Blockbuster to close even more stores this year

At least five Blockbuster locations in New Jersey will be closed by the end of January, potentially leaving dozens of employees out of work.

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The stores, located in Pompton Lakes, Fairview, Dover, Franklin and Clifton, will all cease rental operations by January 30, a Blockbuster employee told MyCE. During February, the doomed stores will remain open to liquidate stock.

Local customers who relied on the company to supplement a Netflix subscription or paid a monthly fee for the in-store combo pass (full disclosure: I'm one of them) are left with two choices: switch to Redbox, or find a new Blockbuster. The former seems more likely.

The Pompton Lakes closure in particular means local customers must drive almost 13 miles to the next closest store in Fair Lawn. The other option is a two-minute drive down the street to Wanaque to hit the Redbox inside Stop & Shop.

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Blockbuster is hoping to convert at least some of its previous in-store regulars into by-mail customers. The company, which was acquired by Dish Network last April, will offer current Combo Pass members who frequent the affected locations a free 3-month trial to its Total Access service - standard procedure during store closings, a Blockbuster worker said.

Word of the new round of closures came suddenly this past weekend, we were told. The company had shuttered stores in West Caldwell, Totowa, Fair Lawn and North Arlington in December.

Last summer, Blockbuster President Michael Kelly claimed the company would keep 1,500 U.S. stores open. Two weeks into 2012, and prospects for other Blockbuster stores are looking dim.

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MyCE reached out to Blockbuster for comment, but received none as of press time. If the company replies, this post will be updated.

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