Review of Ollie's Discount Store Chain

Another store I visited today was the Jessup, Maryland Ollie's. Ollie's is a discount store chain that sells merchandise that they're able to get a discount and sell it cheap to its customers. They do offer some nice deals. Today for example, I was able to get a Chefman 300 watt hand blender for $20. According to Ollie's, this blender would normally sell for double that. Another plus with Ollie's is they have a loyalty program called Ollie's Army. Being a member can get you 10% off entire purchase coupons which can save you even more.

One down side to Ollie's is you never know what they're going to have. And, once what they have is gone, they many times don't get anymore nor are there any more in the back nor may they have a lot of choices in the item such as color or team. I asked the cashier if they had another turquoise Chefman blender in the back as the box was open on the one I found and, he told me they put on the floor all the stock they get. So, what you see is what they have and once it's gone, it's gone just as they say. So, it can be a mixed blessing as you may be able to get a good deal on something though it may not be the color you want or the team (this Ollie's has some staplers with various NFL team logos on them) and you better get it when they have it otherwise, you may not get that deal again.

Ollie's does put out an email flyer you can get which goes out regularly telling customers what particular specials they're having at that time.

Merchandise wise, the stores sell a wide range of goods. They have canned and dried food items, sports equipment, carpets, automotive stuff, cooking utensils, small appliances, books, stationery items, toiletry items like deodorant and shampoo, shoes and boots, DVDs, the gamut. Basically, they sell whatever items they can get at a discount because of close outs or other reasons and pass on the savings to their customers.

Overall, I've been pretty pleased with this chain though it can be frustrating in that you never know what they're going to have barring that what they will have will be cheaper than what you would normally find it for elsewhere. Also, selections can be few. Another example of that was some Progresso soups they had at this store. They have 4 different Progresso soups for just 99 cents a can - great price but very limited selection. If you're interested in shopping at this chain, I'd definitely recommend you check out their website and sign up for their email flyer as this will tip you off what's in their stores at that time. It'll enable you to snatch up some nice deals (I got another good deal on a Himalayan salt lamp) before they disappear. Happy shopping all!

Review of Entenmann's Thrift Outlet Store

A couple months ago, I discovered an Entenmann's Thrift Outlet store at 7351 Assateague Drive in Jessup, Maryland. The store features discounted items on a number of different name brands including Arnold, Thomas and Sara Lee. I've visited the store twice and been very pleased with it both times. The stores staff are helpful and, they offer great deals on various items example: 3 bags of Thomas everything bagels for $4 or 3 bags of Ball Park hot dog buns for $3. You can buy individual bags of items but, you won't save as much. They claim you can save 50% or more and, they may be right. I've seen single loaves of Arnold bread sell for over $3 alone at other stores.

The stores hours are Tuesday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. They're closed on Sundays and Mondays. They offer good parking. Also, they offer a military/police/fire 10% off discount on Tuesdays and a 10% Senior discount on Wednesdays.

My only complaint with them is that at times, they don't have that much stuff on the shelves.

Overall, I've been very pleased with them and feel I've gotten some really good bargains on name brand baked goods. If you're in the Jessup, Maryland area and want some really good priced baked goods, this store is worth checking out in my opinion. Happy shopping all!

Update: September 27, 2017. I visited this store today and to my surprise, they had signs up saying they don't sell out of date merchandise. Apparently, would be customers assume that since they're an outlet store that they're selling stuff that is old. They don't. I bought some Thomas Pumpkin Spice bagels at this store today and, their sell by date is October 3, 2017 (6 days away as of this post). The bagels are still fresh and perfectly good to eat. Folks who want a bargain on brand name bread goods like Thomas, Arnold, Holsum and Beefsteak (they make an excellent rye bread) to name some of the brands they sell should give this a place look if they're in the Jessup, Maryland area.

Update: November 9, 2020. Yesterday, I visited this store to see what was happening with it. On a previous visit, I noticed they were taking down the shelf units and had cleared out all the merchandise. On this visit, the windows were blocked out and, they had taken down the Entenmman's Thrift Store sign. To me, this says the store is permanently closed. I don't know why they decided to do away with the store. I found it offered some very good bargains on baked goods at times. When I was at this shopping center, I made a point of visiting this store if it was open to see what they had. I'm saddened it's gone.