Big Lots

Big Lots is another overstock/​closeout store that opens in vacant storefronts, so depending on what store you shop at, it can look like an old Supermarket or an old Department store. Just think of an Ollie’s with cleaner locations and slightly more expensive merchandise.
Bloomsburg’s store is clean and well organized, with lots of space, which is their major selling point. Where it loses points is the lack of stock at times due to what appears to be high turnover. Bloomsburg is a town that’s economically depressed, with many college students, and with the Wal-​Mart moving several years ago to a larger supercenter about 5 miles away and no K-​Mart/​Target — Big Lots is the only department store in the Bloomsburg metro area. Frackville and Muncy locations seem to be better stocked overall, so when you see something you want, pick it up immediately.
Credit where credit is due, during an flood scare in 2012 they were the last department store I could find with cases of bottled water and D batteries, before I had to start trying supermarkets.

It is what it is. Some good cheap stuff to be had – in particular, I don’t know any other place where you can buy good new movies (Scorsese! John Carpenter! Billy Wilder! Jonathan Demme! Robert Altman!) for $ 3-​$ 5 each. I bought a mattress and box spring here five years ago – it was cheaper than anywhere else around here and it’s still kicking, so there’s that. But it’s kind of sad when the ambience of a place makes you nostalgic for the taste and decorum of a K-​Mart. When did American’s decide they wanted the shopping experience to be a trough of cheap goods in a warehouse setting? Because I’m jealous whenever I see pictures of department stores of the past.