I went in for a box of granola bars and came out pushing a cart I had not planned to fill. This warehouse-sized discount store in Illinois looks plain from the parking lot, but inside, the shelves change so often that nobody can say for sure what will be waiting.
Families come for cheap snacks and stay for the surprise of finding toys, tools, clothes, and name brands at closeout prices. If you like a bargain with a little mystery mixed in, this place makes an ordinary errand feel like an adventure.
A Closeout Emporium on Cicero Avenue
Picture a long stretch of South Cicero Avenue on Chicago’s Southwest Side, and you will find Continental Sales, known around town as Lots 4 Less, at 6333 S Cicero Ave. From the outside it reads like a practical warehouse. Inside, it opens into a sprawling discount emporium.
The store sells discounted foods and closeout merchandise, which means products that other retailers could not sell, ordered too much of, or are clearing out. Groceries share space with clothing, furniture, electronics, and toys…