General Merchandise Co — Local services in Pataskala

I consider myself a fairly savvy consumer. Generally, when I go into places I have a good idea of the value of most of the items in that general category. I'm also generally not one to really go out of my way to bash companies, unless there is some particular reason for it. I've read through some of the other reviews and saw mention of "great prices", "great knives", "great selection." I'm not sure where these opinions are formed from, but I'll point out some half-truths about them, because their opinions and experiences clearly don't align with mine.

When I go into surplus stores, I plan to actually see surplus items. In their defense, they do have some surplus stuff, but 95% of it is either imported, new lookalike stuff from China, or just "surplus" stuff that is years behind the curve (like a bunch of ALICE stuff).

I looked at most of the stuff they stocked, but I'll just discuss 3 separate items that I looked at primarily because I remember the price they were asking for them.

#1. FILBE Hydration pouch (marked "USMC hydration pouch"). Asking price was $60.00 with no bladder. Just under double what you can get the same pouch for online. #2. ACU Surplus M240 barrel bag. Asking price was $60.00. Again, just under double what you can get them for online. #3. USGI Multicam IFAK. Asking price I believe was $90. This one I'm a little fuzzy on. In any case, you can again, find them online for considerably less, to the tune of about $30 less.

So you can see that the "great prices" thing doesn't exactly hold up if you start looking at things. Now, having said all of that, I didn't look at many of their BDU prices, just general surplus stuff. They might be cheaper on those items, but I really, really doubt it.

What they do have is a fairly knowledgeable staff, and that's sort of obvious buy the way they price their stock. They know what they have, and what they're selling, and you will pay an ASSLOAD for the quality stuff that you can buy online for considerably less. I like to keep my business local when I can, and I truly enjoy going into places like General Merchandise Co, it's fun to "treasure hunt" for the increasingly elusive "good" deals. Hell, I'll probably go back in and buy more stuff in the future, but anyone that things they have "great/good" deals doesn't know what...

Prices are absolutely insane. I understand a small business owner has to make money but the mark up is through the roof. Now this is where my one star comes in...... A young girl who was around 11-12 must of been waiting outside while her brother (I'm assuming) was buying some paint ball gun stuff. She asked if there was a bathroom she could use and this is a direct quote from the guy working there. "About a 1/4 mile up the road is a brand new Sunoco you can go to" Seriously? That's how you handle business? That was a quote from you, not me. I was floored when you told a small child that (and said it VERY impertinent) like she had to do the walk of shame out the store. This was less than a half hour ago so I'm not miss quoting anything. I'll buy online from now on.

$60 for a back pack?, just a standard pack a kid would carry to school. And where do y'all go to...

I should have gotten their names but the older lady and gentlemen that work here both were super friendly and gave me the attention as if I was the only person there. The first time I just had general questions and even though they no longer have a gun tech, they said I could bring my stuff back and they would look over it. It is my first time here and since I told her that, she went in detail about their store and what they sold and where it was.

I received some stuff from a deceased co-worker's husband. I brought it all back and the gentleman took probably 20 minutes going through everything I had. He knew about parts and models and everything. I was super pleased with how he addressed all of my concerns and didn't seem to be impatient with me at all. I will come back. They treated me with...