Alco Closing, YMMV

[fm2176]

The Pembroke and Glennville (GA) Alco locations have had store closing sales for a few months now. I stopped into Pembroke earlier and noticed that they lock the doors permanently in a week. A quick online search revealed that the entire chain is closing within a month or two.

Needless to say, the store was pretty bare, but some shelving and display cases were still available, as was the Kodak digital picture printer ($500 OBO). The hardware section was miniscule but everything there was 60% off. They had a number of oil filters and some portable power packs for 70% off.

Alco filled a niche in small towns and saved me many a trip to Statesboro or Savannah when I lived in Pembroke. Anyway, if you have one close by, it may be worth a trip. Everything was 40-70% off, and the discounts will probably increase in the next few days.

 

[A_Pmech]

I just noticed the Alco near me had a huge store closing banner on it. Now I know why!

 

[Ign]

I looked at their oil awhile back when AZ had so much for $1/qt. At the time Alco was 30% off but no good deals. Family Dollar and Dollar General are going strong around here, so Alco was doing something wrong.

 

[AE2]

I noticed the one in Sabetha, KS is closing too. Even selling store fixtures.

 

[fm2176]

I looked at their oil awhile back when AZ had so much for $1/qt. At the time Alco was 30% off but no good deals. Family Dollar and Dollar General are going strong around here, so Alco was doing something wrong.

According to the reports I read, sales were down chain-wide. My experience is limited to the two stores I mentioned above, but I'd speculate that many locations made money. Glennville has a Fred's, Family Dollar, and Dollar General (which are the prevalent dollar chain down here) as well as a Rite-Aid; while still limited, locals have a little flexibility when choosing where to shop. Pembroke has only a DG, and Alco saved a 35-mile trip to Wal-Mart in many cases.

I do think that Alco tried being Wal-Mart, Jr a bit too much. Toys seemed to stay on the shelves, yet three or four aisles were devoted to them; home decor took up a couple of aisles; electronics were prominently displayed; and overall it seemed like the store was too well stocked, if anything, offering a little of everything without offering a variety of options. I bought furniture and my tv from there, but most customers probably drove the extra distance to compare 5 different models of 22" tv before settling for the single 22" Alco stocked. They'd have probably done much better focusing on clothing and housewares instead of expensive electronics and trendy toys.

I figured I missed out on a lot when I saw the trailer backed up to the delivery door. A few guys were disassembling their new shelves in the back, what inventory was left had been moved to the center of the store, and everything except the toilet and sink had a price tag on it.