Butler Blockbuster to Shut Its Doors

It's hard to tell from the upbeat and generally friendly attitude of the employees at the Butler , but the store will be closing its doors for good on Feb.13.

Beginning last Friday, and continuing until Sunday, Feb. 13, the Blockbuster at 1224 State Route 23 will be selling everything in its store and clearing out. All items on the shelves, including movies and games, and even the shelves themselves will be sold.

According to employees, who declined to give their names due to corporate restrictions, the lease on the building is up and Blockbuster Inc. has decided not to renew at that location.

While several calls to Blockbuster Inc. were not returned, the closing could be reflective of a steady downward trend for Blockbuster. Yahoo Finance shows a gradual decline in Blockbuster stock over the past year, with a brief spike during the holidays. The former video rental giant saw its highest peak back in 2002 and has fallen since.

That decline is likely attributed to the presence of Netflix, a service that allows customers to order rentals online that are sent by mail to their homes, and RedBox, a DVD vending machine that offers rentals for $1.08 per day.

Customers of the Butler Blockbuster were upset and apathetic to the store's situation.

“I just came in today and saw this. I don’t know where else I can go to get videos,” Doris Richardson said. When informed of the alternatives she responded, “I don’t really understand how those things work.”

Tom Simmons, another customer, said, “I mean, I don’t like it but my son has Netflix, so we’re just going to have to use that. We just have to wait a little more.”

The next closest Blockbuster for Butler residents is at 55 Wanaque Ave. in Pompton Lakes—about 10 miles away.