Today Blockbuster has started a clearance sale, since many locations are closing (146) in a month. Unfortunately the future had been bleak for the Canadian Blockbuster chain since the US counterpart filed for bankruptcy last year. If you have a Blockbuster gift card I highly suggest you use it as they are NOT accepting gift cards anymore at the closing locations. It might be hard to find a location near you that your card will still be applicable.
Here is a list of stores closing posted by the Globe and Mail
**UPDATE** Blockbuster is now offering 50-70% off their inventory in many of the locations that are closing down. Although the selection may be limited, it might be worth checking out especially for movies, snacks and used games.
Sad to see them go! 🙁
so sad my store i work at is closing
Sorry to hear that. Not to be heartless but I wanted to surprise my husband with a tv. Do you know how much their tvs are going for?
was just there at lunch with the hubby. he ended up buying a bunch of PS3 games while I bought a few bluerays.
Yikes! I have a $69 credit, luckily not at one that’s closing, but I don’t think I’ll let it sit there too long. Sorry nemo about your store.
What are the discounts like?
where i went today (brampton) everything was 30% off
Mine isn’t closing but I wish it was so I could get a deal on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.
No signs that the two locations in Fredericton are closing but I did stop in this morning and noticed that the pre-viewed blue-rays were 30% off and some pre-viewed DVDs between 30-50% off. Unfortunately, the selection was kinda limited. Might check the other location tomorrow.
Legally speaking, can they actually refuse to accept gift cards as currency? I don’t think they can…
I don’t think they can either, I would insist on them accepting the gift card if I had one.
Does this mean all my late charges are gone?!?!?!?! 🙂
Yes, 30% off everything except game consoles, and probably points cards. All the movie and game rentals are included in the sale. Definitely get there asap as things are going quickly!
Sorry nemo about your store; a friend of mine works at a BB that’s closing too.
I was at BB near Erin Mills and they wouldnt take my trade in card which has $400 on it. I traded in over 100 dvds a month ago when they gave 4 per dvd. I think they should take the credit. Really sad to see most Mississauga stores gone but some are still there so I have to get rid of my credit asap.
They tried to use my gift card and the register would not even accept it sadly. I had over 400 on mine from the trade in event too. Luckily I spent most of mine over time and only have about 75 left on it. Going to a non closing store later this week to just be rid of it.
This has been in the works for over a year, It started when Movie Gallery and Holly Wood Video closed. The one thing I think is really strange, Why did Blockbuster do a huge buy back on used dvd last month, They were paying $4.00 each. This I think means one thing, They are going to push there online business and get rid of all there Retail locations.
I like the idea that they are closing as it increases my online sales 🙂
I am a dvd/game Dealer and sell on amazon.ca.
Sorry that people have to loose there jobs when this companies make there changes.
I just got back from my local Blockbuster and I scored “The Pacific” for under $30!
Just got back. Great deals on games…not so much on DVD’s. If you are like me, and have a PVR, and netflix…the prices are still quite high. I wouldnt pay $25 for a new DVD, nor $15 for a pre-owned…even with 30% off. Id rather just record it for life :).
But for games, go soon!!! It really is a good score, especially if you are trade-in gamers like us :). Got Epic Mickey, and 2 old Grand Theft Autos, and a box of candy, for $56
Anyone in BC, the maple ridge store is not on the closing list, i you have a credit out here I would use it there while you can… sad to hear of all the closures, we rent a lot of movies!
It’s been a long time my Blockboster is closed and I never have the chance to put a feet in there!!!
angel says…
“Mine isn’t closing but I wish it was so I could get a deal on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.”
Seriously? You wish a dozen people would lose their jobs so you can save $5 on Harry Potter? That’s really sad.
that’s pretty sad =(
but i received bad customer service a while ago when i went to rent a dvd.
it has been some time since i rented dvds because i’d just go to the theatres to watch the movie. the guy gave me a weird look asking me why i don’t have my blockbuster membership. i told him straight out that i haven’t been renting movies for some time. and he continued to give me weird stares throughout the time and eventually i left.
needless to say, i never went again.
@Angel – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is on sale at Costco – only $17 or 18, I think – $11 off their regular price.
Actually, they CAN refuse gift cards at the local store if it is closing.
The stores operate as a chain, and it takes time for the gift card money to turn around back to the store as actual income. If the store is going to be no-more, then that money will never be returned to them.
Same thing if the company declares bankruptcy… the gift cards may be refused and nullified. — Blockbuster USA did this back in april — no giftcards are redeemable at any of their stores, anywhere.
Prince George location… sad but the Boston Pizza it was attached to recently burned down and BB also went with it. 🙁
I went to the one on Erin Centre in Mississauga. Lots of stuff still available. 30% off everything. I am sure as the week/month go on there is going to be more of a reduction, but less stuff of course. Better to get there sooner rather than later. Best to bring cash as the debit/credit machine at Erin Centre kept crashing. Not sure if that is the same every where else but better to be safe than sorry.
Sad to see movie rental stores closing all over. I love visiting my videoquest to browse the current titles. I know they are hurting – I hope they dont close too.
I’m a bit confused. I went to my local Blockbuster and the deals weren’t too great but there were tons of lineups. You can get brand new good DVDs for $5 to $10 if you shop around. Winners has good titles for $4 sometimes and HMV has some decent 2 for $10 DVDs. I wasn’t too impressed with the used DVD sale personally.
I don’t think Angel meant that way… If they are shutting down stores, I’m thinking she would of liked the opportunity to get a deal on the movies. Myself personally, I have no problem with people losing there jobs, it is apart of the business cycle. They will find work else where and hopefully even better – create their own business which hires more people. It’s all a cycle.
As for the 30% off, I heard that next week it’s 40% off then 50% off the last week. Now, this came from a buddy of mine who read it at redflag …
Bubba G–“losing there jobs, it is apart of the business cycle”–obviously have never lost a job that left you counting pennies to not lose your home–or hoping you have enough to eat.. losing a job is a sad thing..(unless you getting some large payout severnane package), if your lucky you may come out ahead–but, telling anyone who has just heard of a closure,that it is part of a cycle is insensitive–
And Nemo–I wish you good luck..
I went to the one in Brampton on Steeles as well and found the prices were really not good at all- even with the discounts. I was appalled at how much they were charging for their rental games selling as used only like $4 off the brand new price. I asked why so much for a used game and they said because it’s still considered a more recent release. No wonder they have gone out of business. We did buy a few games for the ps3, and 1 blu-ray, but their prices are jacked up insanely high for no reason. I am a very competitive shopper, and have recently found some amazing deals on amazon for blu-rays. Also- there is a pawn shop on Queen st. “Busters” where you can buy used blu-rays for $10- I got myself batman begins and the dark knight. I say good riddance to over priced blockbuster. Let’s move on to the next generation of online media. Get with the times.
on another note (and I’m sure no one will read this now, being an old thread) — but I smell something foul in the way BB has done business as of late.
A friend of mine traded in a few hundred dollars of used DVDs back in April when BB had their “Any title for $4” deal. That same store is one that is closing.
At the time, effective that program Blockbuster Canada Corporate had send memos to all the stores that changed the policies and rules of trade-in program…
1.) Your entire trade-in value would be applied to your membership account (that’s nothing new, always was)
2.) Change: you couldnt use your account credit to get a Blockbuster gift card, for use at other BB stores – (you always used to be able to)
3.) you couldn’t use your account credit to buy gift cards of any other kind (Vanilla Mastercards, Burger King, etc).
NOW, his particular store is going out of business… and he’s lost his ENTIRE trade in credit as a result.
Blockbuster is now selling all of his used DVDs in their clearance sale, turning them in “pure profit” since he’s lost his entire trade-in value on them (save for about $50 he actually did use on rentals and the odd purchase since April).
Something here REAKS of crooked if you ask me.
@bhlomnardy
Oh c’mon, everything any company makes are all for their profit. You should be glad that you can get BRAND NEW GAMES/MOVIES for 30% off.
@bhlomnardy
Yes foul, but yet, smart. It’s an evil company but at least everyone’s getting some good deals 😀
Im very lucky that my store is not closing( for the time being), my heart goes out to you nemo.
FYI BB is not ‘price gouging’ the customers, we’re not over priced, we’re not scamming our customers, the ‘closing’ sales are pretty much the same sales we have at different times of the year, you can still use gift cards at ‘non-closing’ BB, we’re not ‘evil’ , oh and Cheryl888 ..no your late fees are still there, they will go to collections if you dont pay up (pay the extra dollar for the week, its not rocket science)
please get a life and see that these people are losing their jobs, so forgive them if their not the ‘ray of sunshine’ people seem to expect us to be at this time.
oh and don’t call the store to ask if that location is closing, that’s just f#*king rude, look it up online.
-geesh
Im sad to see bb go. It was one of my favorite stores, from tradeins to the coupon book every xmas. I live near the meadowvale store and I hope they can hang in there. By the way I traded in 120 dvds in April gettin nearly 500 in credit that was put on gift cards.
Sorry to those losing their jobs.
I was told at my store (the one I use) that they won’t be closing (like ever) as they are the most profitable one in the province. What is the plan exactly? They could just as easily sell/rebrand their better stores and we’d still be stuck with gift cards we can’t use.
my local blockbuster is apparently the most profitable one in southern ontario [id say ontario but c`mon lol]`and all the other stores send the products that aren`t selling to this store so.. it`s a good thing when you cant find that game or movie you want.. but sucks because thre`s like 60 copies of bruno for sale lmao.
My theory is that all the other stores in the area that are closing sent all the higher priced items to our store because my brother [manager] told me they now have 7 ps3`s[full price] and other new consoles and they store is very cluttered.. games and movies everywhere so they had to lower the pricing on used items which is awesome but not games i`d play.. oh well…
went to the new market blockbuster that`s closing and everythign was bare and they still wanted full price for the new games and dvds; last week… blah no thx
My son has been working for Blockbuster for years. The sky is not falling. Do not panic. It’s only the lowest-performing stores in the areas which are closing. The others will remain open. From what I understand, Blockbuster CANADA is now distancing itself from Blockbuster US, and is finding/has found a buyer for their stores.
bhlombardy – The reason for not being able to get a vanilla mastercard with your credit has nothing to do with Blockbuster but everything to do with Canada’s anti-money laundering laws. Getting your credit put on a Blockbuster giftcard was always available until the company went into receivership. That happened after the $4 trade in special. A credit on an account at a closing store should be transferred to a store that is staying open. Before you go spouting off about something get your facts straight.
I have heard that in Calgary, Rogers stores are also going under. Not sure if this is true or not, but its worth it to check out!!!
I just went to the one closing in Saskatoon – 70% off food, 50% off games, including new. Bought Halo Reach and a couple other fairly new games (not used, new) for half price! w00t!!
Torrents destroyed the video rental industry. Hard to complete with free and on demand downloading.
Oh phew! Thank god there’s none closing around where I live! Blockbuster is my savior for movie night! 🙂
This reminds me that I have some credit to use up. Guess netflix is really taking over
The location I went to today in Oakville still only had the 30% off – they did have 50% off food/drink items though.
I’m torrenting as we speak.
Only 3 locations left in Mississauga. There were 13 and then 5 and now 3. If we all torrent movies for free, they wont be able to make movies anymore. This is what destroying the cd music industry.
Its kind of ironic that its the movie companies that have put them in receivership. 70 mill is chump change in Hollywood. They spend more on catering and special effects for a transformers movie. All the money theyve made from BB from buying all their movies and selling their crap. Well they lose this venue for selling their stuff they’ll lose alot more money in the long run.
out of the 5+ blockbusters in my area only 1 closed, I think i put off going there a few days to long as their selection was bleek, but i did get 10 movies 2 ps3 games for $60, selling one of the games which just came out and ill basically have all the movies and 1 game for free. Now if they would only bring back their Game Pass, bad decision by corpotate with mail delivered subscriptions are available
It isn’t just the lowest performing locations closing. My ex works/worked at one of the best performing stores in Canada and it will be gone in a number of days.
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Bye, Wayne, you bald-headed prick. We all paid so much in late fees over the years, you totally desereved this. I even received a late fee letter about 6 months ago, asking me to come in and clear up my debt of $10.49. Nice try, baldy!