Ollie's Bargain Outlet

Kmart4life · August 31, 2018, 08:40:40 PM

I have a question about Ollie's but did not find the store in the forums. We have one opening around the end of the year in an old hh gregg location. Is this store similar to Big Lots or is something like Dollar tree? Just curious if anyone can help because I look forward to going there when it opens.

shore72 · August 31, 2018, 09:41:30 PM

A lot closer to Big Lots; I'd say it's more authentic. By that I mean, Big Lots may have started out dealing in odd lots of stuff, freight damaged goods, etc, but now it's more like a low-end discount department store with merchandise made especially for them. Ollie's is a unique place. Lots of top name brands, and you'll see price tags from others stores (Wal*Mart, Kmart, Rite Aid, etc.) They have a large book department and the last time we were in they even had ex-library books for sale! Worth one trip just to look around (and read the goofy signs they have hanging everywhere!) They really do have honest to goodness bargains. The rewards program is pretty good ("Ollie's Army") as they send out 10-15% off coupons on a regular basis that are good on everything you buy. In May I bought a new 12,000 btu window AC, last years model from Wal*Mart (I suspect they bought out the end of season inventory and stored it) and with a coupon it was around $220. They have a good returns policy, as well.

deerwrecker2017 · August 31, 2018, 09:53:10 PM

I have been to a Ollie's Bargain Outlet which is the Belle Vernon (Rostraver) location that had previously housed an Ames. Such stores will run more along the lines of Big Lots but with some differences. Big Lots unlike Ollie's does sell Frozen Food items, Beverages and Name Brand snack food items for example and offers a Credit Card (Issued by Comenity Capital Bank) that's exclusively accepted at all it's locations. If you look carefully at any Ollie's you could get lucky and find something you want or need there for a real bargain and another example is that Ollie's will sell "Scratch and Dent Appliances" in the event that they get any in stock.

Hope that this information is helpful.

Edited to Add - I do agree with shore72 that Big Lots is much different than Ollie's is now. The food items sold at Big Lots is fresh and in season while any food items sold at Ollie's could likely be out of season items that we're unloaded from other retailers (The merchandise found at Ollie's was also unloaded from other retailers too).

Kmart4life · September 01, 2018, 06:17:12 AM

Thanks guys I appreciate it and will definitely check it out.

shore72 · September 01, 2018, 09:57:34 PM

Quote from: deerwrecker2017 on August 31, 2018, 09:53:10 PM

Edited to Add - I do agree with shore72 that Big Lots is much different than Ollie's is now. The food items sold at Big Lots is fresh and in season while any food items sold at Ollie's could likely be out of season items that we're unloaded from other retailers (The merchandise found at Ollie's was also unloaded from other retailers too).

We were in Ollie's a week or two ago and they still had Easter candy and, I'm pretty certain, some Christmas cookies. They hadn't reached their expiration date yet. My wife likes Frankenberry cereal which is only available at Halloween time these days. It starts showing up at Ollie's well after that and they have it in stock for months.

BillyGr · September 02, 2018, 11:50:55 AM

They also had a lot of items from the America's Choice brand back when A&P (and their affiliated brands) closed their stores. Most of that is gone now (either sold or removed as it got to it's sell by dates) but you might find something like that in the non-foods section (where dates wouldn't be an issue - our Ocean State had fabric softener sheets and may still have some).

While they do feature out of season items at Ollie's, they still go by the sale dates (which can be quite long on some items - I've had candy canes that could have been stored for the following Christmas, that's how far out the dates were) so they aren't selling outdated items (or at least not intentionally - like any store it can happen from time to time).

Kmart4life · October 03, 2018, 09:23:23 PM

Photos of our Ollie's grand opening today here in Lakeland Florida courtesy of our paper The Ledger. Unfortunately I had to work but the stores look to be a hit!
http://www.theledger.com/photogallery/LK/20181003/PHOTOGALLERY/100309988/PH/1

JimSawhill · November 03, 2019, 11:52:48 AM

Quote from: Kmart4life on August 31, 2018, 08:40:40 PM
I have a question about Ollie's but did not find the store in the forums. We have one opening around the end of the year in an old hh gregg location. Is this store similar to Big Lots or is something like Dollar tree? Just curious if anyone can help because I look forward to going there when it opens.

Ollie's here in Tampa is in an old Kash&Marry/Sweetbay/Winn-Dixie location. The shopping center has an old Zayres which is now a Walmart. The Ollie's looked like it was moved into the building 2 days after they closed. Signs around the stores are funny...one here says 'Buy American...all our stores are in America'. Good stores..

JimSawhill · November 03, 2019, 11:56:46 AM

Quote from: Kmart4life on October 03, 2018, 09:23:23 PM
Photos of our Ollie's grand opening today here in Lakeland Florida courtesy of our paper The Ledger. Unfortunately I had to work but the stores look to be a hit!
http://www.theledger.com/photogallery/LK/20181003/PHOTOGALLERY/100309988/PH/1

Is that the old hhgreg building? Just wondering...

Kmart4life · November 14, 2019, 07:06:08 PM

Yes in Lakeland and I love that place, they have some pretty darn good deals.

Brammy · March 13, 2023, 01:27:16 PM

Ollie's in Waterbury, Connecticut lost their lease in the former KMART on Wolcott Street and is closing on March 19th, 2023. Word is they wanted to double the rent. Rumors are floating around that the Porter and Chester Institute which takes up the remaining space in the former KMART plans on expanding into the Ollie's space.

Brammy's thoughts: If Ollie's still wants a store in Waterbury they can take some of the empty space next to Planet Fitness on the corner of Lakewood Road and Wolcott Street.

TheFugitive · March 14, 2023, 08:47:45 AM

IMO with as soft as the commercial real estate market has been since COVID you'd have to be insane to be a landlord jacking-up rents. But yours is not the first story I've heard of this happening.

BillyGr · March 14, 2023, 12:41:13 PM

Quote from: TheFugitive on March 14, 2023, 08:47:45 AMIMO with as soft as the commercial real estate market has been since COVID you'd have to be insane to be a landlord jacking-up rents. But yours is not the first story I've heard of this happening.

The same happened with Ollie's in Albany (NY) a couple years ago around this same time of year. They wound up closing their store at Crossgates Commons due to losing a lease. They eventually reopened later in the year (fall timeframe) in Latham in a former Dick's location.

Was never quite sure if they actually were forced to leave (as has happened more recently in a plaza just down the road from that one to a local store that had been there for years, in order to make space for a chain store selling similar items), or if it was just someone trying to charge more than they wanted to pay.