By Julie McCay Turner
The newest Ocean State Job Lot (Job Lot) store opened its doors in Bedford on Friday and celebrated its Grand Opening on Saturday morning.The ribbon cutting ceremony went off without a hitch, although the morning’s chilly drizzle limited some of the anticipated festivities. Customers, however, weren’t daunted by the weather and flocked to the store.
The daylong Grand Opening Celebration began for customers when the store opened at 8 am. A variety of food samples provided by Ocean State Job Lots’s brand name vendors were a popular draw, and shoppers entered a drawing chance to win a $200 shopping spree. Inside the front door, shoppers were greeted by skaters from the Mass Maelstrom men’s roller derby league and Callahan’s Karate Studio offered a martial arts demonstration in the store. Buddy Dog Humane Society brought puppies available for adoption, and Jason Burns, author of comics and graphic novels for Sesame Street and Kung Fu Panda, autographed free copies of kid-friendly comic books from DreamWorks. Folk singer/songwriter Ian Fitzgerald appeared, and radio station WBMX 104.1 “The Mix” hosted a remote appearance at the store offering fun contests and prize giveaways.
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“We are pleased to see Ocean State Job Lot come to Bedford,” said Bedford Selectmen Chair Mark Siegenthaler. “Our community is fortunate to have Job Lot’s newest store located here in town. We are grateful for the economic enhancement this chain’s addition brings to the former Staples location and we welcome them to our community.”
Massachusetts consumers are no strangers to Job Lot’s array of brand-name merchandise and unique “adventurous” shopping experience that closeout retailing offers. Tewksbury, Medford and Waltham are among the closest Job Lot store locations to Bedford.
“We are excited to bring area residents who may not have experienced our newer renovated stores a bright and attractive store to call their own here in Bedford,” says David Sarlitto, Ocean State Job Lot’s head of marketing. “Like all our stores, it offers an ever-changing array of first quality merchandise at a fraction of the cost found elsewhere. We are confident of gaining many fans and loyal followers here in Bedford and the surrounding area for years to come.”
In conjunction with Job Lot’s community-first approach to business, the company’s Charitable Foundation will make a donation of nutritious, shelf-stable food to The Greater Boston Food Bank, courtesy of the Foundation’s “Three Square Meals” community meal assistance program. Cheryl Powers, product donations manager with The Greater Boston Food Bank, received the donation during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Joe Byron, founder of Honor Flight New England, was also in attendance at the ceremony.
“Job Lot is deeply committed to demonstrating philanthropic leadership in the communities it serves, and we want to spread that legacy to this area. We are delighted to join forces with the Food Bank, local food pantries and the Honor Flight New England hub to help families and veterans in the community,” adds Mr. Sarlitto.
Store hours are 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Sunday. Store phone: (781) 275-1825.
Ocean State Job Lot as a Community Partner
In an earlier interview, Sarlitto noted that in addition to delivering consumer value through “adventure shopping” and low in-store prices, the company creates even more value by cleverly leveraging its purchasing power to create innovative philanthropy programs.
The Ocean State Job Lot Charitable Foundation, a private 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is supported by donations and the support of customers and Job Lot’s vendors. According to Sarlitto, the closeout retailer is adept at turning standard donation models on their heads to create even more value for sustainable and large-scale food security programs, and support for active duty and retired military families.
Ocean State Job Lot’s philanthropy is broad-based. Over a year, about 125 of the company’s tractor trailers, each loaded with 30,000 to 40,000 pounds of non-perishable food, move more than 4,500,000 pounds of food to programs and tables throughout eight states. Job Lot’s model works with large regional food banks to distribute food to the smaller food pantries in each community where it operates a store.
In addition to its food distribution program, Job Lot’s “Three Square Meals” program includes support for community gardens through an initiative called “Sow and Grow.” Another arm of the program, named “Food IQ,” works with SNAP/EBT programs and culinary schools to develop nutritionally sound and affordable recipes using foods and ingredients available in Ocean State Job Lot stores. Both programs are able to utilize Ocean State Job Lot’s resources and business partnerships.
Other special programs held at various times during the year include offering store discounts of 25-30 percent from Job Lot’s already low prices to teachers for classroom supplies (Educator Partnership); to active duty and retired military families (Operation Thank You); to First Responders (Savings 911); and to senior citizens (Silver Salute).
Ocean State Job Lot has also been heavily involved in Honor Flight, a program that flies World War II veterans to Washington, D.C. for a day trip to visit the World War II Memorial. Sarlitto estimates that some 1,700 veterans and their guardians from the New England area have taken part in these Honor Flights with the support of Ocean State Job Lot, and more such flights are planned for 2016. There is no charge to the Veterans or to their care-givers for these day-long adventures.
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