Dish-gusted with Blockbuster!

[Dishman Dan]

I was at a closing Blockbuster store in Erie the other day looking for a possible bargain and mostly hoping for a satellite dish from off of the roof. I was a little too late for the dishes on the roof when Hollywood Video closed so I thought that I would try my luck. I talked to the dude and at first I was feeling bad for them that the place was closing. I found out that there was not a satellite dish available and I did give a little spew on FTA to explain why I would want that dish in the first place. He said that Blockbuster is on Dish Network and I can continue to get Blockbuster that way. His attitude seemed to convey to me that everbody has Dish Network! Before I left I asked about video games for sale and he told me that they all sold right away and are long gone. Then on the way out and near the door I saw boxes of games sitting there and asked if those were sold. The guy replied that all of the games were being transfered to another store and it was just less than 5 minutes before he told me that they all sold! After that I knew that it said Charlie somewhere on his name tag!!!...

 

[cyberham]

Only a couple of months before it was announced that Blockbuster was bankrupt, I had a conversation with a store employee about how inconvenient it was to have to drive my car using gasoline to a store to rent a piece of circular plastic to spin so I could watch a movie. After enjoying the movie, you then need to schedule time to return to the store again, burning more gas, to take the plastic disc back. Even now in the 21st century, he couldn't seem to get my point, or pretended he didn't.

 

[Mr Tony]

What's your point Dan other than your distaste for anything DBS related??

He said that Blockbuster is on Dish Network and I can continue to get Blockbuster that way.

Blockbuster went bankrupt....Dish won a bankruptcy auction back in April to buy them. Dish has now integrated Blockbuster into their offerings. You can stream titles directly to your receiver and do kinda like a netflix thing where they send you a disc from your queue. Dish did keep some Blockbusters open so folks can do trades there in the store. So lets see...Dish owns Blockbuster. So I guess I'm shocked that a Blockbuster would have Dish as their provider

I guess you'd rather have Blockbuster be wiped off the planet than have someone like Dish own them

 

[Dishman Dan]

What's your point Dan other than your distaste for anything DBS related??

Basically it was a dish hunting trip that went bad. I was hoping to find a deal on some movies or games along the way and perhaps some other store fixtures. The lying about the games did not make me happy and reminded me off my "Dish" days when I was one of their customers.

Yes I wish that Blockbuster could of survived but with the recent reincarnation I will not be one of their customers unless there are no other choices.

The guy was very impressed with my FTA chat and he did not know that such a TV viewing option even existed!!!

 

[rogerduncan100]

I can completely understand that you were irritated about the lying. Some store clerks lie just because they figure it's easier for them. I think being lied to is insulting.

 

[yaz96]

The guy was very impressed with my FTA chat and he did not know that such a TV viewing option even existed!!!

This seems to be the important thing about this rant.....

Also, maybe he thought you meant the actual game consoles were sold, did you think of that?

 

[rrob311]

I was at a closing Blockbuster store in Erie the other day looking for a possible bargain and mostly hoping for a satellite dish from off of the roof. I was a little too late for the dishes on the roof when Hollywood Video closed so I thought that I would try my luck. I talked to the dude and at first I was feeling bad for them that the place was closing. I found out that there was not a satellite dish available and I did give a little spew on FTA to explain why I would want that dish in the first place. He said that Blockbuster is on Dish Network and I can continue to get Blockbuster that way. His attitude seemed to convey to me that everbody has Dish Network! Before I left I asked about video games for sale and he told me that they all sold right away and are long gone. Then on the way out and near the door I saw boxes of games sitting there and asked if those were sold. The guy replied that all of the games were being transfered to another store and it was just less than 5 minutes before he told me that they all sold! After that I knew that it said Charlie somewhere on his name tag!!!...

Thats a bummer maybe if you have another one close by that is closing you can ask for the DM's phone number and ask them for what you are looking for. Unfortunately it's hit or miss when dealing with lower level retail employees.(especially when they are about to lose their job)

 

[SatelliteAV]

Might not have been a lie at all..... inventory that was it the process of being transferred to another location may no longer have been available for sale by that store.

 

[Dishman Dan]

Might not have been a lie at all..... inventory that was it the process of being transferred to another location may no longer have been available for sale by that store.

It would of not been a lie if he would of not told me just a few minutes earlier that all the games were sold out the first day. Are they keeping some stores open somewhere? The guy did say that the games are being transfered to another store.

All I wanted was the dish on the roof!

 

[Mr Tony]

Are they keeping some stores open somewhere?

yes some stores are still staying open. The closing has been staggered as leases come up. The BB near my house closed right after the bankruptcy happened

 

[SatelliteAV]

It would of not been a lie if he would of not told me just a few minutes earlier that all the games were sold out the first day. Are they keeping some stores open somewhere? The guy did say that the games are being transfered to another store.

Exactly my point!

Maybe their available inventory of games had been sold on the first day and the ones that you saw had been transferred on the books to another store and were not part of their available sales inventory.....

 

[Tron]

Most clerks at these places know little to nothing about what is on the roof or how it functions. I've asked clerks about dishes, and almost always get the "Huh?" look.

If you can find the store manager, sometimes you can explain to them what you're after. If they know anything about store fixtures, they should at least have some idea about the dish and its status.

 

[Dishman Dan]

Most clerks at these places know little to nothing about what is on the roof or how it functions. I've asked clerks about dishes, and almost always get the "Huh?" look.

If you can find the store manager, sometimes you can explain to them what you're after. If they know anything about store fixtures, they should at least have some idea about the dish and its status.

Yeah it is surprising to me on how many employees (Managers included) do not even realize that a dish is on their building! Overall I have only picked up a 7.5 BUD from a restaurant and the rest of my dishes are from individuals. I am ready to give up the commercial scene after a couple more followups on closed businesses.

 

[Dishman Dan]

Might not have been a lie at all.....

Help me figure this one out...

A local video rental store about 5 miles from me has signs hanging on the building that say "Store Liquidation All Inventory Must Go!" and they are not going out of business. The manager cannot figure out why the town thinks that the store is closing and everybody is flocking to Family Video just up the road! The TVs, computers and popcorn machine are all for sale too but they do not have a satellite dish. I remember years ago flirting with the girls that worked there and getting movies for free! That pretty much ended when they computerized and barcoded everything.

Maybe someone from Family Video snuck over and put that sign up?!

 

[SatelliteAV]

Help me figure this one out

I don't understand. What are you asking help on figuring out?

 

[Dishman Dan]

I don't understand. What are you asking help on figuring out?

Any idea why a small video business would place store liquidation signs on their building when they are not closing. I do not expect you to know why for sure but I thought that it is a strange way to attract new customers or keep current customers. It was just something I saw and I am drawing blanks trying to think of a reason for such a "lie" or marketing gimmick.

 

[rogerduncan100]

Maybe they think everybody is stupid.

 

[SatelliteAV]

Might the same idea that is prevalent in the furniture business. The same owners have opened then liquidated at least a dozen furniture stores in the Sacramento, CA area in the past 8 years. I don't think the grand opening sign was down before they announced the final liquidation, everything must go sale! Whatever stock is left they move to a new warehouse, restock, media blast a grand opening special pricing, then a month or two later have the closing doors, prices slashed below wholesale..... Blah, blah, blah.....

Some buyers only swoop in to scoop up deals. Maybe your local video store is buying other stores inventory and liquidating at crazy low prices as an edge on their competition? Sounds like their idea may be backfiring with some customers who are renters and not buyers!

 

[Claude Greiner]

If the store is old enough, there should be a Directv Dish on every roof, as Blockbuster was a major Directv retailer several years ago

 

[Tron]

Funny thing about going out of business sales is that most of them are NOT bargains until the very last week or so, and by that time, everything has been picked through. Many people believe they are getting a great deal when, in fact, they're just getting a small discount on already inflated prices. It is a psychological thing.

I noticed this when CompUSA and Circuit City closed their B&M stores. People flocked to the stores and bought everything in sight, and the prices weren't that lower than the average weekly sale. In fact, many of their prices were raised during the "Going out of Business Sale", then discounted to be only slightly lower than usual. People see the percent off signs, and think there are bargains to be found.

It pays to know the price of things when you go out to shop...