The Blockbuster Talker

This is very shallow of me, but I'm going there. O no he didn't! O yes he did!

Do you know who I'm talking about?


No need to say more. For those that know what I'm talking about, please reply. For those that don't, please visit the local Blockbuster.

 

This made me laugh out loud! I didn't think anyone else had this problem. My husband now cringes if we go to Blockbuster and he sees this one girl working there. He's afraid he'll get stuck at the counter, trapped in long, strange conversation (mostly one-sided). It's hard to be polite and leave directly after purchase :-(

 

I know exactly who you're talking about. if it's crowded and they have multiple sales clerks, I will sometimes move back in line to avoid her. it wouldn't be so bad if she could talk AND scan my movie at the same time but I don't think she can and it takes twice as long to check out as it should.

 

This makes me thoroughly appreciate that Netflix doesn't try to start conversations with me.

 

Had to laugh. Been there.

 

local business supprt to the nth degree- teens gotta work! i'm glad people still go there and keep some kids gainfully employed.

 

you know, i always like to see what redon has to say. seriously, i love her attitude. we can always use positive peeps!

 

aawwwww, thanks!

 

Radon has been everywhere in the locality and has a lot to say except what ever happened to the new Hospital in Broadlands..

 

How is Blockbuster a local business. The last Local Video rental store closed down about 4 years ago (Warehouse video by Giant). Blockbuster is a horrible place to rent, unless you want mainstream, vanilla movies. They carry little to nothing in the way of Indie or off the wall movies.

 

the people who WORK there, LIVE here. yeah it's a nat'l chain but they don't fly in people to man the register and stock the shelves... the kids that are there working likely aren't the ones throwing rocks through windows and robbing cars, knowwhatimean?

yes i am a huge local biz advocate but there isn't a mom and pop renting videos and games, and employing our teens.

 

On the other hand, supporting a weak business model for the sake of it doesn't make sense. It's basically pouring money into a sinking ship. As a company, it's only a matter of time before Blockbuster goes under (they're in TERRIBLE financial shape). Give it a few years, and it'll just be a shell of its former self, probably related to nothing but Blockbuster-branded Redbox knockoffs. I'd support Blockbuster in a heartbeat if I felt they offered me something better at a better price than the alternatives. For now, I'll continue supporting Netflix. They have a distribution center in Sterling that probably only employs a few people, but at least those jobs stand a chance of lasting a few years.

And I don't think not having a job as a teen automatically means those kids will resort to throwing rocks through windows and robbing cars to pass time

 

neither do i- that'd be an awfully big assumption and its a huge jump from my point. whether or not the biz is a good model, if people still go there, SOMEONE finds value in it, and some kids have a job because of it.

what's better, another empty retail space in a neighborhood stripmall or a biz that while faiding in popularity, still manages to keep the doors open for another day, and a few more kids keep their jobs?


this is by no means a GO SUPPORT BLOCKBUSTER rant- i don't even USE blockbuster! or redbox or netflix or any of those for that matter... I'm just saying it's there, it's open, it's providiing some minimum wage jobs for some kids who want to work. best biz? no. better than nothing regarding jobs for teens? yes. that's all. no agenda, nothing to read into, just- that.

 

I like going to Blockbuster for their 4/$20 deals and such - previously viewed movies rock my world - and now previously viewed blu-rays rock my world.

but agree on the check out situation - haven't found a happy medium between chatty & manager who is bombarded by gazillion ?'s while trying to ring customers out.

 

If long lines are any indication, I would say they're doing well considering all the alternative media technology available these days. Not everyone subscribes to the gadget madness nor has to be wired up with the latest and greatest technology.

That said, the employees working there today were in their forties or fifties, not teens, and if they're earning minimum wage then more power to them. They deserve some respect, not belittleting. Further, they could be your Broadland neighbors reading this forum.

I wanted to add that they should offer self checkout but that would potentially eliminate someone's job.

 

my bad- I made an assumption.

 

Redon, not at all. Teens typically fill retail positions, particularly part-time slots (after school, weekends, evenings). But in the last 5 plus years I've noticed more and more older workers in part-time jobs (hopefully not their primary job) but hopefully a job to supplement their present income. Not surprising that employers find the mature worker more reliable, and in my opinion they deliver better customer service. Then again it all depends on the training.

 

FWIW, has anyone noticed that maybe she likes to talk because she may not have many friends...or she's lonely or no one is talking to her at home? Just a thought.

 

I'm with Capricorn... she may need friends. And has anyone thought that she and her family might live in the area, and could be reading this? We should probably be careful what we say and where we say it. Just a thought...