Saving Money with Wesley’s Deals
Now Moving Online Deals to the Store
Lisa Patrick
The Ashland Beacon
Wesley Davis has been saving people money with codes and deals for major online stores for several years. Now, he has brought that concept to his own retail store where he hopes to continue to help people get great deals on items that he is selling himself. Although he runs his online affiliate marketing company completely separate from his brick-and-mortar store, his goal remains the same—"helping people save money on items they are already buying.”
Wesley’s Red Hot Deals & Steals is a semi-weekend outlet located at 301 52nd Street in the building that formerly housed Lee’s Jewelry. Davis “specializes in closeouts on everyday items and everyday brands.” He uses his knowledge of how to find great bargains and then passes his own savings along to his customers.
Wesley’s Deals has three large rooms plus several little side areas to poke through for bargains. There are separate sections for health and beauty, toys, men’s, clothing, shoes, home and office supplies, home decor, bedding, groceries, snacks, seasonal items, pet supplies, and more. There is almost always something new as Davis finds new stock for the store every week.
Davis recently acquired all of the merchandise available from a local gas station that was changing ownership. He has “so many snacks and drinks in stock now that the front room looks like a grocery store.” The food items sold in store may be “in or out of the best buy date,” so Davis offers a “freshness guarantee” on the food and snacks that he sells well below market value. If any customer purchases a grocery or snack item and they “are not satisfied with the freshness, they can bring it back within 7 days for an exchange.” The food from the gas station buyout is currently all within their freshness date.
Davis likes to “keep shopping fun” with a “variety of weekly featured deals.” Remembering the old Kmart “blue-light special,” Davis has started his own version of that kind of deal that he refers to as a “disco light special” that is located in the main part of his store.
Davis prides himself on offering great customer service. He takes “pride in getting to know each and every customer who comes through the doors.” He also learns what his customers want and need because he feels that it is “important for any small business to cater to the trends of the time to survive in this industry.” Davis remarked that “knowing what is trendy” helps him to keep “customers happy and the shelves stocked with the products they want.”
Another fun item that can be found in Wesley’s Deals is the Pac-Man machine that is free for all customers to play when they come in the store. Davis even offers a Pac-Man Challenge. If you beat the current high score on your very first try, you win $20 and get to put your name on the leaderboard. Each customer is welcome to try at winning each day that the store is open, but the “first try” only counts for the first visit of the day.
Wesley’s Deals is currently open Thursday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Sunday from 1:00-5:00 p.m. These hours may change during the holiday season. If you come in and show Davis that you follow the store on Facebook, you can get 5% off of your purchase. The Facebook page for the store is Wesley’s Deals 301 52nd St. Ashland, KY.
