The plaza on Route 212 in Saugerties that formerly housed the Grand Union supermarket will get a new anchor store next week, when Big Lots holds its grand opening Nov. 18.
Big Lots bills itself as the “largest broadline retail store chain in the country,” with 1,445 stores around the country, including 23 opening this month, the chain’s media contact, Toni Fink, said last week.
Its department stores focus mainly on selling closeout and overstock merchandise.
Big Lots, based in Columbus, OH, gets its merchandise in a few different ways. It buys out large stocks that other stores can’t move, as well as factory closeouts and similar large-scale bargains. As such, the variety of goods is always changing, depending on supplies, and prices are low. Bargain hunters looking for serendipitous finds often frequent the stores. A soft opening is set for Monday, Nov. 14, with the grand opening to follow four days later.
The online listing of specials looks like the four-page pullouts that supermarkets place in local newspapers, even giving the appearance of turning pages as a viewer moves through the ads. The specials give an idea of the wide variety of goods the stores handle, from foods to furniture and nearly everything in between. A random sample from this week’s specials includes a two-liter bottle of Pepsi Cola ($1.19), a Bella 5 quart programmable slow cooker, an iron, a toaster, a blender or a coffee maker (all $19), a Kodak 14-megapixel camera with two gigabyte card, case and battery ($69.99), and two-piece sectional couches in two different styles ($599.99).
While Big Lots primarily buys out large lots of merchandise from other retailers, the chain is beginning to develop its own lines of some products, Fink said. She expects this to become a growing part of the store’s activities.
The company traditionally makes a donation to a local school when it opens a new store. This time is no different: it’s giving $2,500 to Saugerties High School. In addition to local officials, executives from Big Lots will be attending the grand opening, Fink said, including regional manager Vince Zaluski, who will present the $2,500 check to school principal Tom Averill.
To see the full weekly advertisement showing the specials for the week, visit www.biglots.com/weekly-Ad.
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