Big Lots | Millville, NJ

 

101 Bluebird Lane

Welcome to the Millville Big Lots!

It's been a while since we went to a non-grocery store! And this one is for a special, but sad, reason. The Big Lots in Millville is one of the hundreds of locations nationwide that is closing its doors. I happened to catch the store soon after its closing sale had begun. This store opened on October 24, 2014, in half of a short-lived former Acme location that operated from 2005 to 2011. Planet Fitness takes up the other half. As we will see inside, the store still has somewhat of an Acme feel, but Big Lots definitely made it their own in the pretty much exactly 10 years that they were here. So, let's check it out!

A look at all of the store closing signs in front. "This location only" is like a 1/3-truth, because, while not all locations are shutting down, more than 500 are.

More signs. While the store was "up to" 25% off, most of it was only at 10%. I'm sure those discounts are much higher now if the store is still open.

Furniture is on the right side of the store. Some locations have Big Lots Furniture stores-within-stores, but this one just has it out in the open. In the Acme days, this would have been where the frozen foods were, and probably the pharmacy too. Think of Avalon.

Discounts were abound. At prices like these, products were flying off the shelves.

The home section -- or maybe it's just the pillows section -- is in the back right corner of the store.

Notice the skylights which are left over from Acme.

The grocery section is in the middle of the store. I was surprised by the selection. You can't do all of your weekly shopping here, but I was surprised by how much they had.

Lots of miscellaneous merchandise and store closing signs on the left side of the store.

Not the best view of the checkouts, but they aren't that interesting anyway, other than Big Lots-themed lane markers.

Other Images of Interest

Street View Images

2015

Here's a look at both the Big Lots and the Planet Fitness about a year after they opened.

Thank you for joining me on this tour! I don't go to Big Lots often, but it's always sad to see a closing stores. I hope Big Lots can recover, because they're quite an interesting store, but it would be nice if they went back to their original model of selling closeouts. This is my last store post for the month! But, don't worry, we'll continue every Friday with other retail content, and I'll have new tours next month. Thanks for reading! Serve The. Save Retail Connection.

Walmart | Millville, NJ

 

2291 N. 2nd Street

Welcome to the Millville Walmart!

Thanks for shopping with The Retail Connection again! This post won't be as much of a tour as it will be a showcase of the décor. This Walmart in Millville has the Black Décor 2.2 remodel inside, which you can probably already ascertain from the blue and gray exterior. Like the Eddystone Walmart we've visited in the past, this store isn't a Supercenter. That is likely due to the fact that there was a Pathmark at the other end of the center when this Walmart opened in 1995. Even though the Pathmark closed in 2010 and is now Hobby Lobby, this Walmart still only has a pantry section with no service grocery departments. Without any further adieu, let's begin this very quick tour!

Here, we're looking past the customer and money services area towards the restrooms and the crafts department.

Greeting cards, party supplies, and anything else you might "Celebrate!" with are in this department along the right wall.

A look down one of the action ways towards the pharmacy department at the front of the store. The Black Décor has a lot of different types of signage, and we can see three in this shot.

Here we're in the grocery department on the left side of the store. This area is long but narrow, so the produce and baked goods displays that separate the aisles make them slightly cramped.

Frozen foods are in the last few grocery aisles.

Lawn and garden and the in-store garden center are across from the refrigerators.

The pharmacy and HABA section is in the front, just ahead of the checkout lanes. The Bogle font is used on the department signage on this store, showing that it was remodeled after 2018 (earlier implementations use the font Myriad).

A look at the checkouts and the Walmart Vision Center. This store only has four standard checkout lanes, but a lot more Scan & Go self-checkouts.

A closer look at the "Save money. Live better." signage hanging on the front wall and seen as you leave the store. Plus, a peek at a New Jersey Lottery vending machine.

And I guess I'll include a wide shot of the entire store, since I did last time we saw a Walmart.

Other Images of Interest

Street View Images

2019

This was probably not long after the remodel.

2018

The store was still using the brown and tan exterior paint scheme at this time. I believe the interior décor was the second version of Project Impact. The store was remodeled in late 2009.

That's going to do it for this very short Walmart tour! Since the last Walmart we saw still has the Project Impact 4.0 interior, I figured I'd showcase a later décor as well. Have an awesome weekend, and be sure to stay tuned for some new supermarket tours in the weeks to come! Thanks for shopping The Retail Connection: Save money, live better.

ShopRite | Millville, NJ

 

2130 N. 2nd Street

Welcome to the Millville ShopRite!

Today on The Retail Connection, we'll be touring this very nice ShopRite in Millville. The store was opened by the Bottino family in August 2007, as their second store under the ShopRite name. There used to be an Acme next door and a Pathmark across the street, but those stores closed in 2011 and 2010, respectively. It's no surprise ShopRite survived, not only because of their dominance in South Jersey, but also because this is a very nice and large store with a lot of selection and special departments. The layout of this store is very similar to the Eddystone location we visited in January.

Produce is in the center right of the store, and is directly ahead of you when you walk in. As we will see throughout the tour, it's no secret that this store is a Bottino's ShopRite.

Floral is across from produce on the front wall.

Mrs. B's Kitchen and the Asian Wok buffet are across from floral. When I hear Mrs. B, I think of the Bradlees spokeswoman.

When you have your food, you can eat in Mrs. B's Homemade Corner Café. The store restrooms are also in this area. It's a pretty good-sized food court for a supermarket.

The corner delicatessen and grab & go foods are on the far right wall past the bakery. I really love the décor used in this store. It's funny how some ShopRite stores have beautiful interiors, while others are hideously ugly and outdated.

Apparently, Mrs. B runs the bakery, too. I wonder if there really is a Mrs. B.

The seafood market is the first service department we encounter behind the produce area. In case you were wondering, the coordinates on the sign are for Fifth Avenue in New York City.

Now, we're jumping to the service departments on the back wall for the Bottino's Custom Cuts Butcher Shoppe.

The back wall is mostly meats. This store has a grand total of five individual departments that sell meat.

A look down aisle 5 with these nice aisle markers.

Across from the grocery aisles in the back left corner is the milk barn. It's a nice section, but no milk barn will ever beat the milk barn of Albertsons' Grocery Palace.

In this shot, we get a look at the store's expansive selection of ultra milk from renowned dairies such as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo.

The first part of frozen, with mostly frozen dairy products, wraps around to the left wall. The signage above the freezers specifically says "farm fresh dairy", but considering there are hot dogs directly below that fixture, I'm not sure that's entirely true.

The rest of frozen is in an alcove on the front wall, with frozen dinners as well as frozen seafood and meats.

The pharmacy is past frozen foods. ShopRite closed 62 in-store pharmacy departments in 2021, but this one was spared so it must do well.

HABA is in the aisles across from the pharmacy. They get their own aisle markers with a special icon. In my opinion, it looks just like the BP logo.

Like a typical mid-2000's ShopRite, customer service is along the front end across from the checkouts. This store also has an in-store dietician to the right of customer service.

Other Images of Interest

Street View Images

2019

Here's an early-morning shot of this store on a nicer day. This ShopRite has a very nice exterior.

Nearby competition

1.1 miles away: Aldi of Vineland

Other than this Aldi, which opened in October 2019, this ShopRite doesn't have much competition. The Acme and Pathmark closed pretty quickly after ShopRite opened, so obviously they weren't much of a threat.

Thanks for joining me for a tour of this deluxe ShopRite! This is a beautiful store that, like any New Jersey ShopRite, does extremely well. I visited on a Saturday afternoon in mid-May and the store was jam-packed. Until next time, this has been The Retail Connection: Check out happy!