Blockbuster cards might actually be useful again! A man claims that he was able to to purchase beer by showing the cashier his Blockbuster card instead of his ID to verify his age.
On Wednesday, Reddit user boomboomsaIoon shared a photo that might as well have been in black and white, or etched onto the walls of a cave --- it was a photo of his Blockbuster card, a very rare sight in 2016. The man said he was able to use this ancient relic instead of his ID to buy beer.
It took about 15 tries, but I was finally able to buy beer using my Blockbuster membership as proof of age.
Naturally, the comment section erupted with both nostalgia and questions. Throughout the comment thread, the man revealed that he had been giving cashiers or bartenders his Blockbuster card instead of ID every time he got carded for purchasing alcohol, but most of them "just looked at [him] like [he] was stupid." Until finally, a cashier at an Albertsons supermarket finally accepted the outdated video rental card as proof of age, reportedly saying "Ok you're old enough, damn.
The poster went on to reveal that he is 34 years old, and that he'd kept the Blockbuster card in his wallet for years just to prevent other cards from falling out. In another comment, the man argued that his ownership of the card should in fact prove to liquor sellers that he is of legal drinking age, since it would be impossible for him to own his own Blockbuster card and be under 21.
You have to be 18 to be a member at Blockbuster. The last one closed in 2011 so it's impossible for me to own the card (with my name on it) and not be over 21.
While that logic may be sound for the town where the poster is from, there surprisingly were several Blockbuster stores that persisted a couple years after 2011, and even more surprisingly, even a handful that are still operating today! After Blockbuster filed for bankruptcy in 2010 and was bought up by Dish Network a year later, Dish Network began closing down locations by the hundreds due to insurmountable competition from Netflix and RedBox.
But Blockbuster actually isn't completely dead today. The company's official website still lists around 50 franchise locations across the United States. Although followup reports have found that most of those stores are actually closed, it appears there are still around ten Blockbuster stores that are renting out movies. Most of the still-functioning stores are actually located in Alaska, with a couple reportedly still plugging away in Texas and Oregon as well.
For most of the country, though, those old Blockbuster membership cards really are a relic from the past, but apparently now they can get you some beer at least if you hung on to yours! How long do you think teenagers are going to start buying forged Blockbuster cards?
