Getting a bargain? Or just losing out?
by anarchist4eva on Comments
So if you've been keeping up with the news lately you are aware that just recently here on Gamespot it was announced that The Movie Gallery video rental chain is going out of business. Here's Gamespot's link to the story for reference; http://www.gamespot.com/news/6260944.html?tag=result;title;0. So that was a big blow to me personally because I live in a rural area where our entertainment options are highly limited. We had a small 4 screen movie theater but it closed about 3 years ago. We had a putt putt golf but it also closed. As far as options for teenagers to go and blow off steam and have fun well forget that too. Indoor batting cage gone. Small bowling alley gone. Lone pool hall gone. And as far as broadband internet access? Forget it! The cable or phone company forgot this community existed some time ago. 3G phone service? Nope. The only option is expensive high speed satellite. Which most residents can ill afford. Which leaves us with really only a WalMart and Gamestop to fill our gaming needs. So the announcement that Movie Gallery was closing was a big letdown for my family. We would go at least once a week and rent new Blu Ray movies and games for Wii and PS3 using our monthly membership. Sure there was a Redbox rental unit in town (it's gone now too) but it had a small selection to offer and no games. Losing the Movie Gallery means my family has now to turn to WalMart and Gamestop exclusively or go with Netflix. Either of these aren't particularly bad options. But on a limited entertainment budget and in order to avoid clutter in your home from useless collections of games and movies Movie Gallery just made sense. At this point you may wonder why I stay in this community? That is a valid question. When my family moved here into our new home it was a vibrant and thriving small town. Situated almost equal distance from 2 large cities to the east and north of us. It offered small town life at a reasonable price. With large cities to go and visit and get all those amenities. But a major plant closure in early 2004 changed everything. A large furniture manufactuer left for the greener pastures of a foreign country and took 2300 jobs with them. And the dominoes began to fall soon afterword. Leaving vacant plants and foreclosed homes in their wake. Many who had the means or education to find work elsewhere left. And while me and my wife possess higher education credentials and can leave, we made the decision that uprooting our kids and moving somewhere else was not the answer. You see any military brat can tell you the value of living in one place and making lasting friends as a kid. I missed that as we followed my dad from base to base around the country. I vowed my kids would not have to. And my wife as an ER nurse who works in our small community hospital also didn't want to go. Even in dying communities such as ours healthcare for the populace is important. That's as noble a reason as any I can give for us staying. Now back to the point of this post which is about Movie Gallery. I was riding by our small store just yesterday and saw the signs were up. 30-50% off everything in the store! All items must go! Everything for sale even the fixtures! A wave of sadness washed over me at this point because in some small way I held out hope. Maybe a secret financier will come along at the last moment. Maybe they'll forget about this store. Maybe it will be the very last one. None of this came to pass as I saw those signs in the windows. I entered the store almost reluctantly because I knew what I'd find. The store manager was there. I've known her for over 8 years now. She is 60 years old and social and friendly with all who come in. But not on this day. Reality has hit home for her and the staff of 4 as well. They are not just losing their jobs (a precious resource in a town like this), they are losing friends they've made. And our small town is losing another piece of our community. But it wasn't a total wasted trip. I picked up well over $350 in games and another $120 in Blu Ray movies for less than $100. A deal at current retail prices. And I'm not talking ancient history or shelf filler here. Uncharted 2, New Super Mario Bros Wii, Rock Band Beatles, Infamous, Modern Warfare 2, and all the Halo games just for good measure as well as a few others. And I don't even own an Xbox 360! The average price for these games and movies after the discount was $8 to $10. That's bargain shopping my friends. A little small talk and well wishes with promises I'd come back before the final curtain fell and I was gone. As I got in my car and started the drive home I looked in my rear view mirror and realized there were no other cars in the parking lot. As far as I can remember for the half hour or so I was there nobody else came in. Nobody in this town wants to dance on a dying man's grave either. We've done it too many times. It was just me and the manager sharing small talk about the closing and a few memories. The kind of talk that would for sure fade quickly away from my memory. The Movie Gallery store would soon be empty and it's shell a reminder in a small town like this every business that closes is a blight on the main drag. In a big city this would hardly be noticed. But when you live in a small town everybody knows and sees. There will be no business coming to fill the empty space. Just like the various mills and plants surrounding this community and all the other empty store fronts on main street, Movie Gallery will soon be a memory. And today I'm starting to wonder; Did I really get such a great deal on those games and movies yesterday? Or did I just help the next business say goodbye?
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