Looks like Big Lots is closing all stores...
(https://imgur.com/HCIZjSu.jpg)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2024/12/19/is-big-lots-closing-going-out-of-business-sales/77091379007/ (https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2024/12/19/is-big-lots-closing-going-out-of-business-sales/77091379007/)
The Big Lots near me (Jackson St. and Swan St. in Methuen, where MA 110 turns) closed about a year ago, well before this announcement.
I didn't find them to be particularly cheap, at not in the way that the local and now out-of-business Building 19 was. They were in line with other places I was used to going.
Big Lots we have, but never had a reason to shop there.
The one in Lakeland used to be Kash & Larry, another defunct store. They used to reign with Food Lion and Piggly Wiggly in the Sunshine State.
The Big Lots nearest me has a sign that the Asian market next door is moving in (sign went up before the closure announcement). So I doubt it will be one of the survivors.
Hopefully the market can make a go in that space. It has a history of closures, including Mervyn's and a computer store chain.
Apparently Big Lots found a buyer that will keep up to 400 of its stores and at least two distribution centers open, but the Big Lots website still states that all stores are going out of business.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2024/12/28/big-lots-closing-stores-gordon-brothers-deal/77288692007/
Quote from: hotdogPi on December 22, 2024, 09:37:17 AMThe Big Lots near me (Jackson St. and Swan St. in Methuen, where MA 110 turns) closed about a year ago, well before this announcement.
I didn't find them to be particularly cheap, at not in the way that the local and now out-of-business Building 19 was. They were in line with other places I was used to going.
They really aren't, especially given that the quality of furniture and other large items that you can find in thrift stores for much, much less has improved significantly over the past 10 years or so.
I've never stepped into one of those stores; I just feel that it leads to impulse purchases since there's limited product consistency (leading to repeat visits) coupled with the overwhelming retail version of FOMO.
Decades ago, we had stores like this which were like the brick-and-mortar Temu of its day; you never know what you'd find, but you could get all sorts of cheap stuff on the budget of a 10-year-old and feel wealthy during holiday shopping.
Quote from: formulanone on December 31, 2024, 10:41:33 AMI've never stepped into one of those stores; I just feel that it leads to impulse purchases since there's limited product consistency (leading to repeat visits) coupled with the overwhelming retail version of FOMO.
Decades ago, we had stores like this which were like the brick-and-mortar Temu of its day; you never know what you'd find, but you could get all sorts of cheap stuff on the budget of a 10-year-old and feel wealthy during holiday shopping.
That's more or less what Big Lots is, although they also sell items that have been discontinued and need to be moved quickly - namely grocery items. It used to be that you could find rare grocery items there that no one else had because they never sold.
At one time, Big Lots had a sibling chain called Odd Lots. Is it still around? I've never seen an Odd Lots in the wild.
I also wonder what the Big Lots situation portends for similar stores like Ollie's and Bargain Hunt.
Quote from: hbelkins on January 02, 2025, 03:23:56 PMAt one time, Big Lots had a sibling chain called Odd Lots. Is it still around? I've never seen an Odd Lots in the wild.
It's the other way around. Originally, they were called Odd Lots. Revco (owner of New Jersey-based Odd Lot Trading Corp.) complained when Odd Lots started expanding eastward. Many of the Odd Lots stores in Ohio and West Virginia kept their name, but the remainder were rebranded as Big Lots. I recall when there were competing Odd Lots and Big Lots in Huntington, and many folks would shop the two stores for a better price (Major Fail!)
^^^ Perhaps I should also mention that Odd Lot Trading was a big reason towards Revco crumbling in the mid-1980s.
Big Lots closing will hit Durant, Oklahoma hard. Their DC is a major employer. Not everyone is cut out to work a casino.