Bin Blitz Border City returned to the Lloyd Ex from Nov. 27–30, offering bargain hunters another chance to dig for discounted treasures while supporting local charities.
Read more: Shoppers Blitz for a good deal
Jason and Karla Whiting hosted their pop-up liquidation event for the second time, featuring pallets of Amazon returns and overstocked items sorted into bins and sold at decreasing daily prices.
“We did this back in September. The community came out and supported and enjoyed it. There were lots of bargains found,” said Jason. “We’re here again just before Christmas to offer some Christmas shopping and unique treasures. They’re perfect for stocking stuffers, for others, or even for themselves.”
The four-day event drew strong crowds once again, especially on opening day, when shoppers snapped up every item priced at $25.
Taylor Weaver – Meridian Source
“The traffic’s been good. It’s been steady and I think people have learned from last time. There are some great deals to be had, especially on that first $25 day,” said Jason. “Anything and everything is $25 regardless of if it’s $200 or $500.”
Interest remained solid as prices dropped.
“The $15 day was steady, and we had a lot of people come out for the $5 day. That seems to be the number everyone can find a good deal on,” he said. “Today, the $2 day, it was steady.”
Karla noted that familiarity with the concept boosted turnout.
“There’s definitely been more interest this time around, especially for those who saw it after the fact,” she said. “The FOMO definitely set in and they made sure they were here for the first day. Many people have said they heard about it and wanted to check it out.”
Some items were so popular that people lined up first thing in the morning.
“We had people lined up to get one of our few 3D printers,” said Jason. “After the printers, the interest was for a few tablets we had.”
Karla added that video cameras, Shark vacuums and espresso machines were among the quickest items to disappear.
The Whitings source their inventory from Amazon pallets that often include a mix of new, returned and overstocked items — though this round leaned heavily toward new goods.
“It’s mostly new this time around, but it’s usually a mix,” said Jason. “The pallets are a surprise to us, just like they are to anybody that walks in here. When we unload, it’s exciting to see what’s here. We get excited for all the deals that people could find.”
He said larger centres that run similar events weekly inspired the idea for Bin Blitz, but they chose to keep Lloydminster’s version as occasional pop-ups.
“We’re excited to do it in this pop-up style, where it creates the interest,” he said. “We don’t want to take away from the business community — we want to complement it and add to it.”
Beyond the bargains, the Whitings say one of the most important parts of Bin Blitz is its charitable component.
“When we were all wrapped up in September, we had some items left over we thought were suitable for different organizations such as the Pioneer Lodge, Interval Home, the Salvation Army, et cetera,” said Jason. “This year, we have some stuff we plan to donate.”
They also set aside food items for the Salvation Army Food Bank and encouraged customers to contribute during checkout.
“We’re also accepting donations. As everybody checks out, there’s an opportunity to donate to the Salvation Army,” Jason said. “We’re excited to see what the total is at the end, and Karla and I will be topping it up to make it a nice even number for the holiday season.”
For Karla, giving back is at the heart of why they do what they do.
“It’s a very important piece for us. Our community is amazing for us and to us,” she said. “The ability to give back is a big portion of why we do what we do, with Bin Blitz and the other things we do outside of this.”
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