Bin stores run on something close to an honour system. There is no queue for a bin, no ticket, no allocation. It works because almost everyone behaves reasonably, and it gets unpleasant fast when they do not.
So here is the etiquette, written down for once.
The unwritten rules
You do not own a binStanding at one does not reserve it. Leave room for someone to reach in beside you, and move on when you are done.
Do not build a pile to sort through laterPulling out a stack of things to claim them, then deciding at leisure, takes them out of circulation for everyone else.
Put it back where it came fromNot the nearest bin. Categories are the only thing that makes a bin searchable.
Do not open packaging at the binsTake it to the testing station. Once a sealed item is opened at a bin it is worth less to everyone.
Do not dig through someone’s cartSounds obvious. Happens.
Kids stay with youBins are at a height children love and staff cannot always see over.
The actual rules
These are not etiquette, they are policy, and staff will hold the line on them.
✕
Bin items are not held. A bin item has to stay in the bin until someone takes it to the register, so if you put it down it is available again. Prime deals and auction wins are different — see below.
✕
No early access. Nobody shops before opening, including staff and their families. The door opens at the same moment for everyone.
✕
All bin sales are final. Test it before you get in line, because afterwards there is no return.
What we will hold, and what we will not
This is the question we get most, so here is the actual policy.
Prime deals — yes, we hold themPrime items live on their own shelves and are not allowed in the bin section, so they cannot simply be left somewhere for you. Ask a member of staff and we will set it aside.
Auction wins — yes, we hold themCall the store or message us in your store’s Facebook group and we will keep it behind the register for you.
Bin items — noBin merchandise is not allowed on the Prime shelves and Prime is not allowed in the bins, so there is nowhere to put a held bin item. It stays in the bin, and it is first to the register.
That last one is not us being difficult. If we set bin items aside on request, the people who ask most often would get first refusal on everything good, and the floor would quietly stop being fair to everyone else.
And the one nobody thinks to ask. Yes, you can put something back. Yes, you can take twenty minutes to decide. Yes, you can ask a member of staff what something is — they will not know either half the time, and they will say so.
