Maria Johnson stumbled onto something unexpected at her local Staples in Florida. Walking past the entrance, she spotted a yellow sign and two bins filled with merchandise. Curious, she ventured to the back of the store and found seven massive black bins overflowing with products. This, she learned, was Bin Wins, Staples’ recently launched program for selling Amazon returns and overstock items.
What started as idle curiosity turned into a rabbit hole worth exploring. Johnson, a content creator who specializes in sharing money-saving tips around Disney World and Orlando, decided to investigate whether this discount model actually delivered value. The answer, it turns out, is complicated.
The Weekly Cycle and Price Progression
The mechanics of Bin Wins operate on a predictable weekly schedule. New inventory arrives every Friday, and that’s when prices hit their peak at $15 per item. Here’s the catch: the pricing drops incrementally throughout the week. By Thursday, before the next Friday’s restock, items cost just $2. It’s a system designed to either reward patient shoppers or push impulse buyers to overpay.
“Friday is the day that unloading happens,” Johnson explained. “All the best stuff comes out on Friday, but it’s also the $15 day.”
This creates an interesting arbitrage opportunity for bargain hunters willing to return. An item that seems overpriced at $15 on Friday might become genuinely cheap by mid-week, assuming it hasn’t already been claimed. The trade-off is time and repeated trips, which isn’t practical for everyone.
What’s Actually In These Bins?
The inventory mix at Bin Wins is genuinely eclectic. Johnson found cases of Alani Nu energy drinks and Fairlife Core Power protein shakes, typically retailing for $30 to $40. There were shoes, clothing, seasonal decorations like Halloween items and Christmas stockings, and even auto parts. Employees mentioned spotting high-ticket items like AirPods in previous loads, though Johnson didn’t personally see those during her visit.
The business model relies on speed and volume. Returns and overstock that cost Staples money to store get liquidated quickly. For shoppers, it means every bin visit is a lucky dip. You might find a genuinely discounted item or something that should’ve stayed in the warehouse.
Johnson used her Amazon app’s barcode scanner to verify retail prices on items she was considering. This simple trick cuts through the guesswork about whether something is actually a deal or just clearance priced merchandise nobody wanted at full price.
The Reseller Angle Changes Everything
Here’s where things get interesting. Johnson observed other shoppers treating Bin Wins less like a bargain hunt and more like a sourcing opportunity. One shopper mentioned they were buying auto parts for $15 with plans to resell them on eBay for $700. Whether that claim checks out is another question, but the reseller interest is real.
This isn’t necessarily a problem for Staples. They’re moving inventory. But it does suggest that some of the value in Bin Wins isn’t going to everyday bargain hunters looking for a deal on household items. It’s going to people treating this as arbitrage, which changes the character of the entire enterprise.
Entertainment Over Actual Savings
Johnson’s ultimate take? Bin Wins works better as an experience than as a deal-hunting destination. “I think the experience was fun. I’d shop again at the Bin Wins, but mostly for entertainment value, not actual deals on stuff my family needs,” she said.
The tumbler she featured in a viral Instagram reel originally cost $35 and sold for $15 at Bin Wins. That’s legitimately cheaper, though hardly earth-shattering savings. Most of what she saw didn’t strike her as genuinely worth even the $15 starting price.
Her suggestion for maximizing Bin Wins sounds more like a social outing than serious shopping: grab a friend, get coffee, and treat it like a treasure hunt. The wins exist, but they require patience, repeat visits, and realistic expectations about what constitutes an actual bargain versus inventory that simply didn’t move.
The real question is whether casual shoppers will maintain interest once the novelty wears off, or if Bin Wins becomes primarily a tool for resellers with the knowledge and channels to flip merchandise at scale.
