It had been years since I had first visited Santa Fe Seconds. Well before I had even started BargainsLA. It seems like whenever I rediscover an old time bargain haunt, I find I like it better than the first time.

Santa Fe Seconds “The Variety Store” is a real bargain hunters haunt. A sense of adventure will help you discover the racks and aisles full of excellent deals. It’s stocked full of everything you could possibly imagine…. Home theater, tools, sundries, men, women’s and children’s clothing, house wares, bedding, toys, furniture, electronics and more from department store overstock, manufacturer overruns, customer returns, freight damaged and floor models. They get these goods from Costco, Sears, Target, manufacturers and other famous big box discounters.

The deals are as plentiful as the stock, but like all liquidation outlets you have to hunt. Damaged boxes hold perfect crystal goblets, repackaged bags have perfect 400tc king sheets, amongst dozens of tops and tees there are damaged pieces mixed in. … in short you’ll need to look a bit harder for that perfect something. But chances are, when you find it, it’s for 35%-90% less than anywhere else.

Upon entry I grabbed a couple of perfect Kirkland 100% cashmere sweaters for guys at $9.99. Costco would sell ‘em for $49-$59. These are not top of the line 4-ply designer cashmere sweaters, but nice 2-ply. But for $9.99, what the heck, it was a steal! Turning a corner, I was bombarded with graphics on with wide screen LCD HDTV tv’s… all at super pricing. A Samsung 23” LCD HDTV was $449 and a Panasonic 42” plasma HDTV was $949. Some of these were a couple of years old floor models and some were brand new customer returns. Either way they were very well priced.

Straight ahead, locked behind glass were a designer fragrances, watches and group of Maxx Handbags… All priced at $79. These great handbags would range from $189 to $350. Tempting… I left that area quickly.

Strolling down the aisles here left my head spinning from so much stuff. Office supplies, birthday favors, an Emerson Micro wave was $44. The next aisle had food product… Girards dressing was $.99 instead of $4.50. Kraft Mac & Cheese was $49. Lotions, hair care product, Band Aids, all at prices that were so low they were silly.

A portable air conditioner by Millenia was $119, a ping pong table was $89.99 a Pro line 10-pc heat gun was $19.99. The kid in you would appreciate the Retro Rocket by Radio Flyer for $19.99. A really nice polka dot and strip crib bedding set was originally a customer return and had been repackaged for sale. At only $24 it was at least 60% below original retail.

The clothing department held a wide variety of name brand goods from new Baby Phat velour jogging sets at $39 instead of $73 to For Joseph suede jackets at only $7.99. I was really surprised to find a whole rounder of Miss Sixty, Paper Denim, Habitual and Earl jeans for women at $39. Sizing was limited and I suspect they are more than a few seasons old. Some Rocawear quilted coats with fur trim were $99 instead of $200 and a large grouping of Tees were $10 instead of $30.

Guys can do well here especially if they have an open mind. A Def Jam Varsity leather jacket was really cool and affordable at $79-$99. Retail is $180-$290. An Alfani V-neck sweater was $5 and some Van Heusen shirts were also just $5. I also spotted a rack of trousers for $5.99. All new but probably a few seasons to several years old.

There were good prices on home furnishings, but I wasn’t overly impressed. I did spot two outstanding buys. One was a super nice marble top bathroom vanity done in a distressed black finish at $399. Retail is $725. I also liked this rectangular patio set with 6 cushioned chairs at only $249.

The only trouble with shopping here is deciding where you’ll concentrate your energy. The South Gate location is spread out over 3 buildings and you can easily lose focus. But the deals you’ll discover are worth a loss in focus.

They offer a 30-day money back warranty on all electronics and all other merchandise is store credit only within 30 days. That seems fair to me. This is a “must hit” place when I am in the area and since they have three locations, I should be able to conveniently pop in often and bag some deals. You should too.

Santa Fe Seconds Variety Stores
8730 Santa Fe Ave, South Gate, CA 90280

Santa Fe Seconds
645 N. Avalon St., Wilmington, CA 90744

Santa Fe Outlet
896 E. Holt Ave., Pomona, CA 91767 (The nicest of the three)

Suzanne O'Connor