Big Lots
reviews and complaints

Every week I get emails describing their great products and prices, so once again I go to the store as I wanted to get a pink comforter and shams. They were suppose to be in on Monday, I went on Tuesday Morning I looked everywhere and then I asked one of the employees. He said let me check with the manager. He came back and said we are getting a new truck load tomorrow morning please call back and our staff will be happy to check for you. I am disabled and it is a lot of work for me to go to the store plus waste gas. So today I called at 1:00 pm giving them time to put their new things away. So this lady answers the phone and I tell her that I was told to call today. She says well I can't look now and we have not taken the stuff off the truck. I said well he said to call in the morning and someone would check. She then gets angry and says well ok then you will be on hold for a long long time. I hung up. I am done with them sending me advertisements and never having what they say and their rude behavior. It is not a very safe place to go as their are always the homeless out there asking for money. I am done with that store and their incredibly rude staff (except for the nice man who tried to help me). I don't care what the price is, it is not worth my time and energy to go there!

The employees have filed a number of complaints with the tip hot line and HR about the manager Tina Siltzer including sexual harassment on two male employees plus virbal swearing at the employees calling them ### even when the store is open. She has even threatened to fire the entire stock team because she says they move to slow for her and they can`t do their job right. All the employees at this store are working under a hostile enviroment everyday they work with her. She tells us that we are useless and not worth the time to talk to. She has no respect for anyone there. If you have an misunderstanding with her she will cut your hours. Thats her way of getting even with you. She has even yelled at customers and employees while the store is open. We use to take pride in our store 4426 and our job but, since she has been there she makes us feel like we are the ### under her feet, everyday.

This company does not care about its employees. It is no secret that they are trying to get rid of all those who have been working there for five years or longer. I fall into that category. For the past three years, I have been subjected to verbal abuse and threats of being written up, demoted or terminated. Until 2010, my managers were good. The current one has a foul mouth and takes obvious pleasure in belittling associates in front of their peers and customers. Immature and of questionable sanity, this manager has accused me of lying and slacking off. I am ANYTHING but a slacker; always busy and finding things to do and doing them. Ours is a rather large store. Often, we are a skeleton crew: one cashier, a manager on duty, one recovery. Still, we are expected to have all freight merchandised, store recovered perfectly, match or exceed expected daily sales total. The store is in a grungy old building that smells of mildew and urine (rodents? feral cats?) The floor is littered with merchandise that we are constantly picking up. There is no communication from management to associates. Yet, we can be written up for not doing something we were not told about. This is extremely unfair! Associates are lied to by management and promised things that are never delivered. I am appalled that, after years of loyalty to this company, I am being treated like an obsolete object rather than a human being. Management team show no respect for associates and, when asked for help, make it known to all present how annoying this is. With no support, no guidance, no communication, how can customer service be anything other than shoddy? If you are looking for a job, stay away from Big Lots. Going to work there is the biggest mistake one could make nowadays.

Big Lots tends to advertise items that either the store never gets or they get so few of that item that I suspect the employees buy it out first (and employees SHOULD have first crack at a new item). However, in doing this practice, they're getting you into their stores under false pretents. Today, the first day of a two day sale, I went into the store to purchase a tablet at a good price. However, after talking to one of the employees, I got the jist that the item never even made it onto the floor because the 8 that they got in were all bought by employees therefore making it impossible to ANY customer to buy one. This may not technically be a bait and switch, but it sure is close. This is not the first time that I've run into this problem. It happens all of the time.

On another occassion I was in the store to buy a headset for my PC. I had just come from Walmart next door so I knew exactly what Walmart had and how much their prices were. There was a whole side of an isle dedicated to headsets with a very large, very bright yellow sign that simply said "50% off." So I selected two styles that I thought I might like and went to the check out. To my surprise they both rang up regular price. When I asked about it, they said that the sign indicated that it was 50% cheaper than other stores. When I pointed out to them that no where on that sign did it actually say that, they said that's how corporate wants the signs to read. Not only was the sign a straight up LIE, but they weren't the cheapest priced. There were better headsets at Walmart for less cost.

They lie lie lie!

My husband and I purchased the Stratolounger Tailgater Tulsa Rocker-Recliner With Heat & Massage as an alternative to a baby rocker. The chair was delivered and within 3 hours of having the chair, the back slid off of the spring and could not be replaced. We were also upset that the massage and heat mechanism did not work when delivered. We contacted both Stratolounger and the store we purchased the chair from. Both companies were happy to replace the chair at no charge, except that they would not deliver the chair (we paid for a second delivery). This second chair worked nicely for about four months, then the massage and heat mechanism broke. My baby was born, and three months later the chair's back felt like it shifted out of its slot. We won't be replacing the chair, as it still rocks, but we won't purchase another piece of furniture from them either.

Big Lots Should Not Support the Harassment of Minors
On January 26, 2013 my children and I were shopping at store #5113 on University drive and Atlantic blvd in Coral Springs, Florida. As my 2 sons briefly left my side to search for the restroom, they were approached by a store employee named “Jason”. Jason very rudely demanded that my children pull up their pants and stop looking at him cross eyed. My children were very intimated and ashamed that an employee spoke to them this way; I was outraged and informed the store manager about this awful encounter with a Big Lots employee. The manager informed me that “Jason” had a history of speaking harshly to minors who are not accompanied by an adult. I completely understand that children can be mischievous, but my sons were merely searching for the restroom.
As a loyal customer to Big Lots, I ask that management instruct their employees on how they should speak to customers and their family members. Harassing children should not be tolerated. I ask that a policy and procedure be instituted on the correct manner in which an employee speaks to minors, not accompanied by an adult, no other child should be subjected to the embarrassment that my children endured. I look forward to maintaining my customer relations with Big Lots, but I will not tolerate an organization that allows their employees to harass minors.
Thank you,
Beatrice P.

I recently spent $125 on cleaning supplies, storage stuff for my house.. I was so excited to save, but unfortunately after I bought my items and went home,. I realized the curtain rod I purchased for $10!.00 was missing?.

I called the manager, they said they looked at the register and found nothing". Then looked outside (Which I don't understand) ;. I completely unloaded my cart into my van;. She said, I must have left the item outside;. (That's insulting... For one, i'm extremely careful not to leave things in a cart. I have children, so it's part of my routine when shopping).

I asked if I could come get another or exchange for cash. She said no, I must have left it outside. Horse-### say... I see how their employees work, there is always crap scattered in the aisles, the place is a disorganized mess. I'm pissed and I plan to contact their management at a very high level. Terrible service and I feel insulted. It's only $10, but I work my ### off and spend easily 100 dollars a month at big lots. Not anymore, you just lost a customer.

Recliner mechanism broke in 7 months. The warranty is for 5 years, but you have to find someone to put the part on, and pay for it..Unbelievable! A good company like Lazy Boy will come to your home and fix it for free within the first year. Don't buy a Stratolounger. they are not well made.

I went into your big lots store at 7951 S. Broadway in Littleton, CO. I was shopping for a birthday gift for my Grandson. When I was in the toy isle I noticed a Dinosaur toy(prehistoric pet) that was on an advertised sale for $15.00. When I took this toy up to the register it rang up at $39.99 I showed the cashier the sign and stated it was the only one back there and the sign was on the self directly under the toy. She called the Assistant Manager(Payton) and he stated he could not make the choice as there was a big difference between the two prices and the advertisement expired on 10/29.

He called a store Manager(Linda) and she asked if it was the same sku#, and the cashier said no it rang up as a prehistoric pet however not a pterodacyl. So what is wrong with this? Advertisements not being pulled a toy that has the same name (prehistoric Pet) and the store did not honor this. I can’t begin to say how upsetting this is for the consumer. This leads to very bad business.

I was 10 days past their 30 day return service (most chain stores give 90 days) because the return counter was too long after new years when I made the 1st attempt to return my 15 dollar mp3 player that the store was still selling. I would have been fine with a store credit although my item was unopened and I had a receipt but instead I got patronized and berated by a rude service rep (Kyle Parker) at their call center who said READ THE RECEIPT NO EXCEPTIONS...not only do the have jerks operating their store but their return service is horrible. I will never shop their again.

The abusive and degrading treatment by this company to it's own employees and managers is disgusting. They talk a big game about being a great place to work but it is the worst work enviroment I have ever been involded with. The cut your shifts on a whim and without notice, then call you in for shifts on 5 minutes notice and if you don't jump, you are writen up and yelled at. They fire managers that care about their staff, and if you dare to offer a comment to the district manager, then you are told to leave and don't come back! They say they are looking after the customer but you are told to ignore them if they get in the way of your tasks! You have to sell over-priced dollar store items and cheaply made furniture, and if you don't sell it fast enough you are told that you are useless and incompetant. Our regular customers hate this company and have changed their shopping habits because of the poisinous enviroment in the store. As I am starting a new job at a good company next month, I am glad I will only have to listen to the pompus stories from the district manager on "how great they are" and how stupid everyone else is.
Keep away from big lots canada and lw stores - they are horrible!

I when to Big lots for a return i bought the Item for my kitchen shelf and it did’nt fit . I had the receive, but I explain to the Lady that I had a Death in the family and lost the receive in all the pain in our family grief, but she said no I would lose the money and I have to keep something I;m never going to use.I think she could have given me store credit, but she also said no. what up with that I go to Target with no receive sometime i get store credit its not like your not going to sell the item.

Worked at this place for 5 years, due to economy was unable to leave sooner Worst company I have ever worked for in my life.

Big Lots Coode of business Conduct and Ethics states HR manual will be made available to any employee. This is NOT the case at the Lima, Ohio store. This is the second time I have been REFUSED access to said policy manual. It is apparent to me that Big Lots fears information contained in HR manual would undermine their poor management.

My daughter in law and I went to Big Lots on the evening of 4th of July at 830, the store closes at 900pm. We wanted to purchase some cold water and use the restroom while we were there, when we got there a sign stated no public restrooms on the door, Big Lots has public restrooms in this store. We went in and immediatley heard over the speaker everyone "get your STUFF and get to the front, we are closing, you have 20 minutes to get up front" we knew of some things we wanted to look at, so we went to the back and was looking at some bedding, and someone was already in the restroom, here comes the assistant manager and started telling us to leave (others were waiting too) I asked her if she sells cold water we were wanting some and she said, i dont care what you want, we are closing! all she was concerned with was who was in the bathroom, how long they had been in there, and it was someone who went in just as we came up, another man asked her to speak to the manager, she shouted at him and was poking herself in the chest and screamed I AM THE MANAGER! my daughter and law and I had enough, I told her we would leave, but we would never be back." I have bought over a $1000 in merchandise at Big lots in the past little while, as I am planning a move. I told her i was going to report her, she said go ahead! I walked over to her and asked her what her name was she put her badge in my face and said it is RHONDA! she was the most rude person i have ever dealt with at Big lots, i will not go back, I was going to find a Big Lots when i Move but now, i will look somewhere else, Rhonda doesnt need to work in the public, and I do not appreciate being yelled at, she kept screaming I HAVE TO CLEAN THOSE BATHROOMS! but I bet that is part of her job. Big Lots needs to look at the quailty of "Managers" in their Rogersville Store and let Rhonda go home.

I have made numerous trips to Big Lots for items advertised in their flyer.

I have called all the stores in my area to see if they have the sale item in stock the same day the ad came out. No stores stock the items advertised in the flyer. I did this to save gas, because they never once have had what I went to get advertised in the paper. No rain checks are offered. It is a bait and switch type of operation. I will not be shopping there again. It is always a big let down. They advertise things they don't have just to get you in their store. This is a poor way of doing business.