Big Lots

[Brian Lutz]

This is California we're talking about, the "next tenant" is probably 300 apartments with 18 parking spaces.

As for Big Lots, Here's another one in Lynnwood WA in a former Marina Safeway:

https://www.google.com/maps/@47.821014, ... 384!8i8192

[storewanderer]

Forgot to post this but last week I went into the Big Lots in Reno on Lemmon Drive. This store was basically fully stocked. I could not believe it. The Sparks Big Lots and Reno McCarran Big Lots are complete wrecks and have so many out of stocks. There was no freight out on the floor in this Lemmon Drive Big Lots, yet shelves very well stocked, neat, and orderly. I didn't buy anything but I was really surprised. Also on the items I had scan errors on previously at other locations I noticed this store had updated its pricing and the dates on the updated price tags were September and October respectively.

So it appears Big Lots can afford freight, and can stock their stores, if the stores can operate properly and get stocked.

This doesn't change that their mix and pricing is poor. I'm not sure why anyone would shop there, and maybe this Lemmon Store being within 1/2 mile of a Wal Mart looks great due to a lack of customers.

[BillyGr]

This doesn't change that their mix and pricing is poor. I'm not sure why anyone would shop there, and maybe this Lemmon Store being within 1/2 mile of a Wal Mart looks great due to a lack of customers.

The prices are not much different from other places, at least for the use up type items (food, cleaners and similar) - some are even equal or a bit lower than regular supermarkets, and they wind up being a better deal when they send out coupons, which seem pretty frequent - either an extra % off or the $5 off $15 or $10 off $20 ones.

[storewanderer]

This doesn't change that their mix and pricing is poor. I'm not sure why anyone would shop there, and maybe this Lemmon Store being within 1/2 mile of a Wal Mart looks great due to a lack of customers.

The prices are not much different from other places, at least for the use up type items (food, cleaners and similar) - some are even equal or a bit lower than regular supermarkets, and they wind up being a better deal when they send out coupons, which seem pretty frequent - either an extra % off or the $5 off $15 or $10 off $20 ones.

I find their pricing to be higher than Dollar General (though it would be better after those % off coupons and especially after a $10 off $20). It also seems like Big Lots doesn't really run sales on consumables/drug items. They do seem to run sales on home items; had some pans buy 1 get 1 50% off before Christmas for instance. Their basic steel pans are good for the price.
But then Dollar General has a robust digital coupon program and always $5 off $25 on Saturday with a coupon...

[ClownLoach]

Business Insider does a great job of skewering Big Lots here and easily explains everything that is wrong with them. What is this store supposed to be anyway?

https://www.businessinsider.com/big-lot ... 022-12?amp

[storewanderer]

Business Insider does a great job of skewering Big Lots here and easily explains everything that is wrong with them. What is this store supposed to be anyway?

https://www.businessinsider.com/big-lot ... 022-12?amp

They have laid out who they are and what they want to be in their communications to investors. They are focusing on being a home goods retailer, and plan to expand to more small town/rural locations.

When you walk in a Big Lots Store, do you feel the above? Do you feel it coming together and coming into place? I don't. The author of this article sure didn't.

They were able to stay open during the COVID pandemic as an essential retailer due to their sale of grocery items and household goods, so their furniture business which was largely a joke before that, was suddenly one of the only games in town for furniture. This got them incredible top line growth during the COVID pandemic since all of their competitors for furniture were basically shut down unless you wanted Wal Mart or Target.

[storewanderer]

Seems Big Lots has done some shuffling of things in my area. Now the store in Lemmon Valley is a mess, the store in Sparks is a semi-mess but seems to be getting worked on, and the store in Reno is actually neat and orderly.

I noticed a few weeks ago in Sparks they had about 7 carts of expired food sitting around marked expired/covered with tape. And then in the Reno unit today they have an area at the corner beside the checkout counter where they throw return to vendor and expired food and this area had at least 4 carts worth of stuff thrown up there (not in carts) but the store otherwise was neat, stocked, I was very surprised. I have not seen that Reno Store look this good ever in the 30 years it has been there.

Lots of Easter left at 90% off. More than I've seen left anywhere.

[veteran+]

Was the expired "date" covered?

[Alpha8472]

The Big Lots in Dublin, California closed recently and will be replaced by Grocery Outlet. I found that store to be totally depressing. It was never busy and there was nothing interesting to buy.

Perhaps Grocery Outlet will be an improvement.

[storewanderer]

Was the expired "date" covered?

No, they were not trying to cover the expiration dates. Big Lots gets a lot of short shelf life items like chips (they've moved to more DSD from Frito in recent years) from their distro that doesn't have very long shelf lives, along with various packaged cookies etc. Also a ton of expired bottled beverages because they get weird stuff nobody buys and price it too high. I think they need to basically exit the food category save for some convenience foods/snack type items and not many of them.