I remember a time when there was at least 2 Blockbusters in operation in any given city. Or one was at least less than 30 minutes away by driving. Heck I was a supervisor at one in my 20’s. It was one of the sweetest jobs I ever had and to be honest I miss it. But hey, things slip through the sands of time and there’s no stopping it. The world’s last Blockbuster located in Bend, Oregon however is actually thriving now that there is a pandemic. It was doing well before but now it’s doing even better. People are flocking to it for movies because we’re stuck indoors. And business is booming.
There are certain protocols that manager has put in place to make sure that the staff and customers are safe. They are practicing social distancing and only allowing up to ten customers in at a time. They’ve also started a curbside pick up program. And ever movie that comes back in gets wiped down before being put away. Everyone employee and customer are required to wear a mask and employees must wear gloves and wash hand frequently.
Now if only they could bring these back on a massive scale. Sure video on demand is a thing and right now being used more than ever. But there’s something about getting lost in a movie store and picking something out. Like those surprise eggs that kids love, you kind of know what’s in store but won’t know until you actually watch the film. And the interaction with the staff was always special. I had my regulars that would chat about our favorite genres and we would trade movie recommendations.
While they may remain a thing of the past it’s certainly nice to know that the “world’s last” is doing well. Especially now when businesses are shut down due to COVID-19. At least this means that we can put the store on our bucket list so that we can go visit it when all this is over and it will still be there. Waiting for us.
