2Q Video

I used to walk past this place every day until I had knee surgery and hobbled in, hoping to find something good while I recovered. Not only do they have the best Canadian section I have ever seen, they have loads of foreign and hard to find films. Great for film buffs. Amazing selection and knowledgable staff makes for the best video store I have ever been in.

2Q is an awesome neighbourhood video shop with a great selection, good prices, and a full online catalogue.
They have a great selection of new releases — both mainstream and lesser known stuff — as well as a good selection of older films. I’m a big documentary watcher and 2Q is well stocked in this department as well.
When it comes to old, obscure movies 2Q can’t compare to Queen Video but it makes up for this in other areas. In particular, their entire catalogue is online and searchable. Not only can you see what they have but also how many copies, whether the film has been checked out or not, and what the expected return date is. Awesome!
The staff are friendly and down to earth — no snobbishness or elitism here.

2Q Video makes use of the world wide web! Not only can you look up the video ahead of time on their website to see if it’s available and look up other handy and helpful info, but they’ve got their own computard in the store that you can use and abuse to find your own videos. Avoid talking to the staff, that’s what my motto is.
The website also allows for you to keep track of your rentals and fees ‘n stuff. At least that is what they tell me (I have yet to set that up).
Technology, the way of the world today.
You can also try to negotiate not paying your late fee, which is what I do sometimes. The customer is ALWAYS RIGHT.

I was so happy when this video store opened up in my neighbourhood because I used to have to go out of my way to Queen Video, resulting in many late returns. I used to work right across the street from this location so needless to say I was renting movies on an almost-​daily basis. They have lots of indie and foreign films and plenty of TV boxsets. Plus they have a database on their website that you can browse from home or in the store.
The staff here are nice — they are not snobby wannabe film critics like some other independent video stores. If you are a day late returning a movie they will call you to remind you of this fact, which might seem annoying but is actually quite helpful for those who have ever realised they forgot to bring back a DVD two weeks after it was due. There have been times when I brought back a new release 2 – 3 days late and I am pretty sure they charge a lot per day because some of my late fees have been shocking.
My one complaint is that they rent out TV boxsets as individual discs. This means you are not likely going to be able to rent an entire season of something in one go because other discs are rented out. The chances of getting all the discs at once are slim, and If you do happen to rent a complete set with 5 – 6 discs it’s going to cost a lot of money.

2Q is a fantastic local alternative to the Blockbusters of the world. But just because it’s local doesn’t make it great. Here’s a few reasons why it is though:
Familiar faces: There’s not very much turn around in a local video store, so you’re always seeing the same faces… most of the time smiling!
BluRay Rentals: For 5 bucks you get the BluRay for a week!
Older DVDs: Down in the basement level there is an incredible selection of old DVDs that are difficult to find anywhere else — along with all the regular favourites that you want!
Snootiness: There is zero attitude at this place, and you can search for hours without so much as a raised nose.
DVD Pricing: I’ve already mentioned BluRay prices, but DVDs are a measly 4 bucks per rental as well!
Honestly, this is my favourite place to rent — hands down! Check it out.

Every neighbourhood has a local video store that probably has to compete with a Blockbuster at the next corner. 2Q is my local video store and it blows the big name stores out of the water and here’s why:
First, the price. It is considerably cheaper than Blockbuster in both new and older rentals.
2. Late charges are only a dollar per day! And furthermore, they usually call to remind you if your movie is overdue.
3. They may not have an entire wall of Don’t Mess with the Zohan, but 2Q always has a couple copies of popular new releases as well as many foreign, and local films.
4. They support fund-​raising efforts such as the Lucky 7 Feed the Hungry. Money from our movie rentals went to raise awareness and buy rice for destitute families in parts of Vietnam.
5. 2Q has a user-​friendly website that allows you to browse movies from home before you go to the store.
So, the next time you are in need of a movie, skip the big-​box store and head over to 2Q, it’s a personal and local favourite!