You expect to find gluten-free food online and in health food stores and big grocery stores, but you never anticipate finding it in your local discount store. I was recently pleasantly surprised to find, among the curling irons and cat food, many GF products in Big Lots, the largest broadline closeout retailer in the U.S.
Big Lots has recently begun carrying several types of Bob’s Red Mill products, most of them gluten-free, and all of them much cheaper than they can be purchased on-line or in a grocery store. I bought Bob’s Gluten-Free Shortbread Cookie Mix and Pizza Crust Mix for 2.90 and a bag of Bob’s Cinnamon Raisin Bread Mix for 3.95. In my regular grocery store, these mixes run from 4.95 – 6.95. Big Lots also carries a few brands of GF pasta, all for under 2.00 per package. And you can always find a few different types of gluten-free cereal on their shelves, as well as snacks, cookies and side-dishes.
You might worry that these products are damaged or expired or have something else wrong with them to be sold so cheaply. Fear not; Big Lots’ food products are all well within their expiration dates. When large grocery stores or other retailers buy too much of a product, or they’ve been overproduced and liquidated, Big Lots swoops in and buys them for considerably under their retail value, and then they pass the savings on to the consumer.
With over 1400 Big Lots in 48 states, there is bound to be one near you. Check out their website for locations. And happy gluten-free baking!
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