It may surprise you to learn there were still three BlockBuster Video stores left in the United States of America. Now there is but one.
The two remaining stores in the US state of Alaska have closed their doors, meaning the Bend, Oregon is the last surviving location in the entire country.
In a post on Facebook the owners wrote: “These are the last two Blockbuster stores in Alaska that survived and it is sad to say goodbye to our dedicated customers. We have thought of you as family for the past 28 years. Both Kelli Vey and I (Kevin Daymude) have been with the company since 1991 and have had great memories throughout our career.
“Thank you for sticking by us throughout all these years. I can’t tell you how much it means to us. We hope to see you at our stores during the closing, even if it’s just to say “Hello”. What a great time to build your media library and share some Blockbuster memories with us. We will miss all of you!”
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Efforts to save the stores have failed. Britain’s own John Oliver, host of HBO’s Last Week Tonight, donated a jockstrap worn by Russell Crowe in Cinderalla Man in the hope of keeping the Anchorage store going. However, it wasn’t to be.
Blockbuster may have enjoyed a longer shelf life in Alaska in particular because internet speeds have restricted streaming services, Engadget points out. Now the only thing between Blockbuster US and complete extinction is Bend proprietor Sandi Harding. However, she had “no plans on closing anytime soon.”
“If you’d asked me 14 years ago, there’s no way I’d thought we’d be the last one. It just seems a little crazy,” she told the AP. “How exciting. It might end up being a little chaotic for a couple of weeks.”
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
