Port Jeff Station Blockbuster Stays Open, As Nearby Stores Shutter

As the Blockbuster corporation fights for its life in bankruptcy court things look grim locally for the retailer as many stores are closing up shop. There is one bright spot: the looks to remain open, for a little while at least.

With neighboring stores in Smithtown and obviously planning to close by the looks of sparsely filled shelves and signs announcing they are shutting their doors, employees are already referring customers over to their sister store in Port Jefferson Station and saying that location will be one of the few to remain open.

An employee at the Port Jefferson Station Blockbuster said that he was not at liberty to comment on the issue either way. When asked if the store will be here for a little while at least he only said, “Yes.”

“A few others are staying open, but not many,” said the employee who asked to remain anonymous.

The Blockbuster store in Smithtown has a big sign on it saying that store only is closing, reported .

An employee of the Shirley Blockbuster location–who also spoke under anonymity–said the Huntington Station, Huntington, Port Jefferson Station, Center Moriches, Water Mill, Coram, Patchogue and Holbrook locations would remain open.

Miller Place-Rocky Point Patch reported that a there is a similar sign at the Blockbuster on Route 25A in Rocky Point. Additionally, there's a small sign on the door refering its customers to the Port Jefferson Station store.

An assistant manager by the name of Mia at the Port Jefferson Station store had told a MP-RP Patch reporter, "A lot of stores are closing. We are getting things from other stores but we are staying open."

Calls and emails to Blockbuster Video corporate offices were not returned by time of publication.

Last September Blockbuster confirmed that it had voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company had been negotiating with its bondholders to restructure its finances and come up with a strategic plan to transform the way it does business. However, on March 11 Blockbuster announced that a judge in U.S. Bankruptcy Court had approved a plan to put itself up for auction.

Blockbuster is facing an assault from all types of smaller services. Rivals such as Netflix and the Redbox DVD and Blu-Ray vending machines seen in grocery stores and outside stores have cut into territory Blockbuster used to monopolize. Amazon.com's Instant Video service and Apple's iTunes also offer video downloading straight to your computer.

Combine those options with websites like Hulu that offer streaming video and customers now have a variety of choices aside from traveling to a brick-and-mortar location.

The company made futile efforts to compete by offering its own Blockbuster by Mail service along with adjusting its pricing plans at its stores. At 0ne point it eliminated late fees only to bring them back last year.

Ironically it was Blockbuster that in the late 1980s and early 1990s put Mom and Pop video rental stores out of business across the country.

Customers at the Blockbuster Store in Port Jefferson Station had differing views on the news.

Renee from Mount Sinai said that she didn’t frequent the Blockbuster Store as much as she used to even though she’d been a customer since it opened in that location.

“I used to use it a lot but if it’s cheaper at home it’s not worth the trip,” she said.

She said that she thought that the store’s upkeep had declined in recent years and that the catalog of available movies and diversity of films in stock had also dwindled.

“The selection used to be very good,” Renee said. “Not any more. You used to be able to get a better selection here even as far as independent films.”

Christopher–a shopper who lived in Smithtown but was originally from Mount Sinai–was visiting the store that day with his son. He said that he knew the Smithtown location was closing down and that he still used Blockbuster stores to rent movies and the occasional video game for his son.

“I come here a couple of times a month,” he said. “There are other options but Blockbuster’s been around for years.”

Another customer said she’d be very upset if the store closed.

“I love this Blockbuster,” said Jackie, a shopper from Port Jefferson Station. “I come once a week.”

A friend she was with named James said that he liked shopping at Blockbuster too.

“I come here every week,” he said.

The man and woman walked to the store from next door.

Jackie said she’d been coming to the store for 14 years and didn’t know where she’d get her movies from if that location ever closed down.

“I have no other options,” she said.

Additional reporting for this story was done by Smithtown Patch editor Peter Very and Miller Place-Rocky Point Patch freelance writer JoAnn Tiranno.