It's finis for Blockbuster gift cards on April 6

The closing credits are rolling for Blockbuster gift cards.

As part of its slow-motion bankruptcy, the once-ubiquitous renter of videotapes, which you physically selected from shelves in big stores (how quaint!), has announced it will no longer honor gift certificates or gift cards after April 6, 2011.

"In connection with this sale process, effective as of 4/7/11, BLOCKBUSTER GiftCards ("GiftCards") WILL NO LONGER BE HONORED. Blockbuster intends to honor GiftCards presented by consumers through 4/6/11," the company announced on its gift card page.

As we've seen over and over and over, a smart consumer will sprint to the store when the whiff of bankruptcy hits the air. Corporations teetering on the edge may or may not honor the cards during the bankruptcy process, and its competitors may or may not step in to honor the cards in an effort to sweep up new customers.

Once the leader in home movie rentals, Blockbuster's business model has been turned into a silent movie by the likes of Netflix and Red Box. If you're among the movie lovers who still schlep to Blockbuster for movie and DVD rentals, and you have a gift card, get down to Blockbuster, one last time, before your video rental choices dwindle to bombs like "Ishtar" and "Speed Racer."