Western New York Big Lots Stores Put Larger Focus On Groceries

Out of milk? Now you can head to Big Lots.

Big Lots stores in Western New York have overhauled their product mix to make grocery a much larger focus than it has been in the past.

“Grocery is a really hot category for us, and it’s growing,” said Peter Mensinger, a district manager for Big Lots.

Stores here have added large coolers to stock cold and frozen grocery items, which allows them to carry milk and cheese. By doing that, stores are now able to accept SNAP and EBT payments, also known as food stamps. Big Lots stores have long carried canned meat, fruit and vegetables but needed to regularly carry one more category of “staple foods” in order to qualify for the program under government standards.

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