JOHNSTOWN — For Bob Lockwood and family, Bob’s Bargain Outlet is a labor of love and reward.
Located at 248 N. Comrie Ave. inside the Pyramid Mall, Bob’s Bargain Outlet offers a plethora of items acquired wholesale through retailers as a result of returns, liquidations and overstock. It opened its doors on Aug. 9 and has hit the ground running, taking in numerous tractor-trailer loads of unmanifested products before organizing, testing, and pricing each item at huge discounts to potential customers.
“They say, ‘Go big or go home,’” said Bob Lockwood. “Well, we don’t plan on going home. We hope to be here a long time.”
A true family business, Bob’s Bargain Outlet is a group effort between Bob and his wife Barb, their sons Rob and James, and their son’s partners Brittany and Malissa, respectively. The store is often run between shifts of the various jobs and business ventures each of the Lockwood family has going outside of the shop.
“I would say, between all of us, we have about 9 to 10 additional jobs outside of this, so it’s a lot of work,” James Lockwood said.
Bob Lockwood, a state employee, said he’s always had an interest in buying and selling various products through garage sales and the like, and recently decided to take his interest a step further by buying products wholesale. The tractor-trailer loads of products are purchased through retailers such as Walmart, Lowes and Target and include a wide variety of unmanifested items ranging from electronic products, to lawncare machinery and furniture, to tools, and toys.
The items are then brought to Bob’s warehouse at 122 Water St. in Johnstown to be systematically processed by Bob and his crew in order to assess its value.
“We receive a new tractor-trailer load [about] every two weeks and it takes about a week to go through,” Bob said.
The products are assessed for damage and defectiveness and are individually tested when possible. A determination is made as to the products condition before finally being priced and set out for sale. Lockwood offers customers an opportunity to test electronic items before making a purchase, as all sales are final. So while the function of each product cannot be guaranteed, the Lockwoods make every effort possible to ensure their customers are receiving a quality product at an extraordinary price.
“I want [our customers] to be happy,” Bob said. “We aim to please.”
“We’re not in the business of making enemies,” James added. “We want to give people a good product and we want to see the savings passed to [our customers]. If we can pass the savings off, we will.”
Bob said a load of air conditioners did particularly well given the heat of the summer — all of which he sold at markdowns of up to 50 percent.
Bob’s Bargain Outlet has plans to offer additional deals on products through various holiday discounts and social media giftcard giveaways, in an effort to increase the public’s awareness of their presence in the community.
Bob’s Bargain Outlet is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information and to receive details on various discounts and giveaways visit www.facebook.com/BobsBargainOutlet.
