It's Official: Blockbuster Canada is going down the tubes too....

[tboy]

I knew the US arm of Blockbuster was in trouble but now I have confirmation that BB Canada is going the way of the dodo.....

Going to suck up here, it's the only video rental store for miles lol.....

 

[Swagger]

Fruck, I now have to download them all.

 

[jiggyjiggy]

Blockbuster has been on the ropes for years now. The internet is have a devastating effect on many businesses.

 

[a 1 player]

Blockbuster has been on the ropes for years now. The internet is have a devastating effect on many businesses.

And a god send for many others.

One must realize though, jobs don't go away, they just change.

 

[jiggyjiggy]

And a god send for many others.

One must realize though, jobs don't go away, they just change.

Absolutely but some cannot adapt and suffer in the process. I guess it is what it is, can't stop technology.

 

[tboy]

And a god send for many others.

One must realize though, jobs don't go away, they just change.

the thing is, for places where I live, there just aren't too many "corporations" bringing jobs into town...when we lose jobs, they're gone.....

 

[Madman]

I think in 10 years North America will be a have not country. We are in a rush to the bottom economy combined with corporations taking advantage of free trade and leaving for other countries to take advantage of cheaper labour/rules.

 

[tboy]

I think in 10 years North America will be a have not country. We are in a rush to the bottom economy combined with corporations taking advantage of free trade and leaving for other countries to take advantage of cheaper labour/rules.

I agree, economies are cyclical and I can see us either ending up as an equality state (where those that earn billions pay millions in tax, and those that earn thousands pay thousands) or we'll end up a feudal state where the elite have everything and the rest of us scamper around fighting over the dregs.

A perfect example is the BS going on at the white house right now. Obama wants the rich (and so do some of the rich) to pay their fair share and Boehner is fighting that tooth and nail. (and many others as well). It is the epitome of the attitude "I have the power and wealth and fuck anyone who tries to take any part of that....

The thing is, the whole situation is a house of cards. Look at what's happened to the US and the mortgage fiasco: The rich got greedy, lost their shirts, got billions of the middle class's bailout money, and still won't give an inch. I just watch Michael Moore's Capitalism a love story again and while washington gave bailouts to all the fuckups, there was a plant in Ohio that was closing and they wanted their severance/benefits etc. They had a slogan: where's OUR bailout? So true.....

Back to Blockbuster. They should have seen the writing on the wall years ago. They easily could have gotten into the "video on demand" market like Netflix but didn't do a damn thing.......I mean think of the overhead compared to operating thousands of retail outlets: it's nil when you compare the two. I bet they already have the network power to supply everyone with video on demand.

There's even talk about movie theatres not getting actual film. What they'd do is sign on to a secure sever and download the latest release(s) and use a digital projector as opposed to a film projector. I know many have already converted to a digital projector now......

 

[BEER]

Best buys-Future shop had 5 consecutive quarterly losses. They are blaming it on the on-line buying. They have to cut stores and staff.

 

[tboy]

Best buys-Future shop had 5 consecutive quarterly losses. They are blaming it on the on-line buying. They have to cut stores and staff.

they just built 2 (?) new stores each?

There are a few things I just won't buy online:
1) Shoes: every pair I have ever tried on fit differently. No two sizes were alike. In fact, I've tried the same shoe on, the same size, and had them fit differently.
2) TVs: no way I'd ever buy a TV unless I saw it in operation first
3) Stereos: Now I'm not talking a $100.00 all in one for the workshop, but any type of av amp, surround sound system, or speaker system, no way unless I heard them first.
4) Jeans: really? Every pair fits differently (on me anyways) even two of the same pair in the same size. Whenever I buy jeans I grab 3 pairs of the same size/style and try them all on, and pick the best fitting one.

 

[BEER]

they just built 2 (?) new stores each?

https://money.cnn.com/2011/09/13/markets/tweets_stocktwits/index.htm

 

[tboy]

well, a couple of points there: amazon.com sells a lot more varied items than .ca, (do they carry electronics?) and the sales figures could be a result of the economy in the US still being in the tank....who can afford to buy a 60" monitor when they don't have food on the table????

Seriously though, with the shrinking middle class, what do they expect? The poor just steal what they need and the rich but at a high end shop that come to their home.......

 

[LickingGravity]

Best buys-Future shop had 5 consecutive quarterly losses. They are blaming it on the on-line buying. They have to cut stores and staff.

Never understood having both Future Shop and Best Buy. Many places have both within a quarter mile of each other.

Next one to go down the tubes will be HMV.

 

[tboy]

I thought HMV already filed for chapter 11? I'm with you though, with BB and FS being under the same ownership, why both? They both offer the same brands, different store formats though (FS being commissioned and BB being salaried).

I guess they feel/felt the market could carry both chains. Really, other than HiFi2000 what other electronics chain is there?

Funny, I was thinking about this the other day. We used to have chains like: Majestic (big yellow box store), Toronto HiFi, Fairview Electronics, etc......