What clients say about Bickel's Surplus in Altoona (PA)
Need to really shop, prices are not what they used to be. Have your phone and do your research when there. Some items are retail price , others only a modest savings, then there is the expired products that are generally priced decent but they are expired and at times not that great.
Super nice staff, great deals. Also pertaining to the “2004 snowstorm review” I’ve never had an issue bringing animals into the store. I have seen plenty of people bringing dogs into the store. Great place to shop, ignore the haters.
If you're into the thrill of the hunt for surplus goods, Bickel's in Altoona is a must-see. They have a really interesting selection of items, and you can often find some fantastic deals. Just be sure to take a peek at the best-by dates on any food you're considering. Definitely a cool and unique store with great potential for savings.
In 2004 there was a huge snowstorm.. My father needed a snow shovel. This was the only store in town that he was able to get it from apparently.
When we (brother, father and myself) arrived and parked, the owner (I’m assuming) came out and aggressively told us “you better get what you need and be finished here quick” in an angry tone.. keep in mind, the store was STILL open with multiple other shoppers..
We went and got the snow shovel.
My father had a tiny puppy in his snowsuit, he had to be like 6 inches.. they told us there was “no dogs allowed in the store”, even though we saw someone with a big dog in the store, like what?!
They treated my father like trash. This happened in like 2004 when I was 8 y.o. and I STILL remember how rude and mean they were.. THAT’S how much this place sucks. Don’t give these people your money.
Bickel's is a hit and miss store. Items come and go quickly. But the deals are usually there if you search for them. They have several facilities to sell at which gives shoppers a nice variation of items.
I stopped in to the tent sale this morning. I had two items. One was from a 50% bin up front. When I checked out, thee girl didn't give me the discount and when I told her about it, she went off on me saying she was the only one in the tent and she didn't know it was discounted and she didn't like my attitude. This girl continued for about two minutes berating me and saying customers don't talk like that to her. Well, I said give me back my money. I went inside to find someone in charge and there sits a young man. Probably sixteen. I asked who was in charge and he said he was. Well he wasn't going to do anything. I will never go to a bickel's store again. I was not rude to this young girl. I have never been treated like this. I worked retail and if anyone would have gone off on a customer like this, they would have been fired immediately.
You can't go here looking for anything specific, though some items always seem to be stocked. Good deals can be found. Generally overstock, damaged or expired goods, but I've never had an issue with anything bought here.
Bickels is a great place they have good stuff at almost unbeatable prices. You never done what you may find here, that's what's great. They never usually carry the same stuff Everytime you they 'buy out" it's different stuff so stop in and check it out.
Used to love this store location but I wish they'd stop switching up their prices and combining items with different prices. I'll go to other location mostly from now on.
We went to get food items as we had been there in the past. Appears to be a smaller selection, but they did have some things we could use. You definitely need to check dates if you have an issue using food past the arbitrary best buy date. Friendly and helpful staff!
Bickels used to be a great store to get stuff for a decent price. Now your better off just buying stuff from Walmart for 5 extra dollars and not have anything damaged. Bickels let money get to them because you don't get deals there anymore its all priced just as much as a big retail store very disappointing
Price are high for this type of store. You can get the same items for less at Walmart. Alot if things aren't marked with a price , the workers seem uninterested in the customers.
Never know what you're going to find. A lot of things are great prices ( like the food, and are either only a little outdated or not at all). Some things are a bit overpriced. Still, fun to see what they have.
So nice and friendly they have so much popular toy and games and bikes that are so much more cheaper then retails stores and there brand new as well.. definitely worth coming here and getting everything you need for pretty much all ur needs even baby stuff stroller and car seat combos, diapers, formula its awesome I can go on n on.. check it out yourself!
These people over-charged my fiancé by $30 because I'm sure the cashier made up her own prices to punch in the register. When I took the items back in, they claimed they didn't charge me enough! I call highway robbery and will not be patronizing them again.
A really decent place to shop. Careful though, be aware what you're buying.
Only a small percentage of items might be in damaged boxes and damaged boxes sometimes mean damaged goods, BUT the price usually reflects this and it still might be a spectacular deal as the item may only have slight cosmetic damage.
Still a great place to look through.
We go here once a week unless we see something we want from the posts on Facebook. Prices use to be better but I get it the economy changes. But now you only get about 10-20% off retail. I guess for damaged boxes and etc ....sometimes you can find better deals. Doesn’t keep me from going there.
Was a great place to shop because it had everything, sadly after the owner passed they closed, but it was a great place it had everything from kids toys to candy to vacuums and was a very cheap place to shop on a budget where you could pick up everything and the cashiers were very comfortable looking working there and were very social and told people the sections if they had not been there and that would help everyone who shopped there.
Some weeks are more stocked than others. Always different stuff. If you find something you better buy it while you are there because tomorrow it will be gone. Can get some good deals. Some prices are a little high. Fun to visit and look for a bargin.
Bickel's is a great place to find a whole bunch of stuff from food, clothes, home appliances and they have a large selection of toys for kids too. You just never know what kind of goodies you will find in there!!
Don't go here if you're a clean freak. But if you're ok with things being a little more "down to earth," you can find some amazing deals here. The boxes are generally busted up, and you definitely have to check and double check items to make sure THEY aren't busted up too, but they often get some great brands here. I just bought some Adidas leggings for like $3 and my kid has a ton of great vTech educational toys from here, and I basically decorated my entire house with stuff from here. You can also find some great deals on k cups every now and then. They get new shipments all the time, so you never know what you'll find.
Heard about this place by family members in the area, they get products from stores selling discontinued products making the prices amazing. I was able to get a pair of blue jeans for $6 and an assortment of food ranging from .25 to $5.
Awesome surplus store. So glad they reopened. Bought a mini fridge there for half the price it should be and works great. Also have great prices for almost anything you're looking for- from snacks to baby items (strollers, swings, car seats, etc). Never had any problem with them. The "other review" regarding a mouse can't be serious. A mouse in an unopened can wouldn't be the responsibility of the store- and if the can was open it was buyers responsibility to not purchase.
Only downside is the weird gas smell
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