Big Lots

Stopped in to check out some patio gazebos. They have 3 different ones set up, along with a small one to cover your grill, more than Lowe’s and HDepot. They were a bit more money than the ones from the other stores but seemed to be well made and 2 of them even had privacy curtains. That’s a great feature if you have nosey neighbors, which we do. I didn’t interact with any staff so I can’t comment there. They also have a decent selection of furniture at this location, some of which is affordably priced.

A place like Big Lots comes in handy if you are looking for cheap quantity versus quality. For example, if I’m going camping, I have come in here to buy things like paper plates, paper towels and snacks. DO NOT come here expecting luxe goods. The place is always a hot mess — people pick things up and then just change their mind and surreptitiously put things back in whatever aisle you’ll be. So occasionally you’ll run into a bottle of hot purple nail polish in there with the pet treats.

Some nice quality, cheap stuff (lots of overstock, remainders, etc.) among the crap, but they don’t take EBT. Quite stupid given the volume of food they sell (5 aisles or so).

I’ve been to Big Lots twice. Both times I went in looking for something small (this time it was a shelf for the garage) and end up spending an hour and $ 100 on stuff that I need that is super inexpensive!
Both times I start out without a cart. Then, by some rule of the universe, a cart fins me and I commence filling it up! This trip we got the shelf, some band-​aids, boxes of tissue, a garden hose, dog toys and some snacks. I find it amazing really. Crazy good pricing on brand name products.
The downfall of a discount store like this is the appearance. The store often looks disheveled and out of order. I can live with it, it just aint pretty.

I’ve found Big Lots in other places to be surprisingly good sources of good quality dry foods /​snacks. Unfortunately these are remaindered from other stores so they’re also unreliable as far as availibility, if you see something good load up while you can because that might be all they have.
Reno’s Big Lots is no different, their food section is just a little smaller than some others, but there’s still some decent stuff there on the cheap. Pita chips, low sodium corn chips, pretzels, spaghetti, canned soups, olive oil, 70% cacao chocolate bars a few of the things that were cheaper than usual and also decent quality.
Rest of the store is just as hit or miss as far as bargains. To really take advantage of a store like this you have to know the relative pricing of stuff at all the other bargain stores; I’m new to Reno and there’s a metric shit ton of discount stores here, so I don’t have the greatest grasp on that yet. But at least compared to the Cali prices I’m used to, there were some nice looking deals here — 18 gallon storage totes for 5 bucks, Charmin Ultra Strong TP for ½ of what Walgreens and CVS ask for it, basic hygiene goods all decently priced, OK sheet/​pillowcase sets for 10 bucks. There’s a clearance rack at the very back you might want to look at first.
Too unreliable to be worth a weekly trip, but if you’re going to Trader Joe’s /​CVS anyway might as well take a swoop through and see what they have at the moment.

I had never heard of this place until this weekend when I saw their ad. At first, it wasn’t my cup of tea. Imagine Walmart and the dollar store having a child.
We bought a large item and they were helpful and friendly. They even helped us load the stuff into the truck and overall I was shocked at how smoothly everything went.

You’ll probably never find me in a place like this back home in NYC, but this place comes in handy when you’re trying to stock up for a big trip out in the desert.
Baby wipes. Check.
Batteries. Check.
Socks. Check.
24 gallons of water. Check.
Mouthwash. Check.
Quick check-​out. Check.
Friendly staff. Check.
Thanks Reno for making me feel welcomed!

I love this Big Lots other then the one in Sparks. It is much cleaning and has more.

Ok SO I have to admit I actually shopped here.
I also have to admit I bought something I never thought I would.
What would that be?
A chair in the furniture department, can you imagine a snob like me buying furniture at big lots. I a person whose home is filled with high end and or custom crap.
I tell you I have been looking for a chair for several months now, one where the back does not lean in the slightest backwards. Much harder to find than one would ever had thought.
My sister said she was there and found the perfect chair so I went and checked it out. She was right straight back with the option of a slight recline. Well it is as ugly as sin but very comfortable.
Although they were busy we were helped right away and they brought the chair out and deposited in our vehicle all for a very cheap price and an additional 20 percent off. yahooooey

I think Big Lots is not only hit or miss at times, but also largely underrated. (Of course, if you’re yet another snob from the Bay Area writing yet another shitty review of «all things Reno», then by all means, write a horribly vague, four sentence, one star review. Idiot.)
They often have amazing deals on furniture, and a lot of it is decent stuff, not just that pressed board junk you buy at Wal-​Mart that’s good enough to last one year in a college dorm and then be disposed of. They do have some cheaper quality stuff, but it’s also priced accordingly, significantly lower than the aforementioned good stuff.
They have pretty quick rotation on most of their often unique stock, so if you see something you like, be forewarned that it may not be there in a week or two.
If their inventory sits there for a while (mainly the tables, from what I’ve seen), the price often gets slashed to fifty percent or less what it was initially.
The rest of the store is pretty hit or miss as far as how well-​stocked the shelves are, but it’s definitely worth browsing through at least once.
Oh, I almost forget the ghetto rats who wander through the store just letting their kids run wild. Not nearly as bad as the Reno Costco, but annoying nonetheless.

I like this place. It has inexpensive «this and that» stuff. If your low on cash flow this is the place to go. Everything in here is brand new, some name brand things. They have everyhthing to snacks to clothes, to school items to furniture. This is the place I go to get paper towels, cleaning supplies, and holiday decorates. Cheap!