‘Thanks for the memories’ gutted shoppers say after grocery store staple with 24,000 locations closes down every spot

SHOPPERS are mourning the loss of an iconic grocery store staple that managed to outlast its rivals.

Movie rental company Redbox announced that all operations would be closing down after its parent company filed for bankruptcy.

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Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment filed for Chapter 11 last month with reported debts of almost $1 billion.

CSSE then filed to liquidate in Delaware bankruptcy court on July 10 with over 1,000 employees set to be laid off.

As movie fans prepare for the removal of the 24,000 bright red rental machines in stores like Walmart and CVS, they took to social media to reminisce.

"Thanks for the memories. I will rent out movies on the weekend," one gutted shopper wrote in the comments under a Facebook post about the mass closure.

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"It’s kind of sad first blockbuster and now Redbox and I remember Hollywood video."

"Dang. Well thank you for the entertainment u provided to the neighborhoods," another said.

Upon hearing the news of the bankruptcy, many shoppers were shocked to learn that the company was still in operation.

"I was literally just wondering a few days ago about whether Redbox was still in operation and reminiscing on those days during its prime," one shopper said.

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The movie rental company launched in 2002 and largely outlasted its rivals other than the final Blockbuster location in Bend, Oregon.

"It was a game changer and it was a hell of a run..!" one Facebook user said.

Meanwhile, another said that the loss means that "the last of the rental era [is] gone."

"As much as this was expected…..it’s still nonetheless heartbreaking," one added.

'HEARTBREAKING'

In its prime, the movie rental company operated over 43,000 DVD rental machines with a peak revenue of $1.97 billion.

However, the increased use of on-demand streaming services vastly reduced its popularity.

Redbox's streaming service which was introduced in 2017 will also be shut down as a result of the bankruptcy.

It comes just months after users were given access to lots of new movies via Redbox Free Live TV.

Richard Pachulski, a lawyer for CSSE said at the time of the Chapter 11 filing that the situation was "heartbreaking," per a Deadline report.

He added that the team worked "day and night" in a bid to find a solution.

CSSE purchased Redbox in 2022 to get rental numbers back to pre-pandemic levels.

However, the $375 million deal saw the company take on debts of around $360 million.

The company has since listed debts of $970 million and consolidated assets of $414 million.

"It’s not a position that any of us want to be in," the lawyer said in an audio recording released by the court.

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Meanwhile, a town hall meeting for employees was reportedly held on Thursday amid reports that employees had not received paychecks last month.

Walgreens and Walmart are also waiting to receive money from Redbox, as well as major media companies like Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, and Lionsgate, according to Variety.

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