The worst retail store of all time: Building 19

[Phokus]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Odz_-BcKxx0

Holy shit, i can't believe this place is still in business... i remember going here when i was young. From George Will's guide to the 1988 election to DIRTY UNDERWEAR? WTFBBQ.

 

[drebo]

Is that a thrift store or is it supposed to be a discount store?

 

[Oil]

That place looks AWESOME

 

[Phokus]

Is that a thrift store or is it supposed to be a discount store?

I don't think it's a 'thirft' store, they buy liquidated stuff, and it's a chain across mostly Massachusetts

 

[drebo]

I don't think it's a 'thirft' store, they buy liquidated stuff, and it's a chain across mostly Massachusetts

Wow.

We have a bunch of "$0.99 or less" or "dollar stores" around here that sell liquidated and "recently expired" food items. We have one dodgy thrift store, but it's nothing like that place...some of the clothes in it are actually wearable and some of the furniture is actually pretty decent.

That place should be burned to the ground with everything (and everyone?) in it.

 

[PottedMeat]

lol

goodwill would throw out a lot of that stuff

did i see used A/C filters?

 

[Dominato3r]

I have this weird feeling that everything there has been glazed with semen

 

[Phokus]

Interesting comment from someone else at another forum where i found this video:'

I work for a company in MA that still sells salvage to b19. We literally call them and say "hey we have 9 pallets of health and beauty or general merch and it's available at x.xx per POUND". They don't know or care what is in there...they just buy based on the gross weight. Most of this stuff is crap that regular stores have returned to us for any of a thousand reasons. If you wondered how they stay in business...their margins are enormous. They can get pallets of high end cosmetics for .25 a lb.

 

[Udgnim]

watching the video, I get reminded of the Fallout 3 store

 

[T_Yamamoto]

made in china

 

[Gibson486]

That place was awesome years ago, but with their business model is getting old because they rely on left overs from out of business companies or salvaged stuff. Because of walmart and ebay, they are slowly becoming a junk store.

To give you an idea, you could walk into the store and buy a 10 GB hard drive for $30 when it cost $200 elsewhere (of course, it is all about luck of the draw). Yeah, this was years ago....but with the advent of ebay, it is hard for them compete.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Interesting comment from someone else at another forum where i found this video:'

taking thrifting to a awhole new level

 

[lxskllr]

Looks awesome. I'd stop in every week if they were near me. The artwork looks a lot like "Ollies" which is a liquidator around here. Ollies doesn't look as funky, and their stuff isn't as old. I wonder if they're affiliated.

 

[Red Squirrel]

That store looks awesome. I would like to just browse and laugh at some of the stuff. Maybe even end up buying something. It's nice to go to a store like walmart if you NEED something so you want a semi organized store where the stuff is new, but stores like this are fun to browse around and you might land on something awesome.

 

[preCRT]

I haven't been to Building 19 in a while, but my closest store is no way as filthy as the one in that video. My dad still shops there once a week, to look at junk, & enjoy the free coffee.

I remember buying my first inkjet printer there for something like $68 when it was selling elsewhere for over $300. I had to get up & get in line at 4am. The police noticed a line of folks standing outside the closed store, called the manager at 5am. It was February and about 20º, the manager came down, opened the doors early to let us wait inside until the sale started at 8am. He even sent out for hot coffee & donuts from Dunkin Donuts down the street for us.

They sell everything from Oriental carpets for $10,000 to gift bags of coal for 19¢.

They've sold some interesting items, like government issue radiation protective suits with armpit air vents, , etc.: http://www.building19.com/classicads/classicadgallery.htm

http://www.building19.com/

 

[kranky]

Looks awesome. I'd stop in every week if they were near me. The artwork looks a lot like "Ollies" which is a liquidator around here. Ollies doesn't look as funky, and their stuff isn't as old. I wonder if they're affiliated.

They even use the same "Good Stuff Cheap" slogan.

 

[rsd]

B19 is awesome. Not that I buy much there anymore. But others said you can buy $5000 handmade oriental rugs there as well (not a bad selection too). Used to go there a ton as a kid.

 

[isekii]

Their CFL's are super cheap
http://www.building19.com/events/litebulbs030812/litebulbs.htm

 

[VirtualLarry]

I bought some steak knives there that were decent, like $1 a piece.

 

[pontifex]

Looks awesome. I'd stop in every week if they were near me. The artwork looks a lot like "Ollies" which is a liquidator around here. Ollies doesn't look as funky, and their stuff isn't as old. I wonder if they're affiliated.

I was going to say it reminds me of Ollie's also.

 

[Doppel]

It's like a retail museum.

 

[sjwaste]

Wow this place sounds awesome, and it's relatively close by. I may need to hit the Manchester location the next time I fly out of that airport.

 

[DrPizza]

Yoyo would have made a 10 times more interesting video about that place.