So, I've started reading the news again. Look, I know I said I don't read the news anymore, but there's nothing else to do now that school has started again. (I guess I could do homework, but that would be far too smart of me.) Well, today MSNBC posted an article about Blockbuster filing chapter 11 bankruptcy. For anyone who knows, this has been a long time coming. With the new technology of today, it was only a matter of time before movie rental stores became obsolete. Give it about a decade, and movie theaters will be considered just as archaic.
There's no reason for people to be surprised about this, so why am I writing about it? I'll tell you why. The most annoying thing about the article was the comments below it. Comments are always annoying, and I ALWAYS (seriously, always) regret reading them (don't ask me why I continue to read them... I'm a masochist, I guess). I'm convinced that it's only the most obnoxious, moronic people who comment on videos/articles/etc. I'm not just angry because I used to work at blockbuster, I'm angry because they have no clue what they're talking about.
One person was complaining about Blockbuster's former "No Late Fees" policy. How can a person possibly get angry at Blockbuster for charging them only a little over a dollar for keeping a movie for 30 days? It's a RENTAL store. You can't pay $4 and expect to keep the movie forever without repercussions! When they had that policy, you could literally wait three weeks to return your movie and get charged absolutely nothing. Obviously, you're going to have to return it at some point. I just don't understand why people get worked up over it. Honestly, did you think you would be able to keep your RENTED movie forever?
Another person said that Netflix takes a few days to get you your movie (which is true), and it takes Blockbuster almost a week to recognize that you returned a movie (which is completely untrue). It literally takes a split second for the computer to register that the movie is back in the system. If you kept the movie for a month, got charged for it, and then returned it to get your money back, it's probably going to take a few days (maybe a week) for the credit to go onto your bank statement, but the moment it got scanned in, the money was processed back into your account. That's not Blockbuster's fault that the transfer takes too long for you. Blame your bank.
Yet another idiotic person said Blockbuster brought this on themselves because they're "money grubbing bastards." All right. Every single corporation is a money grubbing bastard. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. There's no point in retail EXCEPT to make money. Do you think Netflix isn't greedy? Do you think ANY business isn't greedy? Of course not! You literally have to be greedy if you plan on having a successful business, especially in the United States. Someone who commented said the creator of Netflix was some disgruntled Blockbuster patron who decided to make his own company after he didn't want to pay a late fee. That's a sweet story, but I'm sorry to tell you, but the people who founded Netflix saw the ability to make a profit in an industry that could benefit from computer technology and cutting out the middle man (the rental store). Don't fool yourself into believing that Netflix was founded on some moral high ground.
You can say what you want about Blockbuster. Yes, they made many, many, many mistakes. I mean, I'm not a businessperson, but I have enough common sense to know that Blockbuster was trying too hard to make a quick buck without looking further toward the future. They probably should have started their online renting a lot sooner and marketed it a bit better. Blockbuster may have made mistakes, but in-store renting was already on its way out. There was no way that in an age where you can stream video onto your tiny cell phone from outer space that people were going to want to actually get out of their homes into the fresh air, drive ALL THE WAY to the rental store a mile and half a way and actually have to speak to a customer service representative (*GASP*)! Of course not. They want to sit in front of their computers... or they probably wouldn't mind having the movie just beamed right into their heads.
I'll admit that Netflix is more convenient. I am a member. Yes, after saying all that, I may seem like a hypocrite, but I'm not. Blockbuster has drastically changed its policies time and again over the past few years and because they started going under years ago, the prices just became too much. But the difference is that I don't condemn Blockbuster or blame them for anything. They obviously weren't prepared for the future, but you can't blame "arrogant employees" or a late fee policy that only an idiot would object to. I mean, you don't have to return your movie to Netflix ever, but you'll have to keep paying that monthly fee if you don't without getting any more movies, and if you cancel your membership but keep that movie, GUESS WHAT? You'll be CHARGED FOR IT. Those money grubbing bastards.
Source: http://heyjaneewhatdoyousay.blogspot.com/2010/08/down-but-not-quite-out-not-yet.html
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