I got a big shock this afternoon while shopping at our neighborhood Big Lots store.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with Big Lots, it’s like a dollar store only bigger with a much wider selection of consumer goods.
As I walked quickly up and down the aisles trying to find a cheap, medium sized cooler, I suddenly came to a screeching halt when I spied out of the corner of my eye…
No it can’t be!
There in plain view on one of the main aisle end caps …
A prominent and very wide selection of Bob’s Red Mill Baking Supply Products!
I stopped and took this picture because it still hasn’t actually registered in my brain that this is indeed what I saw with my own two eyes.
Talk about out of place!
Nestled in amongst the cases of jumbo bags, boxes, and cans of ultra cheap, junky, no redeeming quality whatsoever, processed foods is this healthy selection of whole, grain based foods that appeals to Real Food Snobs like me!
Organic quinoa, old fashioned rolled oats, flaxseed meal, 7 grain hot cereal, even some gluten free pancake mix … bag after bag of stuff you would expect to find on an endcap at the healthfood store.  Such products are not typically found even at a grocery store (unless in the very small “healthfood section”) let alone a Big Lots (I consider Big Lots a step down even from the supermarket).
Granted, few of the products were organic and there was no arrowroot powder to be found (that really would have wigged me out as I had just picked up a bag of Bob’s RedMill Arrowroot powder earlier in the day at the healthfood store to whip up some grain free ginger snaps for the kids’ lunches).
From what I can surmise, this aberration at the neighborhood Big Lots means one of two things:
- The Southeast Regional buyer for Big Lots is a major health nut.
- Real Food is indeed making some serious inroads into mainstream America.
I tend to think the latter reason is most plausible. There is no way a buyer for Big Lots would put his/her career on the line ordering a bunch of healthfood type products to be displayed so prominently on the endcap of a main aisle unless a profit could reliably be made – no matter what his/her culinary predilections.
So, here I am, still in shock at seeing Real Food products in a budget conscious, stripped down, bare bones retail establishment.
Have you had a Twilight Zone moment with Real Food in an unconventional setting? Tell us about it!
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist.com
I noticed quite a few of you mentioned being from Oregon. Thought this (from the History Channel) might interest you: STROLL THROUGH A PIONEER FARM http://recp.mkt32.net/servlet/MailView?m=4972221&r=NTQ3OTU4ODgxNgS2&j=MTg0MjI1NzU4S0&mt=1
It’s being held at this state park: http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_113.php (Champoeg State Park). If you live near there you might want to take in this fun sounding day!
I saw the exact same thing in Walmart. I did a double
take as I passed a plethora of gluten free
products as well as a huge variety of Bob’s Red Mill products,
including arrowroot powder! The products spanned about 8 ft and covered all 4 or 5 shelves. I was really impressed =). The prices were better than Publix too.
YES!! i noticed the very same thing at our Big Lots in Southern Oregon: many, many healthy, real food options. unbelievable!! i wasn’t planning to buy food when i stopped there on an errand but ended up leaving w/ a few food items. very cool!! 🙂
I hope the one here (Kentucky) has Bob’s. I use them a lot.
I used to live about 6 miles away from the Bob’s Red Mill Factory and wholesale store in Oregon. Simply stated, it was freakin’ awesome living that close to Bob’s. You could get breakfast or lunch and eat in the cafe there, and more often than not, Bob himself would make an appearance, and he looks just like the the little picture on all the bags, hat, smile and all. It always kind of made me feel like I was at the North Pole and he was Santa Claus. Within the last year or so he made all his employees shared owners of the company.
I recently moved back to Tennessee, and was thrilled to see a great selection of Bob’s products at the local food co-op. This is a wholesome company all around and its great to see it succeeding.
Jami, don’t tell me you’re talking about Three Rivers Market!!! I LOVE that place. I stocked up big time 2 weeks ago when they were getting ready to relocate.
There prices are usually cheaper for these then Big Lots also.
I agree with Andy. Big Lots doesn’t have a “buyer” like typical stores. They are contacted when large companies can’t find someone to purchase their goods. They buy “closeouts” that others stores don’t want. They are able to do this for a lower price, so they can charge lower prices to customers. I love Big Lots. I can find some real food organic stuff there and they have a lot of imported things that you can’t find in other stores.
I can purchase Bob’s Red Mill at any local grocery here in the west, but I will check Big Lots as i am sure there would be a large money savings!
Our 99 cent store sells organic produce. And I occasionally see organic “snack foods” on their aisles as well. Like Andy said, it just has to do w/the closeout items that are available. You should stock up. You might not see them there next time! 🙂
I think the gluten free aspect is a big part of pushing the real food movement mainstream. People actually get sick then they wake up. At least that is what happened in my case.