Ocean State Job Lot

OSJL is an adventure-​never quite know what iss lurking on the shelves and hangers! Art supplies, books, shoes (4 inch high heels anyone?), pet care… but especiallly the grocery section! Gluten free items abound. Olive oil & condiments at awesome prices. Agave nectar & stevia for diabetic folks and all manner of snacks and drinks. Kitchenware is fabulous qualit & price. Handicapped accessible bathroom. Friendly helpful staff. I buy lovely FUNKY aka fun clothing & make up too. Prices are outstanding.

There is a wide variety of items and most are very low prices, akin and in some instances lower than WalMart. Some things are good quality but a lot is not as good quality so buyer beware, if you want something to last or if you want something for a kid that is going to see some strain and wear probably not the best place to go. This is an old Ames building, in some instances nothing has ever changed and they are more than in need to do some renovations and remove some of the things that just seem to sit here and take up space. This is an everything store but a lot of the items can also be found at a dollar store too.

This store is kind of a fun place to just waste some time cruzing around in. Have found some pretty good deal’s & is never exactly the same twice.

For what it is (an overstock store) some of the things and deals you can find here are fantastic. One of the greatest things that Ocean State offers are cheap healthy snacks. Many times you can find great organic foods such as Newman’s Own products.

OSJL (or «Oslo,» as we call it around our house) is fun and a definite source of entertainment in this small town! Like all stores in this category, its hit or miss but that’s part of the fun. We’ve gotten some great deals there, and it has the best selection of olive oil anywhere around, also great organic whole wheat pasta (Luigi Vitelli).

This place is hit or miss with some things. There are plenty of items that are always in-​stock & at a great price, plenty of household staples AND treats. :)
They bring out plenty of seasonal items with each new season at reasonable prices. Sometimes items here are more $$ than at other stores, however, the majority of items are cheaper.
They have a funny selection of organic items at great prices: olive oil (often), cookies (always), crackers (always), Asian noodles (always), grains, dried beans, olives (sometimes), cereal (always), granola bars (always), etc. They have the best selection of Bob’s Red Mill around, including super markets & smaller organic grocery stores, including tons of gluten-​free mixes.
I appreciate that they carry toys made in the USA too. I bought a plastic tea party with tea cart set for my daughter here a few years ago for $ 14.99. Bought a set of sand toys for my son this year with a wagon for $ 10.99, both made in the USA. Also in the winter they sell sleds & snow block makers, made in the USA.
They’ve got a bit of everything.
Clothes are close-​outs so those are never the same. I don’t buy socks often enough here to know if their accessories were close-​outs all of the time or if they’re consistent in their selection, although I do know they have fleece socks here for $ 3/​pair all of the time (compared to $ 12/​pair elsewhere), which I love, & I find nice socks here for my husband’s stocking every Christmas — last year it was Bamboo socks for $ 2/​pair!!!
They have a pretty consistent selection of tools, tarps, axes & hatchets, ropes, duct tape, painting supplies, etc, although I try to pop back there once/​month to see if there is something new & sometimes there is but the majority is a consistent selection.
Pet supplies like collars, beds, & clothes, & treats too, the selection is consistent.
Same thing with kitchen goods like knives, cooking utensils, bowls, measuring spoons & cups, etc. They have beautiful bamboo cooking spoons & bamboo cutting board & drying rack.
Sheets, linens, curtains, those are more «hit or miss» — those are definitely close-​outs.
They sell knobs & drawer pulls for $ 1 — random, I know, but I suppose if I need a matching set cheaply I know where to go.
Food selection is pretty consistent. I already went into the organics but they almost always have Kettle chips & if they don’t have those (rare) they always have a fun, quirky selection of chips & snacks, lots that are gluten-​free & vegan. They always have real maple syrup. They always have spices for $ 1/​bottle, cling wrap, aluminum foil (including recycled for ½ the price as supermarkets), economy sized boxes of zippered baggies, plastic food containers, both cheaper «throw away» kinds & the kinds with lids that snap on. They always have coffee, tea, good selection (although I’m picky so I don’t buy those here). Cheap bottles of sparkling cider, different flavors, for ½ what they charge at even the cheap super markets ($ 2 instead of $ 4). They have a fun selection of marinated & preserved foods like olives (stuffed with blue cheese, plain like with pimentos, whole, garlic stuffed, mixed Greek whole or pitted, kalamata, etc), peppers (hot & otherwise), marinated button mushrooms (whole & pieces), marinated artichoke hearts, etc, so I often get a 1 – 2 jars of each & make a nice little spread for a fast & CHEAP but elegant selection of pick-​ons.
They have luggage, although I don’t know luggage so I couldn’t tell you if it’s garbage or not.
The make up & personal care products are (garbage), although I am super-​picky about what I put on my skin.
The book selection is pretty random, close-​outs.
They have greeting cards, but I make my own so I’ve never looked.
They have a decent selection of office supplies, consistent.
Things I would stay away from here include kitchen appliances like rice cookers, popcorn poppers, etc. Those are definitely over-​priced given that they’re all crappy brands. You can find much better deals on good appliance brands online. And anything huge & expensive like a generator I’d stay away from. They sometimes have these & my husband looked up online reviews & they got like 1 or 2 stars & some people couldn’t even get them to work. So things like that I wouldn’t recommend buying here.
It’s just a fun store. The cashiers are nice, for the most part. Once over the holidays I heard a staff-​meeting (it was held AT the checkout counters) & the store manager was being a HUGE jerk, totally unprofessional. That was pretty uncomfortable.
Love this place. I especially love how dismissive of this place some of the reviewers are. That’s fine. Let them pay 2−4x as much right next door or down the road & leave the consistently great bargains to people who really know how to stay within a budget. ;) Anyone who says the selection here is never consistent has obviously never been here more than once for more than one thing.
Happy shopping!

Having lived in big cities most of my life, relocating to rural New Hampshire a number of years ago forced me out of necessity to change my shopping habits. Goodbye Saks Fifth, Neimans, Bloomies, Macy’s and even Target until one was finally built in Keene a couple of years ago.
As a result, I find myself frequently trolling the aisles of Ocean State «Junk Lot» (as it is referred to in our household) more often than I would ever admit to my City friends when the issue is one of whether it’s worth my time to drive to the «big Cities» (i.e., Keene or Nashua) or just suck it up and see whether the Junk Lot has what I need in a pinch.
I recently bought a wet suit there for under $ 40 that my child needed for a school trip which likely would have cost twice as much had I driven to the sporting goods stores in Keene or Nashua. I’ve also purchased some very nice and inexpensive glazed flower pots, which have held up year after year outside in our harsh winters, which cost a fraction of what they would have been at other garden outlets.
However, the one thing that is sorely needed, not only at the Junk Lot, but in all of Peterborough, is a place to buy underwear in a pinch. If you’re short of underwear and don’t have the time to do a load, you must still drive that ½ hour to Rindge or Keene to pick up some fresh ones. If only the Junk Lot had underwear, it would get four stars from this harried mom.

This place makes me happy.
I am on a monthlong artist residency here. I don’t get into town as much as I’d like, and at times I feel isolated.
Job Lot, with its random-​beyond-​random selection and friendly cashiers, gives me the oomph to Create My Art.

Job Lot is great. Great brand name kitchen stuff cheap.
Got nice stainless steel bowls here. I got a professional juicer here for 10 bucks. They had Corningware for very cheap.
I would not recommend going there for anything too specific, go with an open mind. The turn over of items is very high. I always leave with a bunch of random great stuff.

OK, I did stop by for a linen’s and things bamboo towel, and ended up buying all of this weird food, including spiked marachino cherries. So it is kind of hypocritical to give only one star. They do have a good selection of dog accessories.

If you’re from NYC, you may be familiar with stores like Odd Job, Weber’s, or Amazing Savings. You know, those all-​inclusive department stores that boast deals up the wazoo, but usually never carry anything worth buying in the first place. Ocean State Job Lot is no different, at least in their Peterborough location.
I can see one might come here for the occasional replacement kitchenware set, or maybe a nice rug (they have a decent selection of those at least), or some unimpressive school supplies. Otherwise, there’s not much to sniff at. Their pet section is pitiful, save for some large dog cages, and of the lawn ornaments and decorations they carry, all I can say is a hearty «WTF?» Why would I need a watermelon-​sized, demented-​looking metal turkey with spring-​set limbs? I have yet to figure that out.
Don’t expect anything super amazing here. Carry on.