Ollie’s Bargain Outlet: Good Stuff Cheap
March 11, 2023
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet is America’s largest retailer of closeout merchandise and excess inventory.
It’s been forty-two years since Ollie’s Bargain Outlet made its debut and it just keeps on getting better and bigger. Today there are 476 Ollie’s locations in the United States.
With backing from Harry Coverman and Oliver E. “Ollie” Rosenberg, two guys named Morton Bernstein and Mark L. Butler Sr. founded Ollie’s Bargain Outlet in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, in 1982.
Ollie’s is all about deals, as their slogan suggests: Good Stuff Cheap.
From household products to sporting goods, food, and everything in between, Ollie’s offers fantastic deals on well-known brands at bargain prices. Ollie’s buyers search worldwide for closeouts, overstocks, package changes, irregulars and manufacturer-refurbished goods. That said, a good deal of the merchandise comes directly from some of the world’s best manufacturers. Often, this merchandise is available to Ollie’s because a manufacturer produced too much of an item or changed the packaging. Ollie’s also purchases in bulk directly from Walmart/Sam’s Club, Target, Kroger, Costco, Winn-Dixie, Publix, Whole Foods Market, and TJX-owned stores. Good deals for Ollies. Good deals for consumers.
What will I find at Ollies?
At Ollie’s, you will find just about everything under the sun, such as apparel, pet supplies, and seasonal products for Christmas, gardening, patio and the beach.
Meet, Ollie, the mascot fashioned after the company’s co-founder, Ollie Rosenberg. You can see this smiling face throughout the stores’ interiors, on the company logo and on exterior signage. Sadly, Ollie died in 1996 at the age of 75.
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In 2008, Ollie’s consolidated its four distribution warehouses into one located in York, Pennsylvania, and in in 2014, the chain opened its second distribution center in Commerce, Georgia.
On December 1, 2019, Ollie’s co-founder, president and CEO, Mark Butler passed away. He was succeeded by John Swygert who had previously been executive vice president and chief operating officer.
Ollie’s Cares Charitable Foundation
The Ollie’s Cares Charitable Foundation supports a number of charitable organizations, including, Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, Kevin Harvick Foundation, Feeding America, Toys for Tots, and Children’s Miracle Network. Ollie’s Bargain Outlet raises more than $2 million a year for these organizations combined.
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet celebrated its 40th birthday in 2022 with a 16-foot, fully functioning bobblehead of the store’s mascot, Ollie, and made it into the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest bobblehead on the planet!
Gloria Sauvé
Communications