And so ends an era for daters and families. The last 300 Blockbuster retail stores are closing.

It doesn’t seem like it was that long ago when “making it a Blockbuster night” was what almost everyone was doing. Going to the store to pick out just the right movies with my roomies, my guy du jour or my family was a special event. Even getting hit on at the store by guys trying to get a date was kinda fun. What wasn’t fun were the ever increasing prices, fees, empty shelves and rewinding tapes. Even worse was the time Blockbuster turned me over to a collections agency over a $5 late fee. Yes, $5.00.

After remembering that fiasco, that just wiped out all the nostalgia I was momentarily feeling. I honestly can’t say I’m sad to see their greedy asses go. I am sorry that it means more people will be unemployed.

You can still make it a Blockbuster night via its streaming service Blockbuster @ Home. But like many of you, I’m more likely to make it a Netflix or Hulu night, maybe mix in a little Viki, Dramafever if I’m flying solo, or CinemaNow or iTunes if I’m looking for something newer.

So farewell Blockbuster. I hope cable TV operators and Network TV take note of how greed really isn’t good. Eventually someone will create something to take you down, because you can’t think you can bilk your customers forever and give them terrible customer appreciation/service in return. As a matter of fact, as much as I adore Hulu and Netflix, they too, should remember their roots and watch their backs.