Amazon returns among many items at low prices
By KEVIN CHIRI
Slidell news bureau
SLIDELL – The stories are endless about individuals coming to the United States and finding success in the business world.
Joe Baqi is certainly one of those people after coming to America a total of 30 years ago from his native land of Jerusalem.
But Baqi might have gone one step past many others by not only finding a successful business career for himself, but now opening a unique store that is proving to be wildly successful as something brand new.
Deals Plus + Liquidation has only been open for one week in the Northside Shopping Center in Slidell, but the interest in the creative business idea from Baqi already has customers lining up to get in an hour before the doors open.
That’s because Deals Plus has “real deals” that have many people shaking their heads in disbelief as they head out with a full shopping cart.
Baqi struck on the idea to obtain discontinued and liquidated merchandise from dozens of manufacturers, including Amazon. When you walk into his store you will see thousands of items in large bins scattered all around the large store space that used to be Eckerd Drugs many years ago.
Depending on the day, you can purchase any of the items for pennies on the dollar. His schedule is as follows: Any item on Monday for $5, any item on Tuesday for $3, any item on Wednesday for $1, then after he closes on Thursday for restocking, he has a newly overflowing number of items available on Friday when anything can be purchased for $12, followed by any item on Saturday for $9, and any item for $7 on Sunday.
One woman who was heading for the early line last Friday commented, “this place is amazing. I got a $95 Play-Doh toy last week for only $12!”
Baqi, age 52, only smiles when asked how successful this idea has been so far, with Slidell becoming his second location after starting a Deals Plus in Dallas two years ago.
“Look at the people standing in line to come in,” he said.
Baqi came to the United States at the age of 22 and could speak no English but had family members here in the New Orleans area. He began working at his father-in-laws store and slowly learned English, “with the help of the customers.”
Three years later he started his own beauty supply company and now owns five of them, all showing their own success before he got the idea for Deals Plus from watching a video online.
“I saw it on Facebook from a store in Chicago and decided to copy the idea,” he said. “Companies have so many returns and items they can’t sell. I only had to find out how to get my hands on them.”
Baqi has clearly figured things out as you walk in on Thursday and he has staff members unloading gigantic cardboard boxes full of new items, much of it coming from Amazon.
“There are so many returns to businesses like Amazon and they can’t resell them,” he said. “I found out how to purchase some of them. And this is not trash—it is really good merchandise. Just come in and see one day, and you will believe.”
The ownership of Northside Shopping Center must be happy with his success as well since the prime business location had been vacant for eight years.
“My goal is to make people happy,” Baqi said. “And when they come in here and find some amazing deals, they are very happy.”
Among the kinds of items found in the store are electronics, appliances, games, household items, clothes, furniture and more. One section with slightly higher prices is the VIP corner, but the vast majority of everything in the store—all located in the large bins—follows the set price per day.
The store is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. six days a week.