in the back for adult films, and I would be both titillated and freaked out by the video covers in the horror section. I always felt nervous walking among that section's aisles alone because of all the scary cover art 😅
@laurendaryani4893 😂😂😂 I remember I came across IT and damn near freaked out lmao. I was scared everytime we went back to Hollywood because of possibly running into it again😂😂😂
@@deljeanThe vhs cover for Evil dead 2 with the grinning skull scared the hell outta me as a kid, lol. I was terrified of that stupid cover art haha
@@winterlynn9012 🤣🤣🤣
Thank you for posting this. It so perfectly captures the environment at the time. I was 8 that year; 93-98 were the best years of my life. I actually think that was the perfect time in the world to be a kid. Nothing will ever come close.
What amazing foresight to realize that it was worth documenting something that seemed so run-of-the-mill & mundane at the time!
I can't imagine how somebody could have so much foresight! I would never have thought to film such an (at the time) mundane activity.
Yes imagine telling someone back then "Enjoy this because in 15 to 20 years this experience will be gone!"
@@cube2foxit’s not really “ foresight”. This stuff was filmed as background footage for various nightly news reports. Some local news station was probably doing a segment on some aspect of video rental business and sent one of their people out the day before to shoot some footage for the segment.
@@mcsmoothie7052 Oh really? That would explain it.
@@cube2fox yeah, that’s what all the footage on this channel is. It does make for an amazing time capsule.
Man it sucks that Blockbuster is gone. It's a lost treasure of a bygone era from not all that long ago. And yet it feels almost like an eternity.
Why is it bad that it's gone?
Yup and K Marts Radio Shack Circuit City just to name a few!
We still have one in bend oregon
Yep. I know. Sad that it's literally the last one. They better keep that living relic alive for a long long time. @@gun-nut
Blockbuster sucked. There were indie video stores scattered across the country that were always better.
For me, it's not just about renting movies at blockbuster---an experience I do miss---it's also the time it represents. A time before social media, and all the rot it has perpetuated throughout our culture. I just miss the 90s in general *sigh*
Yet here you are. On social media. Not living in the moment.
@@randomteesno smartass keyboard warriors back then either 😂
Life was better before social media
This makes me tear up, because it shows how easy-going things seemed to be back then and how happy people were inside all these stores. No stress, no hustle, just taking your time to make a pick for yourself or for your whole family to have a good time together. I never visited a Blockbuster store since i was born in Berlin, Germany in 1991, but i remember our video rental stores like Video World, and i had the same experiences which i'll never forget.
It’s a Friday evening. Let’s put on our shoes and drive (or bike) to the video store. It’s an adventure all in itself. Walk around with those distinct smells and the excitement of what to rent and snack on. We’ve got the whole weekend ahead of us and not a care in the world. Born in 81 and growing up in the 90s was a very fortunate experience.
I was born in 1981 as well. And, I agree with you.
Word, it was similar to that nostalgic radio shack electronics aroma when you walk in the doors. Those 80's/90's memories are bliss
Born in 84. And you’re right. I would love to go back to this over streaming any day
I was born in the 60s and a teen in the 80s. Enjoyed every decade and trying very hard to find it enjoyable now. Even the early 2000s was better. I keep thinking it is because I’m old but I’m not sure. Glad I’m not alone tho.
1976 born, but if there was a time machine I would go back to 1994, was 18 not too many worries, working in an apprenticeship, living at home, going out with mates, and my mum was still alive ❤
Man I miss the video store. The delayed gratification and the bonding of actually having to drive to get it together, rent it together and watch it together. These are fond memories for me. I look back on those days and I’d trade in the streaming for the video stores any day.
My father passed away in December 2022. I just dropped off his VHS tapes and Magnavox VHS player and his collection of cassette tapes at Goodwill. Love you, Dad. Thank you for sharing this.
My condolences! May your father rest in peace 🌹🕯
Thank you for that.@@laurendaryani4893
They still take those, wow even years ago they weren't taking them anywhere around me.
People just seemed so relaxed and happy. This makes me want to cry I was about the same age as that little boy
This video randomly came in my suggestions and after watching it I was simply amazed.
I was born in the 90’s and grew up in the early 2000’s so never really had the chance to personally experience how simple and genuine life was back in the 80’s and 90’s but these videos will become my source of escapism now whenever I feel overwhelmed with the harsh realities of today’s life.
Sometimes I wish there was a time machine so I could travel back to those good old days. From the bottom of my heart, thank you very much for these videos. You just earned a new subscriber.
Me too. I long for the 90s again!!!!
It felt shit at the time. I prefer things now.
@@Fordnan Technologically yes but in terms of human interaction and simplicity of life, things were much better back then.
@@northernrebel1402 I don't even think that's true. In 1993, a young man was stabbed to death in South East London for the crime of 'being black'. Things aren't perfect now, far from it, but the racism in those days was worse. The trend is a positive one.
@@Fordnan If we were to look at it from that angle, I would say things aren’t much different today. Incidents like the one that you mentioned are still happening. Especially in America.
What I meant by human interaction and simplicity of life was the absence of social media and how most people were genuinely interacting with one another rather than spending all their time on a phone screen. Most kids weren’t suffering from depression or loneliness because they were all spending time outside rather than seeking validation online.
Another thing to mention is that there was no cyber bullying back then. Nowadays so many people delete themselves due to cyber bullying. The worst thing about that is most of the time you don’t even know who’s doing the bullying since it could be anyone with a fake account.
It was more about families coming together and browsing the aisles selecting what they wanted to watch that night. It was that experience that really made it unique and special. Browsing Netflix selections from your couch just doesn’t have the same kind of feel.
Sure but ultimately both are still gross as both methods of propaganda delivery into the family home are harmful.
@@folksurvival Lol no.
@@JJJoeJoe What do you mean?
Miss going to blockbuster 😪 those were the best of times
This and drive-ins will forever be missed! ❤☹ and certainly never forgotten! Wonderful times back then! (born 1980)
I can't tell how many times I went to blockbuster video when I was a little boy in the 90s.
I miss this so much. Video store nights were the best as a kid
Rent a movie and buy some popcorn.
@@hectorlopez1069 they need to blame those people for creating Netflix
Wow, this video really takes me back to the good old days! 😄 I remember the excitement of walking into a Blockbuster store, browsing the aisles, and picking out the perfect movie for the weekend. 📼🍿 It's amazing how technology has changed the way we watch movies, but there's something special about those Blockbuster memories that will never fade. Thanks for the nostalgia trip! 😊👍
It was a very exciting thing to visit a Blockbuster. You went with your big brother, sister, or friends while your Mom got the popcorn or maybe even pizza ready for you at home. It was an experience--not something you instantly clicked on Netflix. Sometimes fast and easy is not always better.
Because the time you save finding a movie faster isn't necessarily time better spent. For most people, it's just more time playing with their phones
I worked at two Movie Galleries, two Hollywood Videos, and a Blockbuster between '96 and '02. Suffice it to say, I'm hyper-nostalgic for anything video store related, particularly the VHS era. LOVE seeing footage like this, thanks for posting!
I worked in a Blockbuster too for a short period of time, just a little later than you did but it was not the best experience for me; it was like working in a normal shop, sometimes boring, sometimes stressful... and my place was not that big, nothing like this one.
I don't know, maybe I was too young and way less addicted to films than I'm today but I have mixed feelings about Blockbuster: as a customer yes, I do miss it but as a former worker... no thanks!
I was a manager for Blockbuster in the mid-2000s just before the company folded. The biggest impact it had on me was the severe disappointment I felt after realizing I wouldn't be working with people who loved movies anywhere close to as much as I did.
I liked Movie Gallery better than Blockbuster. There was a two-floor one near where I lived back in 2008 that I'd find the most obscure films at. Sadly, they closed in 2009 or 2010, I don't remember when.
@@andreabruson5558 I feel ya. My feelings about Blockbuster are more fond these days due to general nostalgia for video stores, but during my time working at them, Blockbuster was my least favorite of the bunch. Even though they were all chains, Blockbuster felt the most corporate and restrictive and I'd find myself jokingly referring to it as Viacom Video...
One thing in particular that bothered me when I worked there, was that the selection was a hybrid of VHS and DVD, and with DVD growing in popularity they needed to discontinue some of the VHS rental offerings to make more shelf space for DVDs in the catalog aisles. Instead of offering up those VHS tapes to customers at a good price as previously viewed videos, they instead had us employees demolish and destroy them and toss them in the dumpster. I'm sure the accountants at corporate had their reasons for doing so, but it really rubbed us the wrong way as a very wasteful and anti-consumer way to phase VHS out.
I have equal fondness for Movie Gallery and Hollywood Video, though. Movie Gallery was smaller and had more of a mom-and-pop feel despite being a chain. Hollywood was big and flashy with the walls of TVs and us employees dressed in silly tuxedo shirts with red bow ties and cummerbunds. They allowed more flexibility to expand the selection based on customer or employee requests and both were a more fun working environment overall.
I love that the video begins with Chariots of Fire. It really fit the sensation of being in a Blockbuster during those first few years.
lol...I thought the same thing.
The experiencie to be there, reading the back of the boxes, picking up what we thought it could be a great movie. Such a great decade!!! The 90's oh my! I definitely lived that decade with full awareness of it.
This was the last stage. The end of us. Any Blockbuster night was special. The interaction with the store clerks and other customers where priceless. The mom and pops dolar video store were the rage before this. In the 80s it was renting a movie for a dolar for an entire week.
@@ICBODYTOO It was an exclusive time in history.
One of the only things my dad ever did with me growing up was drive us to blockbuster for movie nights. Good times.
Sometimes One thing is enough.
@@TheLostWorldFanChannwhat? Lmfao not if you’re a dad. what’s wrong with you? 😂
@@TheeDeadDollless is more if your an abusive father
I miss this, but it wouldn't be the same if the video stores made a comeback today. Now that streaming technology exists, I doubt people would give that up. Back then, getting off work on Friday, stopping by the video store to rent movies for the weekend, and then grabbing a pizza before heading home to the family was something we looked forward to. Streaming is convenient, and we have access to more varity at our fingertips, but that has spoiled people to a point. Not having access unless you went to the theater or rented a movie when it was released somehow made it more special and fun.
Streaming sucks. It's completely soulless.
Streaming and the anti-socialism that came with the social media cancer. People are now too intimidated to face the likes of a video store. Just hide away and steam quietly instead
There's actually still one blockbuster in the world today. I think it's in Portland. And although streaming is improving, blu ray disc still has superior quality, especially in the sound department.
@@ooooswain Yeah, but you'd have to visit it in a state that bows to the whim of ANTIFA radicals.
I also think video games kind of killed movies abit, as they improved, people had more entertainment options, and alot of people prefer playing video games to watching movies.
My mom was a blockbuster manager from 2004 to 2009 and boy were those times amazing😢, she would get early releases of video games/movies and bring them home before any of my childhood friends did lol
Wow! Lucky you. That sounds amazing!!
bet u were a popular kid in school huh
@@luigi7834 not at all actually more of the quiet secluded type.
@@prismaticx1375 - which is great because kids who wanted to be your friend just because of video games and nothing else aren't great friends.
There was something so fun about going to Blockbuster on a Friday and picking out a video. My parents would let me pick out a couple. We didn't go all the time, but it was such a treat. At the time, you couldn't imagine anything else. You couldn't imagine it never being there.
I have 2 sons a 20 year old and a 14 year old. They’re amazing gentlemen and I’m very proud of them. But I feel extremely sad for them, life sucks now compared to what I lived. Watching this channel just continues to reassure me our times were great!
Gen-X were lucky to have had these experiences. 😢
@@Delisle4 best I can do is trans kids and 10 years of GTA V
My kid is 19 and I wish he got to experience the time we grew up.
@@maxwell-gn2jn
I'm barely 30 and I miss segregated water fountains.
@@Delisle4Eff the gen x. I'm 35 and got to live this amazing era of blockbuster etc
I'll take a blockbuster type store today vs streaming
I like both. I just miss going there and seeing all the new releases and the candy!
I like the fact that It was something you had to actually get up and do. You actually had to make some effort and it was fun, you went with friends or family. Now all most people do is order food and binge watch Netflix by themselves.
@@jumbothompson and the small talk u could make with strangers about recommendations.
@@algerae1984 Yup. It was social and interactive, it was fun. I used to mostly go to the smaller video rental places in my neighbourhood. I knew the owner and he would order tapes for me if they weren't in stock. Good times.
Most definitely. Would love to be able to do this again. I’d be going back right away!
Running up to Blockbuster as a kid was truly memorable. It was a great buisness idea at the time. It was actually a fun experience, cheap, and really simple.
As a child of the 90's and early 2000's I feel lucky to have experienced Blockbuster Video. I remember as a kid begging my parents to rent N64 games and later PS2 games from the local Blockbuster most Friday evenings, before returning home for movie night. I'd play the games over the weekend, though on Monday they'd be returned.
I frequently rented the same game if I could, so I could continue my progress in them, especially in the PS2 era with save data being stored on memory cards rather than the cartridge with N64. My family didn't have a lot of money, so I only had a few games of my own. Blockbuster was my way to play many new releases.
I miss this time dearly. In the age of streaming and digital distribution, it is really not the same experience anymore.
This unlocked some core memories. I've always been obsessed with nostalgia and the old days, but seeing it on video like this really reminded me how exciting it was to see the box behind the front box which meant they at least had 1 copy for you to take home that day.
I would offer my kidney to live through this.
I was born in 1996 and I have very fond memories of my hometowns blockbuster. Something I feel is lacking in my life now is a sense of community, there are so many people where I live now and I feel like I’m alone.
I totally agree. I haven’t met a friend in person in years.
I know right this was the year I graduating high school and I miss it so much
Same, born in 1993. It's ironic the internet/social media was intended to bring us closer together, but people feel more isolated than before.
It’s often made out to be more than it was. People are nostalgic now, but at the time it was a means to an end. Sure it was a fun experience looking at stuff sometimes, but peeling that back you often found yourself browsing the same titles at the same stores, trying to find something that would not suck, and there was a lot of terrible stuff! The fact that you can still see all these movies now so easily should be seen as a positive thing instead of a nostalgia for something that you didn’t really get to experience much of anyway.
@@opaljk4835 The risk of renting a complete stinker was part of the thrill!
Oh how I miss this!!!! 1979 baby here and you just can't replace these memories. They were so fun. Love that I was lucky enough to be in that generation. My kids never knew a world without internet. I wish they could've experienced this as well, among a ton of other Gen X things! ❤
Especially the adult video stores that had the big box video covers with xxx action! Nowadays, nobody has to drive to a sketchy area to get their rocks off. Nowadays they can just look at stuff on their phone from bed and let it fly!!
Be Kind, Please Rewind" ❤ The best slogan for the golden ages. Bless you. ❤
I'm 53 and remember doing this very thing countless times. First thing that struck me was NO CELL PHONES! Everyone quietly shopping for their movie choice. Running through their heads what someone may of told them this movie was good or that was a bad one. Then the man paid cash and had every key to everything he kept locked up on his keychain laying on the counter as he paid.
Microsoft Cinemamania CD-ROM was a pretty good resource. I had the 1995 version.
Living in the moment . Before everything went virtual including our lives
@@trustoldpaths1415 I do miss those days, but I do love the access we have with the internet. I just try to ignore the junk online. Much happier that way!
@@trustoldpaths1415 Young people now don't watch movies. They watch TikTok videos on their phone instead.
@@coolkingakram.incorrect, as a 20 year old i definitely still watch movies. i probably have 500+ but also i love the 50s-80s in general so i'm not your "average young person" lol
I remember it smelled good in those stores.
Yes! So I'm not the only one that thought so lol
The AC was perfectly set also. Felt amazing in there.
That's the cleaner spray they use, it like a perfume after cleaning up, they spray on any soft fabric.
Like Febreeze but more Industrial.
One of my local hotels has nice smell to it.
I wanna go back there
I remember loving the smell of Blockbuster, but after all these years I can't remember exactly what the smell was like. 😕
Blessed to have been part of this generation. 1984 baby here!
1980. Good times man
I miss the good old days. I was 10 going on 11 years old in 1993, Friday nights everyone got so excited to go to Blockbuster to wander around the "Movie Wonderland" which is what I used to call it, to browse and choose a movie. I miss the Blockbuster aroma, the feeling of the air conditioner, the smell of the plastic movie boxes, the candies, and sodas on the sides. I recently drove passed where the old Blockbuster used to be and saw it was replaced by some sort of carpet shop. I nearly teared up.
Gosh I remember it very clearly. Me, my dad and brother would go down to the local Blockbuster and choose a few films to watch. I loved reading all of the blurbs on the backs of the boxes. Dad would often let us have a treat like a bag of Maltesers or toffee popcorn. It's so, so surreal to me that this is now an old, defunct, vintage way of living. It was a lovely experience that felt relaxing and fun and a good treat at the end of a week and I definitely miss it.
Oh wow. This brings back memories. I loved renting movies at Blockbuster. The interactions I had with people some led to friendships, is something I miss these days. I never realized how I took everything back in the days for granted. I'm truly blessed that I got to see that beautiful era.
Being family oriented and having manners were some of the most important priorities for a lot of people back then and there was no real reason to isolate yourself inside your house or people thought there was a problem. We also had to get things done in person outside of the house. It was such a different time. For those of us that were children growing up with this, we were used to life being this way. When the internet and modern technology changed this, it was a tough adjustment for those of us who were young adults trying to put our lives together because everything was changing.
One of the many adventures that is shared with a family. From going shopping at long gone retail giants. Then picking up a movie to video games at places like this. This puts us into a wall of nostalgia that is deeply missed.
I actually remember a time before Blockbuster when they had mom and pop home video stores in the 80s. Going to the video store on a sunday with your parents and choosing movies was half the fun.
Yeah i remember the first two places in my part of town to rent vhs movies was a tv repair shop and across the street a gas station.
The tv repair shop had about 100 movies, the gas station had about 30
Did the gas station have full service? I still remember those..
@@Tusc9969 the gas station didn't have full service then, but i do remember full service stations
To think that kids today are watching this video and looking at it like I would've looked at a video from 1963. Wow. I was 14 in 1993 and vividly remember going to Blockbuster all the time with my brother and friends. ☺️
What a nostalgic memory. After having eaten something outside my family and I stopped by any blockbuster video rent to get some movies for the whole weekend. Watching this 1993 vintage video truly brings back my middle-teen years.
Watching this and realizing these times are so far gone and never coming back almost makes it hard to breathe….
In a way, I hated Blockbuster for putting all the small video stores out of business. That said, there's something lost without them. It gave us an adventure out on a Friday night not knowing what you might bring home. And talking movies with the people that worked there. Streaming is convenient, but that's all.
I remember going to blockbuster in the early 2000s (2003-2007), when I was a kid. There was something always so exciting about going to blockbuster...like, the smell of the store, mixed with the fun of getting to try a new game they had. So much better compared to Netflix.
The smell ❤
Same! But that's mid 2000s, not early lol
Funny because when Netflix arrived it was so convenient with no late fees coming straight to your mailbox...now we hate it
@@fluffles9591 We hate it because we realized now what we've lost.
@@Justfillintheblank your using what you hate
My favorite part (or not so favorite if you lose) is when it's CLOSING time, and people are circling the desk hoping the hot movie will be returned to the store slot. The sound of the VHS case being returned to the store bin is very nostalgic, AND the tape being rewound at the same time. You could argue there were more people at Blockbuster on Saturday early nights than the local bar.
In 1993, I was still studying electronics engineering at college. I do not remember when we started renting at Blockbuster, but I do know we were doing it in the Y2k era, up until Blockbuster suddenly up & died around 2012-2013. I had a mail rental DVD still at hand when they bankrupted & it was too late to mail it back, so instead Blockbuster carded me for the DVD. That's ok, I kept the disc for nostalgia, even the return envelope, as a memento of the store. What was special was that me & my dad would peruse Blockbuster many times for many years. He is also gone now & that is what makes Blockbuster special because of those memories of me & Dad browsing the Blockbuster aisles.
Man, I miss video rental stores. Such a fun experience 😊❤
As a kid, my thing was taking a chance on an art, foreign, horror, animated, or cult film and getting a bag of popcorn, a fat spicy pickle in a baggie, an Arizona iced green tea (when they would come in the glass bottles), and a small vial of ginseng from the convenience store that I'd dump into it.
I was mostly an introvert so this was usually what I looked forward to on the weekends chilling by myself.
I remember going to Blockbuster in the mid-90s as a kid, hoping to rent a new release. There would be 30-ish copies of the movie, but they're all rented out. My dad would ask the employee to check the return bin to see if somebody returned one of the copies. On a lucky day, there will be a copy returned in the bin and we'd be able to rent it. I never thought I'd cherish those odd little memories today.
Tell me about it. You get there and hoped to rent this awesome movie like Jurassic park and it was all rented out. Always found something to watch though. Good times.
One of my favorite things to do as a kid was going to my local video store and pick a vhs to rent. I dreamed about growing up and owning my own store, that's how much I loved that experience. Little did I know the internet was going to change that completely.
I am 54 and this video brings alot of memories of Blockbuster stores .. the good old days of early 1990s