Big Lots Has a Secret

I never really have been a huge fan of Big Lots. I felt like the store was dirty, I couldn’t find people who would be open to helping me find something, the products on the shelves seemed more like a hodge podge of stuff that led me feeling overwhelmed, and to be frank I usually forgot it existed.

It wasn’t until just a few months ago when my husband needed a remote, that we visited “the big orange store.” He figured that Big Lots would probably be a bit cheaper than Walmart, and come to find out it was! While he was in the electronics department I decided to have a quick look around the store. I was shocked! Big Lots has improved, big time.

Since being the sole grocery shopper in the family, I consider myself to be an “expert” in knowing the prices of things we need. I know which products I can get from which store and where it would be the cheapest. Well, I can officially say that Big Lots has been added to my list of cheap places to shop. So far I’ve noticed that their products tend to be cheaper than Walmart and I’m still figuring out if they are cheaper than Aldi.

The shelves can sometimes be overwhelming when you’re trying to find something but overall they have definitely improved. The last couple of times I have been in there, the employees have asked me if I needed help with anything and have been exceptionally nice. So it’s not only the store itself bringing me back, but their prices are definitely something to swoon over as well.

So what about this Big Lots secret? If you shop there frequently, I’m sure you know exactly what I’m about to say. My mom introduced me to the orange store’s “secret.” Only the managers know when it’s going to happen but every once in awhile (I want to say about once a month) on the weekends they have a 20% off your entire purchase! That includes food, household items, toys, even furniture! You name it, it’s included in their deal. If you sign up for their rewards program they’ll send you e-mails, but most of the time I find out about the 20% off weekend through employees letting me know when it’s coming up, or from the massive amounts of advertising signs leading to their store.

When they run their 20% off everything deal, that’s when I stock up. Their prices are already are great, but 20% off is even better! I haven’t shopped too much in their food department but I can say for a fact that their household items and cleaning products are an incredible deal.

Check out what we bought last Sunday:

All of that in the picture above plus a package of two toothbrushes for $1.00 (not shown above because they’re being used) came out to a total of $15. Can you believe that?! 166 loads of laundry detergent, a new mop head, 128 oz of bleach, 64 oz of dish soap, and two toothbrushes for ONLY $15! I’m always blown away by the price when I swipe my card. If you can stand fighting the crowds during their 20% off weekend, it’s completely worth it.

Do you know any stores that have “secrets” like Big Lots? Let me know!