The last Blockbuster >» The end of video rental services? Brandon Yip Senior Columnist oing to the video store to rent movies was a pleasurable form of leisure in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s. Then the arrival of streaming movie services—such as Netflix, HBO, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video—was a game-changer. People no longer needed to leave their homes to rent movies. Thus, video stores in North America eventually became obsolete, and thousands of video stores would close. Notably, one video store franchise that had great success was Blockbuster. During its peak in 2004, Blockbuster had over 9,000 stores worldwide, with over 60,000 people employed. The company had revenues of $5.9 billion and its market value was $5 billion. Unfortunately, the company lost significant revenue in the 2000s and later filed for bankruptcy in 2010—with over $900 million in debt. This led to the closing of a plethora of Blockbuster stores. In March 2019, a Blockbuster location in Perth, Australia closed its doors—leaving the Bend, Oregon store as the last remaining Blockbuster open on the planet. Sandi Harding is the store manager at the Bend location. She has been with the store since 2004 and has seen the peaks and valleys of the business—especially having to adjust business operations when other Blockbuster stores began closing. Notably, when the pandemic arrived in March 2020, the store closed down fora month before reopening on April 17 with reduced store hours. Harding says the pandemic has affected their store operations. Only a few customers are allowed into the store at a time with social distancing markers on the floor. Also, there is a curb-side pickup service available. People can call the store to either purchase or rent movies. Staff will wear masks and gloves while sanitizing the movies, and then place them inside a Ziplock bag—before bringing it out to the customer. Interestingly, after the store had reopened, Harding noticed the most popular movies customers had requested were Outbreak and Contagion—along with other pandemic-themed films. In August 2020, Harding converted the store into an Airbnb. The space was only available for three individual one- night reservations on September 18, 19, and 20. Harding said she wanted to create a nostalgic throwback to the 1990s for customers to enjoy and reminisce about— reliving the experience of watching videos at home. The cost to stay inside the store was only $4 for one night. The rental allowed for a maximum of four people and recommended groups to be from the same household. Customers who stayed overnight were provided with a sofabed, a VCR, a giant television, and free snacks. They were free to watch a pre-selected list of movie titles from the 1990s—or anything else they discovered in the store. Particularly, Harding recalls a memorable encounter with a recent Airbnb customer, during an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show on October 12: “The best part was there was a couple that came in here. And [they] brought their home videos on VHS that they could not watch because they didn’t have a VHS player at home. And they got to spend the evening watching those. And that was probably one of the sweetest things.” Finally, Harding hopes to continue Illustration by Athena Little running the last Blockbuster store on the planet. Despite the pandemic which has posed many challenges, the store remains open—and to the delight of loyal customers. Harding says the store has been steadfast and resilient in lasting for so long. She and her staff have no plans to go anywhere, telling VICE in May 2020: “At first, I think I was more nervous about people getting sick, or if even one person gets sick. | was more concerned with that than the business. The longer it goes on, the more stress there is for everyone, and the more I’m like ‘Oh gosh, can we really sustain this?’ [...] But we're still making plans and pushing forward and we're the last one fora reason. We don't go down without a fight. So, we’re going to keep fighting for a while.” Hit the gym on the job in your seat » Desk exercises to keep you active Morgan Hannah Life & Style Editor sa student and a modern world worker, you might find yourself often sedentary—socializing, travelling, studying, and working in office-type environments are all done in a seated position. Sitting down limits the number of calories you burn per day, increases your risk of weight gain, and increases the risk of illness and disease including high blood pressure and diabetes. People who work on their feet all day have an unexpected perk of being more active than those of us who work desk jobs. Working at a desk or other sedentary positions requires a little more effort and creativity to keep active and in shape. Now is the time to make better use of slower days at the office! I’ve stumbled across a couple of exercises that work well in the work day, and the best part is there’s no startup cost or props beyond the desk and office chair. So, what are you waiting for? Roll your neck, stretch out your arms and legs, touch your toes, and get at it! There’s literally no excuse to not get moving. Triceps dips This exercise works well with a stationary chair, not a wheeled one! Place your hands on the front edge of the chair, facing forward and palms flat. Bend your elbows straight back and lower yourself straight down several inches, making sure your back is as close to the chair as possible. Straighten your arms to pull yourself back up. Do this 25 times. Arm circles As simple as it sounds, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, arms extended ina ‘T’ shape. Move your arms in small circles, 20 times forwards and 20 times backwards. Desk push-ups Start by making sure your desk will support your bodyweight! Place your hands on the surface of your desk at shoulder-width apart, palms flat. Take a couple of steps back to ensure you will be able to lower yourself successfully. Remember to keep your core tight when lowering yourself down to the desk, then push back up until your arms are straight but not locked. Do 25 reps. Wall push-ups If your desk does not support your weight—hopefully, you figured this out without injury or damage to the desk— then try the same thing against a wall! Chair squats The perfect between clients, meetings, or during phone calls exercise! Easy to do and definitely a butt-shaper! Simply stand up from your chair and lower yourself back down as if you're about to sit, but stopping just shy of the seat of your chair. Keep your weight in your heels to work those glutes! Repeat this 30 times—it’s an easier one, so why not? Calf raises Stand up behind your desk, holding onto it for support. Raise up onto your toes and back down repeatedly. Try going slower or faster to get a different work out. Do 40 of these. Wall sits A classic! Find a wall, slide your back down it pressing flat against the wall. Make sure your hips are at the same height as your knees, which should be at a go degree angle with your feet together. Hold this position for 30 to 60 seconds then release, stand up, and shake it out. Repeat. Seated bicycle crunches Sit with your feet flat on the floor, position your hands on the back of your head and lift your knee towards the opposite elbow, twisting your body down towards your knee, then return to a seated position and repeat with the other knee and opposite elbow. Do 30 twists. For an added exercise, bring a yoga mat to work and do some crunches on the floor. Lower-abs leg lifts This exercise is so subtle you can do it anytime! Sit straight up with both feet flat on the floor, lift one leg up off the floor at atime, keeping your core tight. To make the move more challenging, lift both legs up at the same time. Do 25 reps. To make it even more challenging, balance a weight or paperweight on your feet. 3 iva) 2 = > 4 w 5 £ ° £ a