For decades, Big Lots was a staple in shopping, but the company now said it will close, offering deep “going out of business” sales across all its remaining stores, including the Harrisonburg one.
With Christmas just days away, many locals took the opportunity to buy discounted items. However, the sales also had mixed emotions for those who have shopped here for years.
“It’s sad to see stores like this go away,” said frequent customer Thomas Siever. “They have reasonable prices, and we scored some real bargains today on stuff we weren’t even considering buying.”
For others, the closings represent much more than just the demise of a store but an evolution in the community. “It’s the end of an era, I suppose,” said Harrisonburg’s Joe Sprouse, who recalled the days when the local retail landscape included a host of mom-and-pop stores.
It’s the end of an era,” said Sprouse. “Stores like that were for the people. But now, with everyone shopping online, it is a sign of the times. For us old-school shoppers, going into the stores and interacting with staff was part of the experience.”.
The variety and value-pricing retailer Big Lots said that it would complete the sale of its assets by early January. It is part of a growing list of retailers that cannot compete against an increasingly dominant e-commerce marketplace.
As customers scoop up the discounted merchandise, the closing is a sad reminder of the difficulties that brick-and-mortar stores are facing in this digital world. For many in Harrisonburg, the loss of Big Lots is not only the end of a retail presence but also a change in how communities shop and connect.
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