Army Navy Surplus Stores
I recently started trying to find a good Army Navy surplus store around me, and I’ve learned that they have nearly gone extinct.
For some reason, I got hit with the nostalgic urge to visit an Army Navy store in the past few weeks. Between their cheap camping gear like paracord, the fact that I could use a new pair of BDUs, and the sheer joy of window shopping, I really just wanted to go to one and peruse their wares. I might pick up something if I found anything I could make use of at a good price. Military specification bags and knives are supposedly some of the best, and I’d like to try out a canvas belt like I’ve heard of some people finding at surplus stores. Plus, people seem to rave about the thermal poncho liner, or “woobie” as I hear it referred to among those who know of its excellence. I hadn’t gone to one in several years, so it seemed like the time to go see what any local stores had on hand.
Looking around on Google Maps, I found that there weren’t many at all around me. The one that I remember going to most recently has long since closed down, and been replaced by a pawn shop. One in a nearby town seemed to still be in business, but it was too far away for a lunch break trip. Ideally, I wanted somewhere close enough that I could swing by, look at what they had, and get back to work on time.
One location appeared to be just a few minutes away from my house. Not something I could easily reach during lunch, but I could swing by just to check out the exterior after work. On my way home, I took a detour from my normal route to see if I could find this possibly hidden gem of an Army surplus store. Unfortunately, it turned out to be an online catalog with their warehouse listed on the map. There was no storefront, so no way for me to actually look over their physical goods as I wanted to do.
In searching, I found several other online Army Navy surplus suppliers. One store in particular, I actually ended up purchasing some shoes from. These are all well and good (arguably superior, since you can see all of their products from the comfort of your home), but it’s just not the same as going to a physical store and looking around at what they have. It’s almost like going to pawn shops and looking for bypassed treasures.
Along the way, I learned some about how surplus stores work. Apparently, surplus stores attend auctions for collections of military surplus goods. These stores buy up items in lots at the auctions, and sell them individually at their own location.
Eventually, I came to the realization that there really wasn’t a need for brick and mortar Army Navy surplus stores anymore. Online marketplaces like Amazon and eBay have tons of new and used items that surplus stores might carry, or high quality replicas thereof. For small town surplus stores, how can you compete with the price and selection of E-commerce giants? They need enough business to net a profit, in addition to keeping the lights on. Admittedly, my niche situation is far too uncommon to pay the bills for most surplus stores.
You need paracord? Walmart has bundles of 100’ for $10 or less. That nylon belt that I was curious about? Amazon has them for $8 or so, in a variety of colors and styles. You can even buy a box of MREs from Amazon, which I long thought nearly impossible to obtain.These options are even better than a catalog. I can see current inventory, order what I want, and have it delivered to my door in 2 days or pick it up on the same day in some cases. Why even bother going to a specific store that may or may not have what I want, when I can throw a bundle of paracord in the buggy with my weekly grocery run?
I still maintain that there is almost a romantic notion of looking through old uniforms and gear that have seen actual use. It’s like a museum that you can purchase from. And at the surplus stores that are still in operation, you may very well be able to find better deals than what Amazon or Walmart have. But that option may not be around for much longer. With everything moving to online retailers, a military surplus catalog may be the closest you can get to visiting an actual surplus store.
If there is an Army Navy surplus store near you, go check it out. They sometimes have some genuinely cool items. From wardrobe pieces, to camping gear, and everything in between. Sure, you may be able to buy similar things online, but there is something to be said about the experience of exploring your local surplus store.
For some reason, I got hit with the nostalgic urge to visit an Army Navy store in the past few weeks. Between their cheap camping gear like paracord, the fact that I could use a new pair of BDUs, and the sheer joy of window shopping, I really just wanted to go to one and peruse their wares. I might pick up something if I found anything I could make use of at a good price. Military specification bags and knives are supposedly some of the best, and I’d like to try out a canvas belt like I’ve heard of some people finding at surplus stores. Plus, people seem to rave about the thermal poncho liner, or “woobie” as I hear it referred to among those who know of its excellence. I hadn’t gone to one in several years, so it seemed like the time to go see what any local stores had on hand.
Looking around on Google Maps, I found that there weren’t many at all around me. The one that I remember going to most recently has long since closed down, and been replaced by a pawn shop. One in a nearby town seemed to still be in business, but it was too far away for a lunch break trip. Ideally, I wanted somewhere close enough that I could swing by, look at what they had, and get back to work on time.
One location appeared to be just a few minutes away from my house. Not something I could easily reach during lunch, but I could swing by just to check out the exterior after work. On my way home, I took a detour from my normal route to see if I could find this possibly hidden gem of an Army surplus store. Unfortunately, it turned out to be an online catalog with their warehouse listed on the map. There was no storefront, so no way for me to actually look over their physical goods as I wanted to do.
In searching, I found several other online Army Navy surplus suppliers. One store in particular, I actually ended up purchasing some shoes from. These are all well and good (arguably superior, since you can see all of their products from the comfort of your home), but it’s just not the same as going to a physical store and looking around at what they have. It’s almost like going to pawn shops and looking for bypassed treasures.
Along the way, I learned some about how surplus stores work. Apparently, surplus stores attend auctions for collections of military surplus goods. These stores buy up items in lots at the auctions, and sell them individually at their own location.
Eventually, I came to the realization that there really wasn’t a need for brick and mortar Army Navy surplus stores anymore. Online marketplaces like Amazon and eBay have tons of new and used items that surplus stores might carry, or high quality replicas thereof. For small town surplus stores, how can you compete with the price and selection of E-commerce giants? They need enough business to net a profit, in addition to keeping the lights on. Admittedly, my niche situation is far too uncommon to pay the bills for most surplus stores.
You need paracord? Walmart has bundles of 100’ for $10 or less. That nylon belt that I was curious about? Amazon has them for $8 or so, in a variety of colors and styles. You can even buy a box of MREs from Amazon, which I long thought nearly impossible to obtain.These options are even better than a catalog. I can see current inventory, order what I want, and have it delivered to my door in 2 days or pick it up on the same day in some cases. Why even bother going to a specific store that may or may not have what I want, when I can throw a bundle of paracord in the buggy with my weekly grocery run?
I still maintain that there is almost a romantic notion of looking through old uniforms and gear that have seen actual use. It’s like a museum that you can purchase from. And at the surplus stores that are still in operation, you may very well be able to find better deals than what Amazon or Walmart have. But that option may not be around for much longer. With everything moving to online retailers, a military surplus catalog may be the closest you can get to visiting an actual surplus store.
If there is an Army Navy surplus store near you, go check it out. They sometimes have some genuinely cool items. From wardrobe pieces, to camping gear, and everything in between. Sure, you may be able to buy similar things online, but there is something to be said about the experience of exploring your local surplus store.
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