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Bay Street Video
Categories: Shopping Books, Mags, Music and Video Videos and Video Game Rental Shopping Books, Mags, Music and Video Music & DVDs Videos and Video Game Rental, Music & DVDs [Edit]
1172 Bay StToronto, ON M5S 2B4
Neighbourhoods: Discovery District, Yorkville, Downtown Core
(416) 964-9088
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 10 am - 12 am
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
11 reviews for Bay Street Video
11 reviews in English
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Review from Nisha S.
Toronto, ON
2/22/2012
Ever since I found this place I haven't set foot in a Roger's Video. The staff here is always helpful and their movie selection is phenomenal -- even if you're looking for obscure foreign language cinema. I've come across many a film recommended by friends abroad that certainly seemed like impossible finds. I shall never doubt Bay St. Video again!
My favourite thing about this video store is their website. You can quickly browse through movies by title, language, genre, etc and know right away if they have it in stock. I generally come in with a title in hand and am provided with quick, efficient and friendly service and am out again within just a few minutes.
I also like that they'll offer recommendations and opinions if you ask but aren't too pushy with them. -
Review from Alana C.
10/30/2011
Great video rentals - they have everything. I also like how it is a small store and they make great use of their space. They also have lots and lots of older movies and have upgraded older releases to blu-ray.
Two issues: I agree, sometimes the staff can be rather cranky. It seems to be hit and miss whenever I go. Also, they never have new-releases in. I think it is they serve the general population of Yorkville and of course, all those people who work near it.
Overall, I like going to browse and usually end up renting more movies than I can consume! Their prices for certain box sets are reasonable, you're not getting much lower unless you go to Wal-mart.. -
Review from Alice T.
8/30/2011
Hello selection!!! Ok this place is a bit overwhelming for a 1-2 movies a month girl like myself but I love knowing that if I do want to see a movie, no matter how obscure, it'll be here.
Usually I come w a title in mind and ask them to help me find it.
I also like that they have cheaper rates for multiple rentals and a loyalty card so I'm rewarded for renting more. :) -
Review from Shari M.
Toronto, ON
11/25/2010 11 Check-ins Here
Bay Street Video, oh how I love thee, let me count the ways...
1) your video selection. You have everything neatly arranged and easy to find. I love that I can ask if you have something, and you say "YES" every time!
2) the little red velcro tabs on your videos to let me know what is available. This is uber 80's VHS rental throw back and I LOVE IT!!!
3) your staff! Super helpful, super knowledgeable and super friendly
4) your location. Close to the subway, Timmies, Cold Stone, Indigo, etc.
5) your hours. Open till midnight - the hell you say!
6) you have blu-ray and dvd
7) you allow doggies in your store
Keep up the good work! I will be back again and again! -
Review from Chad M.
I like this place for so many reasons!
1. Generally have stuff that's hard to find. (best selection)
2. The employees are engaging, nice and knowledgeable.
3. I can see if they have something on-line.
4. When I call they can look something up in mere seconds.
5. Located right next to a Horton's!
While the selection is great, it's really not a place to browse, per se, you really need to know what you want. You browse by flipping through, like you used to do with Compact Discs. So it helps to at least have an idea of the type of movie (eg., Horror, Tentacle Porn) you're interested in.
My favourite thing to do is go on http://www.rottentomat... and browse there, then check http://www.baystreetvi... to see if they have it.
While I think this place is on the high end price wise, it's worth it to me for the convenience. This is a shame because if/when Netflix actually makes it to Canada (actually mailing DVDs) it will kill their business. My old nabe video store in a high-rent area of Seattle charged $3.99 for Blu-ray and $1.99 for standard DVDs, plus you could keep them quite a bit longer. If you rent a new release here, they expect it back within about 24 hours and with tax the Blu-rays are around $5.50 or so. It would really be nice if I could pay $100 or $200 up front and then be able to rent videos for $2 (BR) or $1 (DVD) each. *cough* HINT *cough*. I might rent more often that way. -
Review from Avitania B.
Toronto, ON
7/19/2010 28 Check-ins Here
Dude! Movie nirvana! If the movie isn't here, it doesn't exist. Bay Street Video has one of the largest collections I've seen at any video rental place. Not only is the selection massive and well-organized, you can tell that the owners and staff are truly passionate about movies. They know their stuff, are happy working there, and happy to help with any questions. Best yet, the Blu-Ray selection is huge. Yay!
The only weakness of this place is the snack selection -- what can I say, I like to one-stop-shop when I rent a movie and take care of my snackables in the same place! They have a nice selection of Cadbury chocolates and Old Dutch potato chips (total non sequitur here, but Roasted Chicken flavored potato chips? Totally gross. Even my dog didn't like them, and he enjoys cat poop), but if you're not into that, at least there's a Tim Horton's next door.
One last thing: if you're in Bay Street Video, check out the "Something Weird" section -- it's all these crazy, pulpy movies from the 60's, with titles like "Alice in Acidland," "Hitchhike to Hell," and "Satan in High Heels." How can you *not* love a video store that carries "Blood Feast"?
TWO THUMBS UP from this movie buff!Listed in: Toronto Favorites
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Review from Spiro P.
Toronto, ON
12/6/2010
I've been to this place a couple of times and found the staff to be really rude. The clerks seem really unhappy to be there and they anxiously wait to close up.
They do have a good selection of titles, but Queen Street Video is much better for rentals and Amazon for buying.
This is the type of place that you should buy from only if they have a bankruptcy sale. It would be worth it then. -
Review from Noel D.
4/16/2010
There's a reason why people keep saying this is the best video store in Toronto. Their selection is untouchable. Whenever I would have a hard time finding some obscure movie I would always end up finding it here. Though I have to admit they didn't have Black Dynamite on Blu-Ray.
I don't like their new location as much as the old place. Granted the old place was very small, but there's no character to the current place. And it's no longer on the street -- now it's got a mini mall vibe next to the Jenny Craig centre.
They have a good flip system for their DVDs. So there's not many shelves, but more like walls of covers that you can jog through like you're reading the Yellow Pages. All very organized and alphabetical. The people working there hide behind this sort of make-shift counter with shelving. Sort of like a convenience store. And they don't really like talking to anyone -- or at least they don't talk to me.
There is definitely a distinct odour to Bay Street Video. They had it at the old place and they have it at the new location as well, so your guess is as good as mine. Regardless if you're looking to buy or rent something and you can't find it, then I recommend checking these guys out. And if you live in the area then you should already be renting movies here anyway. -
Review from Tamar F.
11/1/2009
When I lived in New York, there was an indie video store near where I lived. And half of the "charm" of the place was that the staff all had poles stuck up their... If you dared to rent a mainstream video, you'd get some really nasty stares. But I'd brave this for their selection.
So I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I found Bay Street right around the corner from my place when I lived in TO. Not only is their selection unparalleled, but the employees here are also pretty awesome.
They have every mainstream video that you may think of (yes, you can even get the Duff sisters' Material Girls if you so choose) in addition to plenty of more obscure options. There's a huge Criterion section, lots of documentaries, and foreign films galore. They also have videos for sale - I was more than pleased to be able to locate a copy of Way Downtown right before Gary Burns was speaking for Cinematheque Ontario. Yeah, talk about obscure.
The staff here is extremely knowledgeable about all things film-related, are pretty darn funny, and are not condescending in the slightest.
One more thing, you need a credit card to get a membership, but if your friend adds you to their account, you can just use their name to rent your flicks. -
Review from Phil H.
Toronto, ON
3/18/2010
I was only in here for a quick in and out looking for the Criterion Collection edition of In the Mood of Love for a friend of mine.
To be honest, I hadn't really been trying hard to find it. I'd just occasionally walk into a Sunrise or whatever movie store I might come across in my travels to see if it was there. Happened to be around Bay that day and remembered that this place existed.
I was extremely encouraged to see the system they had set up to handle buying and renting videos (shelves full of covers of movies with white and red tags velcro'd onto them; you took the white to the counter if you wanted to buy a movie and the red if you wanted to rent it).
Their collection of the Criterion Collection was hugeeeee. I was so happy to see so many of them all together in one place. Quickly found the movie I wanted to buy, took the white tag to the counter, bought it, and left a very satisfied customer. Positively swaggering with the confidence in knowing that if I ever needed to find another movie to buy, this would be my first place to look. -
Review from Tyler G.
Toronto, ON
12/29/2010
Bay Street Video is fantastic. The staff are knowledgeable, helpful, and kind. And, of course, the selection of movies is excellent.
