STUART, Fla. — At Big Lots in Stuart, the days of deep discounts are numbered.
Carol Johnson is a regular there.
“[I] got out of my car and saw the signs,” said Johnson. “And I'm thinking, closing? Is this like out of business or something?’”
In a recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Big Lots announced plans to "aggressively address underperforming stores."
“I was really surprised I was like, ‘Wow, things are going down hill,’” said Big Lots shopper Angela Chapman.
We checked every Big Lots location in Florida and found 26 will be closing, four of them (bolded below) are in our area. Meanwhile, 80 stores will stay open across Florida.
Big Lots stores that are closing:
- Boca Raton
- Bonita Springs
- Boynton Beach
- Bradenton (52nd Place East)
- Clewiston
- Coconut Creek
- Daytona Beach
- Destin
- Fort Myers (McGregor Blvd.)
- Hallandale
- Hollywood
- Miami (Fontainebleau)
- Miami Lakes
- Naples
- Orange Park
- Orlando (Waterbridge Downs, Union Park, S. Semoran Blvd.)
- Plantation
- Pompano Beach
- Port Richey
- Royal Palm Beach
- Sarasota (South Gate Ridge)
- Stuart
- Tampa (Citrus Plaza Dr.)
- Tarpon Springs
Big Lots stores staying open in our area:
- Delray Beach
- Greenacres
- Jensen Beach
- Fort Pierce
- Vero Beach
Shoppers who look forward to the big deals were left wondering where they’ll find comparable prices.
“I love Dollar Tree, but it’s getting kind of hard, because they keep upping the prices,” said Big Lots customer Mary Pirone.
“They keep talking about how the economy is not that good, but when you have stores like Big Lots it does help," added Johnson. “The prices are better than some.”
Big Lots will close a total of 315 stores nationwide, but so far no word on when.
“I think it’s a big impact, because I mean people are struggling today," said Chapman.
For now, these stores remain open offering major markdowns before closing their doors for good.
