Another Blockbuster video outlet is on the chopping block.
Dish Network Corp. is closing the Kahala store in mid-August and began liquidating all its merchandise Monday.
Friday was the last day for rentals, according to an employee, one of five affected by the closure.
The Dallas-based video rental chain will have just two remaining Hawaii outlets: in Ewa Beach and Kihei, Maui. A store manager, who asked not to be further identified, said the last two locations will close when their leases expire, as the company focuses on online video streaming.
DOWN TO 2
After the Kahala Blockbuster closes in August, only two will remain in the state.
OPEN
>> Oahu: Ewa Beach
>> Maui: Kihei
CLOSED SINCE 2011
Pearl City, Kaneohe, Kalihi, Mililani, Waianae, Salt Lake, Kailua-Kona, Wahiawa, Hilo, Kahala, Kailua, Honolulu, Kapolei, Wahiawa, Waipio and Kahului
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Blockbuster has lost market share in recent years and put itself up for sale after a failed attempt to reorganize in bankruptcy two years ago. The company, established in 1985, has faced mounting losses due to increased competition from online retailers such as Netflix and Redbox.
McCully residents Sam Konishi, 23, and Alyssa Kudo, 22, said they haven’t rented "physical media" in years.
"Ever since the advent of online streaming … there’s not much point," Konishi said. "It’s so much easier. Nowadays everything is so instant. Online streaming is the way to go. Especially here on Oahu with all the traffic, driving down here’s a hassle."
The couple has been in the store over the past few months to purchase higher-quality Blu-ray movies they’ve already watched through other media.
If they want to rent physical media, there are many options, including Oceanic Digital Cable’s movies on demand, Konishi said.
"It’s just sad. It’s so nostalgic because, growing up, Blockbuster was such a big deal," he said. "As a family we used to go down once a week, and everyone chose a movie they wanted to see. This is probably one of the last Blockbusters you’re going to see."
On the other end of the spectrum, customers like 50-year-old Rick Tamura of Kaimuki still routinely visit the video store at least twice a month.
"I’m a dinosaur. I still like coming down and browsing," he said. "I’m an older guy, so I’m not into the social networking type of thing. I don’t text. I still like talking face to face. I’m from the old school, the older generation. Everybody downloads off the Internet, so eventually I think video rental stores are not going to be around anymore."
In March the financially troubled video-rental chain closed outlets in Wahiawa and Hilo as part of a plan to close 300 stores nationwide. The nationwide closures affected about 3,000 workers and left roughly 500 stores in the U.S., The Associated Press previously reported.
The company closed two Hawaii stores late last year — one in Kahului and another in Kailua — and earlier shut down locations in Honolulu, Kapolei and Waipio in the wake of poor sales and fierce competition.
Dish Network closed stores in Pearl City and Kaneohe and at the Kamehameha Shopping Center in Kalihi in July 2011. Earlier that year outlets in Mililani, Waianae and Salt Lake were shuttered, along with a store in Kailua-Kona.
"This is the busiest we’ve seen it in months," Kudo said Monday as shoppers flocked to scoop up close-out deals at the Kahala store. "The parking lot is usually empty."
