Ocean State Job Lot — Local services in Clinton Township

I don't dislike Job Lot, it's just that certain areas are indeed well kept & organized while others are sorely lacking in any quality or organization.

The books are a wreck. Nothing but junk.

The clothes are far better & the choices on the food shelves are diverse.

Apparently, Job Lot is slowly becoming a grocery store. They used to have lots of great hair products -- not anymore. I guess the buyers who work for Job Lot are focused on other products.

I visit Big Lots sometimes and they seem to be upgrading the quality of their products. Some items don't look cheap or no name. Yes, they're becoming a little more expensive but they are a far more organized store. Now, I said organized not dirty. Job Lot is a clean store.

But, some shelves are in disarray...for a long time. Their book selections -- since libraries are still closed (Sept 2020) you'd think they'd tap some book sources like the one Dollar Tree uses. They have a good selection & they're a dollar store.

Hint? Think about what made Woolworths so successful for decades & see if it would work again today. Woolworths didn't go out of business because of poor products but poor management...then they morphed into Foot Locker.

But the old 5 & 10 was always a fun place to visit. Diversity, consistent sales, good stuff, interesting stuff. You have to hook the customer since you don't sell items they'd go online to buy.

Examine the creativity of Home Goods, Hobby Lobby, even Tractor Supply & the old Woolworths. Great atmosphere.

Job Lot just sounds like a salvage store...a glorified thrift shop, close outs, much the same as the old Odd Job stores & Amazing Savings. I like Job Lot...But it's losing traction in certain departments.

The prices are basically good but the presentation, the showcase -- beginning to suffer a little. I just remember coming to Job Lot in the beginning & spending an hour & a half there. Now it's 45 minutes.

All's not lost...just rethink some of the departments.

The art supplies are great but could be even better. I didn't find any Tempra paint, calligraphy pens, or starter kits for oil painting. But you had a great assortment of sketch books & canvass.

See what I mean?

Ask your customers at check out what they'd like to see at Job Lot, from product's to a department.

If more than 5 ask for something.That's what you need to stock up on...see how it moves.

Maybe more t-shirts than polo shirts. Maybe more variety in baseball caps & what's embroidered on them. Music artists, Harley-Davidson logo, oil can brands, clever sayings. Not everyone is into sports.

Go to the auctions & buy in bulk what was once high end. Don't buy DVDs that r readily available at flea markets...look for ones that are better titles. Be selective.

Be the place people can find gifts. Suggest things. Stores r going out of business everyday that have cool stuff. Pick it up, your a Job Lot, right?

Less cheap sunglasses & more better quality ones -- bought at auction.

That's it. Be creative.

It pays off. Free info from a former NYC marketing man.

Oh yeah...hire people who know the products...Or are willing to learn about what they're selling. It helps when people ask questions. You don't want people driving to Big Lots. Oh no.

Suggestion: get more cookies, cake, drinks & chocolate that are sugar FREE. Diabetics are customers....

Update on 4/14/2022: We drove to the Clinton location to search for an outdoor patio rug and found a huge selection, properly organized interior and great team member like TOM who helped us from one aisle to next. Then he was our cashier! I also spoke with manager, Keith, to commend him on a great store.

July 2021: One day as we were returning from our NJ beach vacay, on a whim, we took an hour to shop by and peruse the new seasonal merchandise for great prices. So, if you are searching for household items, big or small and know your prices, stop by to shop awhile. I compare this store to BIG LOT'S or an Ollies but more organized with competitive or cheaper prices. The seasonal merchandise sells fast because price points are cheap and in limited supply. So, if you see something, buy it. In addition, they offer this promotion to buy the advertised item at a special price and OSJL issues a gift card for partial price back for future use. Like getting the item at HALF or for FREE....

Store as a wide variety of items that you can find cheaper than other locations. Some of the items may be a little out of date, as we found some candy and cereals from Halloween. However the expiration dates were still good.

There are also some deals that allow you to get a gift card for the amount of the item. This basically makes the item free. For instance on our last visit there was a mat for $29.99, and they gave you a gift card for $29.99 when you purchased it, provided you bought an additional $30 worth of items.

We found items from a large variety of categories including outdoor, clothing, office supplies, food, tools, and much much more.

This is the second location that we have been to and the employees of both locations were very friendly. They seem happy to have customers.

#Joblot #discountstore...