Bargain shoppers across the region said they were disappointed that Big Lots is going out of business.

Some were on the lookout for better bargains as the Columbus, Ohio-based chains liquidates its inventory.

“We’ll be looking for the 90% sales,” Betty Ferringer said.

She’s in the process of moving to the area from Clarion and was loading up her trunk with bags from the Big Lots in Harrison during a shopping trip with Jessica Haskins of Brackenridge.

Another shopper there, Sharon Seagriff of Harrison, said she treats the store like a treasure hunt. Her favorite finds are speciality baking ingredients.

With Big Lots on the way out, she’ll have to look elsewhere — and she’s not thrilled with the options.

“All that’s left here is Walmart,” she said.

Big Lots announced this week it will close its more than 900 locations after a court-supervised sale to private equity firm Nexus Capital Management fell through. Big Lots will still pursue a transaction with Nexus or another buyer, the company noted in a statement, in hopes of securing a deal by early January.

Big Lots filed for bankruptcy protection in September in conjunction with the ill-fated sale agreement. The self-styled “extreme bargain” retailer also warned of additional store closures, on top of a round in July that took down almost 300 stores, including the one in Moon Township.

At the time, Big Lots blamed some of its woes on rising interest rates and, in particular, high inflation, which caused its core customers to curb their “discretionary spending on home and seasonal product categories that represent a big portion of the company’s revenue.”

Big Lots brought in about $4.7 billion in revenue last fiscal year, its lowest haul in more than a decade.

Now, all of the more than 20 Big Lots stores in Southwestern Pennsylvania appear to be doomed.

The company has stores in Allegheny Township, Harrison, Hempfield, Monroeville, Penn Hills, Ross Township, Unity, North Versailles and West Mifflin, to name a few. Some are tucked in older, often withering shopping plazas, while others exist as stand-alone buildings.

The Big Lots website is advertising a sale of up to 50% at all locations.

Other local shoppers included sisters Sara and Adrian Luther, who stopped Friday at the Big Lots store on Route 30 in Unity, when they learned of the discount chain’s impending demise.

“We heard they would be closing and they might be having some sales,” said Adrian Luther, of Hempfield, who came searching for a Christmas present.

The sisters have fond memories of holiday shopping at the store when they were kids. They said the discount prices are what have attracted them as adults.

An ad emailed to Big Lots loyalty customers Friday cited discounts of up to 25% on items at all of its stores, noting in smaller print, “All sales are final.”

Sara Luther, who lives in Unity, received at least 20% off the price of her purchases.

“I am actually sad that Big Lots is closing,” she said. “I always come here looking for odds-and-ends and things, and we don’t have a lot in Latrobe.”

The only indication of changing times inside the Unity store were two signs behind the cashier counter, advising, “All sales final. No returns.”

Ruthie Swindell of New Alexandria said she’d found inventory dwindling in the Monroeville Big Lots store but was pleased to see shelves remained well-stocked at the Unity location.

Swindell, who often stops at the Unity store after attending church services in nearby Pleasant Unity, was able to find a suitable holiday gift for a niece on Friday.

She said she thinks the Unity store should remain open.

“This is a good area,” she said.”They probably get good business.

“When I go in here I find more things than what I went in for.”

Jeff Himler and Jack Troy are TribLive staff writers. Himler can be reached at jhimler@triblive.com. Troy can be reached at jtroy@triblive.com.

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