What Is A Bin Store And Why You Should Go
I love a good sale, and who doesn’t want to get things they need at a discounted price. Oftentimes retail stores are jumping seasons before I’ve even had a chance to process what I need. I’m searching for sunscreen and they’re putting out Halloween or, gasp, Christmas décor. When retail stores need to downsize their stock or clearance items they can send it to a discount store. Shopping at places like TJ Maxx, Marshalls, or Ollie’s you can often find brands common to department stores or retail giants like Target. End of the Lane is a local example of a shop where you can find close-out items from places like Target or local shop Royal Standard.
But what about online stores? With prime days and circle weeks and Black Friday in July we’re bombarded with “deals” online. Sometimes you may make an impulsive purchase and once it arrives realize that you don’t need it, it’s not the right size or it just isn’t working for you so you return it. This is where a bin store comes in.
What is a “Bin” Store
A bin store is a place where returns, closeouts or over stock is sent in bulk to be sold. They can also be referred to as liquidation stores. I had no idea these stores existed until I scrolled past a Facebook post exclaiming “I just got this for $8!” along with a photo of a box set of hardback novels. It caught my attention, so I read the comments and learned about bin/liquidation stores. The store owners may buy pallets of returns or closeouts and then sell them to you. It’s a discount for you and a profit for them. They often have set prices that decrease daily. For example: the store opens on Friday and everything is $8, prices drop daily from there: Saturday $6, Sunday $4, Monday $2, Tuesday $1 and Wednesday .50¢. I was intrigued and decided to see if there were any in the Baton Rouge area. I was surprised to find there are several.
What to Expect
Expect to dig. There are boxes and bags and all sorts of things just mixed together on the tables/bins. Most of theses stores have a caveat, no opening boxes, but they do have a spot where you can take your treasure and open it to ensure all parts are there and it’s in one piece.
Expect a lot of people. Most of the stores are closed one day a week for “re-stocking” and then open the next day to a rush. I checked out one store on a Friday afternoon. There were a lot of people, but since it was later in the day I didn’t see the “rush.”
Expect to spend some time. You’ll probably be there awhile just searching through the vast space. Even if you’re not a “digger” just looking at all there is to offer can take time.
Expect to see a lot you don’t want/need. Not everything is a treasure. On the day I visited I saw several out dated wall calendars and other items I couldn’t think of a way to use. That doesn’t mean it may not be useful for someone else.
What Will You Find
Appliances, personal beauty items, baby and kid stuff, home décor, toys, arts & crafts, some places even have furniture. The vast array of items is almost hard to describe. You can go in with an idea or a general category. I went “just to see,” (and, honestly, to see if I could score a great deal on books.). I didn’t find any books but I did see items like Target brand wipes, picture frames, pool floats, clothing and shoes. I did buy a new simple modern water bottle and a really cute basket for the kid’s books.
Where To Find
As of this writing these are the locations I’ve found after doing some online searching:
- Black Friday Deals 2084 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd, Baton Rouge
- Bin City Liquidation 5840 Plank Rd, Baton Rouge
- Crazy Cajun Bin Store: 9126 Greenwell Springs Rd, Baton Rouge
- Crazy Cajun Bin Store: 423 New Roads St, New Roads
- Family Deals: 10545-A Airline Hwy, Baton Rouge
- Family Deals 2: 12444 Florida Blvd, Baton Rouge
All of these locations have a social media presence, primarily Facebook, that provides details on their hours, sale prices and updates. So, happy shopping I hope you find some great deals!
