4. Family Time
Back when Blockbuster was in its prime, there were no "on demand" movies, Netflix, or Red box. There were no options for movie nights other than to schelp everyone to the theater and pay $7 a head (back in the good ol' days) to see a movie with a bunch of strangers. Blockbuster was a very family friendly environment. Some of my favorite nights with my family were spent choosing a movie at Blockbuster, picking up a pizza, and going home to spend some time together. When Blockbusters were everywhere, families were everywhere. No family sent one member to brave the rental store and come home with something to appease the masses. It was a group effort. Mom always wanted something funny, maybe a little romantic, but nothing that the kids wouldn't understand. Dad was always staring at the action or suspense movies, knowing full well his choice wasn't even on the list of possibilities. Older brother or sister was always trying to convince Mom that they were, in fact, old enough to understand Dad's choice and little brother or sister stood quietly, waving the same movie they always gravitated towards during those beloved trips (mine was "Strictly Ballroom"; I loved the dresses). At the end of the night, while Mom checked her watch and realized they had been in the store for close to half and hour, everyone shuffled up to the counter with one choice that had a little bit of everything for everyone. And, of course, the popcorn. Now, movies are so readily available, that watching them isn't really a family event anymore. They are something you put on in the background when you're doing something else. We don't really sit and watch them the way we used to. What was really nice about Blockbuster is that there was no "back room" that gated the X rated movies from prying eyes. Sure, there were some soft core options to choose from, but you never knew they were soft core until you took them home and watched them (see: Dreamers). It was rare for there to be a back store in any rental shop, but the fact that such a successful chain opted not to have one was pretty remarkable. I wonder now if Blockbuster would be going out of business still if they DID have a backroom...