SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — A North Dakota couple moved to Sioux Falls last fall to open a new retail store in the middle of the pandemic. Now after just over two months in business, their unique concept has already generated quite a following.
“The line is usually down the sidewalk,” A Crate Deal shopper Andrea Staples said.
Friday’s frigid temperatures didn’t stop shoppers from lining up for more than an hour.
“I got here about a quarter to 11,” Staples said.
It’s become a weekly routine for Andrea Staples who visits A Crate Deal Liquidation Outlet every Friday and Saturday, waiting in line for a chance to be the first to go through a new shipment of unknown treasures.
“We literally order a truckload of merchandise at a time; we have no idea what’s coming,” Owners Cole and Alisa Shantz said. “It’s almost as fun for us each week to see the merchandise we can have.”
The Shantz family and five employees spend every Wednesday and Thursday preparing their store for a new week of shopping.
“Friday is the start of our week, it’s $7 an item, Saturday it goes down to $5, Sunday goes down to $2.50 and by Tuesday everything is 50 cents,” Aliza Shantz said.
Each Friday, all of the customers who line up get a chance to go through completely new crates of merchandise.
“It’s fun, you get to dig through the crates, you don’t know what’s in there,” Staples said.
“We can have anything from high-end electronics, to designer clothes, toys, you name it, it’s been through the store,” Shantz said.
On Fridays, their crates often hold some big-ticket hidden treasures.
“This is the second week they’ve had an Apple watch in there,” Staples said. “Now you have to dig through the crates because it’s not right on top. So you go in there, grab a couple bags and dig through the crates to find stuff.”
While the hunt can take some customers a couple hours each week, it’s an adventure many people in Sioux Falls have come to love.
“We way exceeded what we thought for the first couple months in business,” Shantz said. “We have people coming back day after day, week after week because it’s a different product or a different treasure every time.”
A Crate Deal Liquidation Outlet has power strips and batteries available for everyone to test the items before they purchase them. Whatever hasn’t sold after 50 cent Tuesdays is donated to a local nonprofit each week.
The store has air purifiers, hand sanitizers, masks and gloves available for shoppers to use as they enter. They also offer incentives to their top Facebook fans, giving them first access to the new shipments each Friday.
