Big Lots Store No 343

For what it is — a closeout/​overstock retailer — Big Lots is A-​OK. I remember coming to this store on Westchester Drive multiple times during the 90s. I hadn’t visited in over 15 years until recently and was somewhat surprised to see the business still in operation. Since we were at the nearby Food Lion, I suggested we go check out Big Lots. For me, it was mainly for nostalgia’s sake.
The place has been completely redesigned from how I vaguely remember it. The store was clean and offered a hodgepodge of items from $ 5 DVDs to lawn furniture to vacuum cleaners and kitchen appliances to scented candles, household tools, cleaning supplies, and name brand foods. There’s a little bit of everything at Big Lots and it can be entertaining to just walk around and see what you can find.
I remember buying an old time radio (OTR) cassette tape here with two radio shows. On one side of the tape, it was Casablanca (1943) with Humphrey Bogard and Ingrid Bergman, one of my favorite movies. On the other side of the tape, it was Casbah (1949). This was a somewhat bizarre/​strange find because the liner and tape labels looked bootleg. I also bought some He-​Man and Ninja Turtles audio cassettes here. At the Lexington Big Lots, I purchased a VHS tape of Charlton Heston’s 1971 film, The Omega Man.
Enough with reminiscing. These days, you can sign up for a free «Buzz Club» card and get additional savings. There always seem to be deals going on so be sure to check out the flyers, accessible in-​store or online at
. An example of a deal I saw was a $ 10 mix-​and-​match where you could buy 10 of any of multiple select items (e.g. sets of toothbrushes, cans of beans, 2-​liter beverages, spices, bags of chips, Hamburger Helper, Heinz ketchup), effectively bringing each item’s price down to $ 1.
We came across a variety of Oreo flavors: Heads or Tails Double Stuffed, Golden, Mint Crème, Birthday Cake, Berry Burst, and Banana Split. Each 14.3 oz bag was $ 2.50. They had Vita Coco Coconut Water too.
All of the folks who worked here were polite and friendly, from the guy stocking the shelves to the assistant manager who checked us out.