Bin stores offer big bargains on big ticket items, but it’s all about timing | Call Kurtis

SACRAMENTO — CBS13 and the Call Kurtis consumer investigative team are always on the lookout for ways to score deep discounts, including bin bargains.

All of us return merchandise we’ve purchased. In fact, almost one in five items bought online gets returned, and on those items that have been returned, you can save big money on buying things that others have returned.

Bin stores sell the items others have returned or wasn’t sold at places like Amazon, Target, Walmart and Macy’s. They then sell the merchandise to liquidators. It could be toys, electronics, clothing, and even lawnmowers, grills and power tools priced up to a whopping 80% off.

“You walk in and leave, and buy 10 items, you pay $100,” said Paul Barboza, a liquidator. “It’s $1,000 worth of items.”

One woman scored laptops for $10 each at a Texas store.

“I didn’t think I was going to find two. I was looking for one,” shopper Martha Rodriguez said.

Another shopper, Elmo Ramirez, scored a PlayStation.

“It’s worth like $500, yeah, and I get it for $10,” shopper Elmo Ramirez said.

One bin store, Falling Prices, has locations throughout the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys, from Woodland to Modesto. Pricing starts at $6 on Tuesdays, dropping each day. By Saturday, everything is 25 cents.

On the Thursday afternoon we visited Falling Prices’ Arden store, the best stuff for the week was already gone. But, Margarita Estrada scored coffee that normally costs $7 in the store – for just $2.

“I think it’s a good price,” Estrada said.

Hillary Bontemps-Woods has been a regular at Falling Prices for a long time.

“I would say I literally saved more than a thousand dollars,” she said.

Of course, Tuesday is the big day when you can find the best stuff.

And yes, some people are flipping the items they buy for a profit.

Kurtis Ming

Eleven-time Emmy Award-winner Kurtis Ming is CBS13’s consumer investigative reporter and anchors the CBS13 News weekdays at 4 and 5:30pm.