Bin Treasures — Local services in Northfield

I was in the area and planning to do some thrifting, and I've always been curious about these "bin" stores. Now Saturday is the $10 day and that's when inventory is refreshed, and I came in toward the end of the day which certainly affected my experience. It was interesting to browse the bins, but my immediate impression was that 98% of the bin contents were not worth $10 new. I did find a few intriguing items but was a little frustrated that there are several items that are completely unlabeled and sealed. I've gathered that they're very strict about too closely inspecting mystery items even if they're already opened, so I just left most of the non-descript cardboard boxes as is. However I did find two items that I thought might be worth $10 if they were in perfect condition, so I brought them to the back table where you can open them under supervision from the team. Both items were in good condition so I did walk away with three boxes that probably were an OK deal at ~$30, but it definitely didn't feel like a "steal." I'll have to come back on a $2 day maybe.

I think this store could really benefit from just a basic level of organization. I found several of the same exact item scattered throughout the entire store, and the bottom of every bin was littered with lots of little items like accessories or kids toys that simply wouldn't be worth more than a dollar on any day. For six days out of the week, they probably just take up space in the bins. I bet they would be able to move a lot more inventory by having a "$1 bin" every day for all the miscellanea like stickers and cheap accessories that tend to collect at the bottom. Maybe even having a few other bins for "$3-5 items" and "$6-10 items" like tiers (pick your price point, just sort them by rough appraised value). There are already special areas for shoes, cosmetics, and more expensive items. Slightly better sorting would probably make a big difference in customer experience.

Lastly, they'd really do well to at least generally label the mystery boxes. I know they do this already with every big-ticket item, but, I think opening boxes in the bins wouldn't be such a problem if customers had a general idea of what was inside. The Amazon returns already have an inventory sticker with a brief description, but the other store returns don't. Again, I think inventory would move faster if it was better labeled and the low-value (~$1) items were priced separately from the daily price. I just don't see the point of having sticker packs or keychains in the same bins as everything else on a $10 day.

The big ticket items in the back looked nice enough, but the list prices did seem a bit high for open box/returned items. Sure, it COULD be a normal item with no defects, but it might also be damaged or missing parts. The gamble is part of the thrill, but paying almost MSRP without knowing just seems like too high of a risk to the customer. I would have expected on the order of 40%-60% OFF the original price, but saw more on the order of 5%-15% OFF MSRP on average. Look maybe this model works for them, but it just took me by surprise given the store concept.

Overall it was an interesting experience, and coming toward the end of the day surely affected the selection. But the lower customer traffic did allow me to have a leisurely pace exploring the bins and the store, and I had no problems getting a store associate to open mystery items for me. I really like this model of liquidating otherwise lost-value items, but again I think some adjustments to the store's pricing model would help them make more sales. I bought three items for $30 total here, and then bought 10 other items from Goodwill for $28 directly after. The latter felt like a far better deal for what it's worth.

It's a very interesting concept located in a cool old building, and I'd like to come back again (on a cheaper day) and compare...

Used to really like this store but lately they’ve raised their prices and last time I was shopping a woman approached me letting me know to not open packages (everything is in Amazon boxes and it used to never be a problem but I said okay).

She was hovering around me and came over AGAIN telling me to take my package to the back and I showed her the box was clearly ripped open— half the box was literally missing, and she kept telling me to take it back like ARE YOU BLIND?? Leave me alone I didn’t open anything.

I told her to “get a grip”. she literally took my cart away from me and told me to leave. This lady thinks she’s the mayor. Of bin treasures!! Like bruh chill.

I was like yo can I talk to a manager, she said we don’t have one.. I was like okay?!? so we’re just running the Wild West over here??

I asked her multiple times what I did wrong, and idk she was just being a control freak like bruhhhh… GET A GRIP.

THIS IS CLOSEOUT STORE YA CLOWN!!!

Anyway not so great— they used to have better products and better prices. That was such a bad experience...

I am so glad I found this place last weekend. I am only sad I didn't know about it any sooner! I bought some small stuff out of the bins on Saturday (their $10 day) and I also came back the next day to buy some premium items. I got a great deal on a Dyson Outside Vacuum that retails for $800 - I got it for $400. You are able to test all vacuums, and electronics at their "testing station" which is SO nice!! I also bought a Bissell heavy duty steamer (brand new) for 50% off retail. I bought a target brand accent chair and foot stool pair (also brand new) for 50% off retail price. I met and talked with both the owners and they were beyond helpful. He even showed me the back storage room because he could tell I was very interested in the whole business. Thank you to the owners and other employees for being so kind and welcoming, I cant wait to be back!

Side note: I highly recommend bringing cash because they charge 4% on all credit card transactions. And all items are not returnable so I highly urge you to...