Tuesday was the beginning of the end for Blockbuster in Alaska.
The two remaining stores in Fairbanks and Anchorage began their inventory sales, selling off DVDs, Blu-rays and video games.
Even the racks they’re displayed on are up for grabs.
(Blockbuster is not yet selling a jockstrap worn by Russell Crowe in “Cinderella Man” and other memorabilia, KTUU reported.)
A line snaked around the corners of the Anchorage store. People waited for hours to get inside.
Finally, the door front doors open and customers flooded in. They grabbed blue plastic shopping baskets and make a beeline to the aisles of DVDs.
Hannah Lewis’s basket was filled to the brim within minutes.
“I have some new releases, a couple of TV shows, and an Xbox game for Legos,” Hannah, 23, said.
The lifelong Alaska resident has been coming to Blockbuster for as long as she can remember.
“When I was a kid we came here every day or every couple of days because we were kids. We loved movies,” Lewis said. “Now, since I’m an adult, me and my boyfriend would come here every other week or so to rent some movies because sometimes you can’t find this stuff on TV.”
More and more ways let customers rent or stream movies, like on Netlfix, Amazon or Hulu.
A lot of Blockbuster customers say streaming services don’t have all the options, especially when it comes to the classics.
General Manager Kevin Daymude has been working here for Blockbuster for decades.
“I’ve known these customers, a lot of these customers, since 1993,” Daymude said.
Daymude said breaking the news to his staff and then his customers — that was the hardest part.
“It kills me to sit there and tell them,” Daymude said. “When you see people crying, (I’m) like, ‘Don’t do that. Please don’t do that,’”
At the inventory sale in Anchorage, Daymude hugged customers, asking how their kids were and dodging questions about what his plans are for life after Blockbuster.
“It kind of hurts your heart because this is the end of an era,” Daymude said. “Blockbuster is gone in Alaska. That’s it.”
Inventory sales will continue at the two remaining Blockbusters in Anchorage and Fairbanks through August.
