Ocean State Job Lot was founded in 1977 by current CEO Marc Perlman and his brother Alan in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. The company is a chain of discount department stores offering everything from food to beach chair, patio plants to swimsuits.
The company has 133 locations in the New England states, including New York and New Jersey. Ocean State Job Lot typically offers name brand and big brand merchandise that is discounted due to overstock, out of season, or discontinued styles. The company also offers new, but not overstock or clearance items, that it maintains stock levels of on a regular basis.
Ocean State Job Lot typically rents previous discount store locations that have gone out of business and reuses as many items as possible to cut costs, such as display cases, checkout tables, and existing light fixtures to save money on remodeling costs. In January 2019, the company announced it was expanding into Pennslyvania by renting former Toys R Us locations.
The company made Forbes Best Midsize Employer list in both 2017 and 2018. Ocean State Job Lot regularly donates to a variety of causes or offers substantial discounts to groups, such as first responders and college students.
In March 2023, the company opened its 151st location in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania.
Headquarters remain in North Kingstown, Rhode Island.
Ocean State Job Lot was founded in 1977 by current CEO Marc Perlman and his brother Alan in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. The company is a chain of discount department stores offering everything from food to beach chair, patio plants to swimsuits.
The company has 133 locations in the New England states, including New York and New Jersey. Ocean State Job Lot typically offers name brand and big brand merchandise that is discounted due to overstock, out of season, or discontinued styles. The company also offers new, but not overstock or clearance items, that it maintains stock levels of on a regular basis.
History
Ocean State Job Lot typically rents previous discount store locations that have gone out of business and reuses as many items as possible to cut costs, such as display cases, checkout tables, and existing light fixtures to save money on remodeling costs. In January 2019, the company announced it was expanding into Pennslyvania by renting former Toys R Us locations.
The company made Forbes Best Midsize Employer list in both 2017 and 2018. Ocean State Job Lot regularly donates to a variety of causes or offers substantial discounts to groups, such as first responders and college students.
In March 2023, the company opened its 151st location in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania.
Headquarters remain in North Kingstown, Rhode Island.
I been a very loyal customer at your at Ocean State Job Lot in NJ since it opened a few years ago. As you will no doubt be able to tell by referencing my Insider number, I frequent you store for my home and personal needs at least a few times per week. Last week, on May 10, 2023, I purchased a foldable hand cart for nearly $40 dollars to help move out my college age child from the college dorm. I have had very bad back pain for some time now and desperately needed the cart to help the move go more smoothly and as painlessly as possible. Upon arriving at the dorm less than 20 minutes later, I realized that I left the cart in the store parking lot. I called OC Job Lot immediately to ask if it was possibly still there or if it had been returned to the store as I was going to drive back to retrieve the cart. My inquiry was answered in the negative. Yesterday, March 16th, as I was feeling better, I visited your store, showed the manager, Matt, my receipt and asked that since the cart was taken from their parking lot, if an exception could be made for a loyal customer such as myself in the form of a refund or store credit. I was told no and to contact customer service, which I did yesterday immediately after leaving the store. I spoke to Julie who said nothing could be done. I asked to speak to her manager, Kelly, who disrespectfully and rudely told me it was my fault for leaving the hand cart in the parking lot and that there is nothing that the store would do for me. When I asked her to transfer me to her manager, she said her manager was not available and flatly denied my request and also refused to give me her name when I asked for it again to confirm as I let her know that I would be contacting your corporate office to file a complaint. I also work in a customer service oriented field and I know exceptions can always be made for loyal customers. In addition, if this experience wasn’t bad enough, one of your store associates admitted to tracking my movements, when I come in and out of the store and not for the first time. When I asked him why, he told me that he was stalking. As a stalking victim myself, I found this comment so absolutely disturbing and abhorrent that I will officially never shop in your store again, ensuring that everyone in my circle avoids your store as well. This is all so very unacceptable. I will also remit a copy of this complaint in writing to your company’s CEO.
April 11th, 2020. I received news that a CT based store openly new about an employee who came down with COVID-19 and did not tell any of the other employee’s about it. This said employee off loaded the trucks and was in contact with many of the store’s employee’s and customers. The fact that they hid this information from both the employee’s and customers is very disgusting. The phony $2 raise they gave only to cut everyone’s hour’s, the 2% surcharge they added to all of their stock. The fact that the protective plastic for the registers can not be used because it was cut wrong, is unacceptable. The fact that they don’t even enforce the 6 foot rule, and allow customers to buy patio furniture is just down right wrong. This is not what the employee’s need to be doing. Not giving the employee’s the proper stuff to disinfect registers, carts, or even door handles. SIMPLE GREEN IS NOT A DISINFECTANT! I have called and complained to corporate all ready. But I feel the public needs to know. If anyone else comes down with COVID-19 because of the companies greed, I will do everything in my power to boycott this company and I will get as many of my friends and family to help.
On October 5, 2019 my wife went shopping at your store in Northumberland, NH We have shopped there for years and I am sure we have spent a few thousand at your store. However your store here in this small town is changing and those men who are managing these stores are rude and liars. They also are bad people who pressure the poor workers at the registers and who stock shelves. I have told my wife not to shop there any more. Today 2 of your rude employee managers would not give my wife the price for 2 storage bind that were clearly marked on the bins. The dunderheads told her they could only give her that price on one not the two she wanted…obviously you lost the sale. She also bought some gloves in a box and the poor person at the register did not check the box like I guess he supposed to and the dunderhead managers were rude and dressed down the poor employee. So if this is the quality of workers you are sending into our small community, please do not do us any favors…close your doors and go away! Your representative are rude and treat customers with contempt…there is more but that is all I am going to say… my wife works with hundreds of employees and once the scuttlebutt starts it travels like wildfire in these small towns. We don’t need your company here!
Good Morning,
On July 6th, I purchased 2 gazebo pop up tents from your Milford store. I spent $265 on them plus a couple smaller items.
One was 8′ x 8′, the other was 10′ x 15′. Both broke within a few days. I contacted the store and they instructed me to return them. I cannot lift them myself, so I was waiting on a ride, and in the meantime i was sick for 3 weeks.
I finally managed to get a friend to load the larger one, and brought it to the store.
The manager said they returned all of them a couple weeks ago, and I needed to call customer service. I did, and they told me to go to the store. When I told her I did, I was told i was just out of luck.
I also tried to find the manufacturer, which I could not manage to find. I am also at a loss trying to find corporate contact information.
This is bad business, why would you want to have a dissatisfied customer that loses that much money because of products you sell?
I did shop today, but will never shop there again if this isn’t addressed and resolved.
I have over 1000 friends on Facebook plus almost 4000 on my business page. I’ll be sure to let them know the outcome either way.
You may contact me via email, or phone 203-243-XXXX
I appreciate your attention in this matter, and hope for a quick and amicable resolution.
Glorianne Lagnese
Use the contact information for the corporate office in our listing
i’d like to know why ocean state refuses to allow our veterans who fought in wars for our freedom including yours MR. CEO MARK PERLMAN, are not allowed to collect fund for the annual poppy drive at your middleboro ,mass location. you should be ashamed of yourself for this decision . an 80 yr old purple heart recipient was made to sit in the parking lot in the hot sun because he was told he could not sit in front of store, after much facebook and pone calls he has been granted permission for this year only to finish his detail in front of another store on your property…. shame on you MR. CEO. shame on you. this man fought for you ,this is your chance to fight for him.
I HAVE CALLED THE BENEFITS OFFICE ABOUT FOUR TIMES AND HAVE LEFT NUMEROUS MESSAGES TO NO AVAIL. I WOULD LIKE TO ROLL OVER MY 4O1 K PLAN INTO A FIDELITY IRA AND EVERYTIME I CALL THE NUMBER IT ASKS ME FOR A PIN NUMBER WHICH I DO NOT HAVE. SINCE I HAVEN’T RECIEVED ANY CALLS BACK I AM TO ASSUME THAT YOU HAVE NO INTENTION OF HELPING ME. DO I NEED TO GET ALTERNATIVE HELP SUCH AS THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU, MY ATTORNEY OR CHANNEL 4 NEWS TO GET THE INFORMATION THAT I NEED?
I must say that I do shop at Ocean State for many things there are wonderful deals and products. However, my experience yesterday for complete horror. I bought a rug at the Willimantic ct store on the last day of the 20 percent off store wide sale. When a walked on it a thread caught on my sandal and it unraveled down a straight line and split open. Things happen. So I brought it back to the store with my receipt and the treatment I
received was AWFUL. The cashier told me that the rug was old and smelled . That there was no way I had just bought it. She is said was old and smelled atleast THREE times!!!! Basically called me a liar. She gets the Manager who walks over says right it off as a loss and walks away under his breath shaking his head and saying it smells. Well if it did it from the store not me!! There were people around me that were listening to this I was so embarassed and humiliated . Again under her breath she starts with the no way no way , sighing, shaking her head. Gives me the credit then when I leave I hear her tell the next customers what a loser I am. Are you kidding!!!! I am a 54 year old woman who works for the town and father a retired police Captain from the same town. To be treated like that is NOT okay. Who knows how many others she does this too. I have been a faithful customers for years and no one has ever humiliated me like that. I cried all the way home. SERIOUSLY!! I told mu husband what happened and he said we will never shop there again. He would rather pay extra than to see his wife come home in tears from a customer service rep. with no class and respect. I sincerely hope you take this seriously and address the rep and this matter. She was at Customer Service desk about 5 feet tall. Shoulder length brownish black hair wearing a red top . Gold rings on one hand and another ring on the other. Spoke with an accent. She can play your tapes I had on a striped long sun dress and have short redish brown hair with highlights in front. If you wish to speak to me my number is 860 465 XXXX. My name is Lori and even as I type this I am very emotional. I don not want anyone else to have this experience EVER!. Thank you for your time.
Last sat. sept. 9 afternoon upon entering the Warren store, I was verbally attacked by a man . he would not let me get past the check out area to shop. He kept yelling and swearing at me right up against me.What he was trying to do was to get me to push him away ,his friend was filming with her phone. he kept saying i tried to run them down outside, which wasn’t true. I going to be 70 years old and a vet. and don’t this kind bulling from someone 30 years younger than me.I have heart issues and haven’j slept right since this happened. I go to this store almost every day and can’t bring myself to go back .This I feel was a shake down so i would pay them some money they had other people out side waiting for them, I saw them all together before this happened. My problem with this whole incident is the store manager allowed this person to verbally abuse me block my way to shop trying get me to take swing at him, and yes they were filming the whole thing on phones sounds like a scam to me Whoever was in charge should have called the police. I always thought Job Lot gave support to seniors and vets
To whom it may concern, My wife and I emailed your company back in May regarding a very poor experience(Case#00019243) we had with an employee that was rude, vulgar and obnoxious during our visit. The “F bomb” laden language was on full display for everyone there, for not only us but other customers as well. He put on quite a performance for everyone. The employees seemed amused by his unprofessional and vile behavior probably because it was either expected by him or tolerated by management. We felt totally disrespected by everyone there at the store. I emailed my complaint to your company hoping that you would be aware of his unprofessional actions and very bad public image it was giving your company. On May 8th I received an email by Kelly Lauder who said a case # had been created and someone would get back to me shortly. I heard nothing. I again reached out to Kelly and got a reply that she was on vacation May 19th-28th. On May 30th, your employee Adam, sent an email thanking me for notifying the company about the incident. He said that the store manager and the district manager were notified of this situation and I was asked to supply my phone number so someone could contact me. No call ever came and if there was ever an attempt, no one ever left a message or return phone number. On July 10th I reached out to Adam asking about the phone call I was expecting. No phone call ever came. On July 25th I emailed Kelly Lauder with hopes that maybe she would let me know what was going on. Her return email said she was again on vacation July 23-29th. It is now August 19th and I still have not gotten a phone call or even an email acknowledgement. After owning my own business and realizing how important customer relations is today, especially with retail businesses getting bludgeoned by Amazon prime and the online shopping options, it would seem that Ocean State Job Lots would prioritize and take customer relations a lot more serious than my experience with your company. I will strongly urge others via word of mouth and social media to avoid companies like Ocean State that think so little of their customers as to not even giving them the courtesy of a simple email or promised phone call to resolve a problem that they created. I will simply take my business elsewhere and tell others to do the same. I don’t need the aggravation. Sincerely disappointed and disgusted, Mike Stetin
Dear Mr. Stetin, I couldn’t agree more. Recently a 20+ year employee took it upon herself to go from full-time to 10 hours per week after she was told by her supervisor that she wasn’t kind to her customers and that she wasn’t a people person. Shame on the Corporate Office for not getting involved in this matter. Ms. Emma McCrary the 20+ year employee was the back bone of the Boston Rd. Springfield Ma store and now it will never be the same. You can bet that I will no longer shop unless she is working. It always amazes me how the Big Guy forgets how they got where they are today. GO AMAZON!!!!!!
My sister and I have been in an Ocean State Job Lot store in our area several times recently in search of an item that we have been unable to find. I have now called your customer service department and the answer that I received about said item was unsatisfactory. This item is available by manufacturing company, but, doesn’t seem to be shipped to my area suddenly for some odd reason. The item that my sister and myself, as well as a couple of workers in the store are looking for is ; BARRICINI dark chocolate covered almonds, that are manufactured by BAZZINI HOLDINGS LLC in Allentown,PA. Please help me and others with this issue. THANK YOU!!!!!