ChrisM

One of their other "trade secrets" (now don't tell anyone) is they do these drug store buyouts (Exhard, Rite-Aid, SuperX, etc), take the stuff back to their warehouse and reprice the merchandise at double the normal price (often time covering an expiration date and/or previous lower price with their purple price sticker). The merchandise then goes into the Big Lots store at a whopping 10% off. As time passes the discount is increased but the merchandise become terribly shop worn, often time spoiled by leaking product because things are consolidated as they need less space. I contacted the office of the Ohio Attorney General because in Ohio you cannot increase the price of merchandise to advertise a disount but was told that because the merchandise was not originally in the Big Lots store at a lower price they could price it however they wanted.

How ironic. You'd think that with the economy in the tank and Big Lots finally mopping a few floors and fixing the automatic doors to save what business they can in their remaining stores they would have paid you to publish their ads. But honestly I rarely give "reconditioned", "refurbished", end of the model year or soon to expire repriced "Giant Drug Store Buyout" merchandise as Christmas gifts. Most of their current first quality merchandise can be purchased elsewhere for the same or less with less hassle or worry if you should need to return it. And most of their food goods, if actually packaged for sale within the USA, are so close to sell by date that you'd be better served to purchase elsewhere and gain a few weeks (or months) on their shelf life. Funny, but last year I drove past two Big Lots on my way to Target and there was no line and very few cars in the parking lot but the Target lot was packed when I got there an hour before opening.