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A review by cyanide_latte
Built to Fail: The Inside Story of Blockbuster's Inevitable Bust by Alan Payne
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
This was an absolutely fascinating read. I'm not going to go into details in this review, because there's a lot to learn and truthfully, I'm still absorbing a good deal of it.
But when I saw this book pop up in recommendations, I felt it was my duty to give it a shot. I was one of those kids for whom the big box chain video rental stores were the only options. Even when an independent video rental WAS in whatever area I lived in at the time, my legal guardians only ever frequented Family Video, Hollywood Video, and of course, Blockbuster Video. I have many fond memories of that aspect of my childhood, but the fact remains I was a child and not entirely aware of all of the issues surrounding Blockbuster and other big chains, much less their inside issues.
Having watched a couple of documentaries now about video stores where many people expressed frustration about the Blockbuster chain, this book showed up at the right time for my already-piqued curiosity to want to latch on. Now, having read it, I feel like this was necessary. I feel like a lot of people who had similar experiences to me as a kid probably ought to consider giving this book a read. Yes, you can still have your nostalgia (I certainly do,) but I find this fascinating and especially helpful as a point of consideration. Not just for how Blockbuster crashed and burned so drastically, but also for consideration in regards to running a business.
But when I saw this book pop up in recommendations, I felt it was my duty to give it a shot. I was one of those kids for whom the big box chain video rental stores were the only options. Even when an independent video rental WAS in whatever area I lived in at the time, my legal guardians only ever frequented Family Video, Hollywood Video, and of course, Blockbuster Video. I have many fond memories of that aspect of my childhood, but the fact remains I was a child and not entirely aware of all of the issues surrounding Blockbuster and other big chains, much less their inside issues.
Having watched a couple of documentaries now about video stores where many people expressed frustration about the Blockbuster chain, this book showed up at the right time for my already-piqued curiosity to want to latch on. Now, having read it, I feel like this was necessary. I feel like a lot of people who had similar experiences to me as a kid probably ought to consider giving this book a read. Yes, you can still have your nostalgia (I certainly do,) but I find this fascinating and especially helpful as a point of consideration. Not just for how Blockbuster crashed and burned so drastically, but also for consideration in regards to running a business.