Episode Fifty Nine: The Business to Get In?

The other day I ran into a woman at work who was ranting because Blockbuster did not have "Meet Me in Saint Louis" (And no, I don't work at Blockbuster or any other video rental place).  Then she asked me what place in the area would have that video available to rent that night.  I told her most of the video stores went under, and I was relatively new to town- so I did not know of a place.  I said she could check Redbox, but mostly Redbox carries new releases, but she could look on Netflix to see if it was on instant queue.  She continued to ask me again if there were any stores in the area and launched onto a rant about video stores. She ended the rant with "Video Rental, that's the business to get in"- and she didn't mean that angrily or facetiously, she was serious.

I realize it's frustrating when you can't find something you're looking for.  However, I believe this instance, while really more of my average Monday at work, explains multiple problems I have with our current culture.


1. We are obsessed with Self-Gratification: if we cannot get what we want when we want it, we feel wronged instead of recognizing the situation for what it is- a moderate inconvenience.

2. We think that if we keep asking the same person the same question that "I don't know" will eventually turn into a magical answer that solves our problems

3. We hate change and will tout the superiority of a more costly and poorly organized institution because we aren't ready to try something new. 

4. We have delusions that if something falls into our personal whimsy that it must surely be profitable.

And number 4 takes us home.  It goes without saying why you can't find video rental stores anymore.  Instant streaming is genius, it takes out the cost of a traditional store (staff, building leases, insurance for the store, tangible inventory) and puts in a convenient system to watch movies and television from home.  There is a reason movie rental places went out of business.  However, I suppose if you want to take your life savings and use them to fund such an ill conceived business venture, go for it- it is your money. Myself, I think I'll keep an open mind and peruse the selections on Netflix instant queue, my fiance and I have found some unexpected new favorites that way.