I came here because my friend said he had AT coming up and wanted my husband's under shirts. My friend has the old Army digital ACU and my husband's new unit wears the new operational camouflage ACU. I thought I'd buy my husband some shirts and socks, he only has 3 shirts and 2 pairs of socks, and I wash them every other day. The store has a lot of used items, especially in t-shirts. I did not find what I was looking for. Maybe if you're a Marine or in the Navy, you can find something. I didn't have any luck here. read more

I'm a big fan of Army/Navy surplus stores cause growing up I remember how cheap everything was and how great all the stuff is! This one has the nastiest, musty smell that completely overwhelms the nose! I'm sure it has a lot to do with the selection of used boots and other goods that have been used out in the rain. We came in looking for a bargain on some camping gear. I love the idea of shopping local, or at stores that may directly benefit the military and families of vets, but this place was so expensive I couldn't bring myself to buy anything. I must say though, there is a good chance I'll be back to buy a peacoat, cause they're amazing! read more

Wow, was really surprised to read the negative customer comments here. I had no issue with the guy here and the place didnt smell. I bought two camo shirts for my little boys and got some personalized dog tags for them too. Guy was friendly, not negative in any way. *shrugs* my only complaint is that parking is a bitch, but that isnt the stores fault. read more

This is a really neat army surplus store. It is very vintage and has a large selection, although mostly clothing. It is a bit sad to me that they can sell medals and patches and uniforms with names still embroidered on them, but I would hope anyone who hasn't served would wear them. This is a cool place to visit and look around. My only complaint is that it is a little overpriced, with most items ranging from $20-$50 at the least, but I was not surprised considering that this is an old vintage store in North Park. Cool place. I would recommend checking it out. read more

This place is pretty cool if you like digging through old military supply goodies. I like the feel and smell of these old shops, and they have some cool things you can repurpose into daily use items if you use a little creativity. Service is friendly, the location is great, right in the heart of North Park, and prices are reasonable. read more

Overpriced. Came here buying a kevlar cover. $36 dollars compared to $14 one at the big MCX. RIPOFF!

Although it's been about 20 or so years since I've been in the Bargain Center I'm happy to see it's still around and that it survived an era of hyper regentrification. You see the name Bargain Center doesn't come close to doing it justice. This store is part vintage retail, part Smithsonian and part treasure trove. History intoxicates you when you enter the store. The items beg to be touched and sometimes yes even smelled (o.k. maybe thats just me ) But where else are you going to find a sweater that was used for rafting down a river by the Swiss army?? Check it out, it doesn't disappoint read more

Big store, lots of random military surplus items. But do yourself a favor, if you're going to spend more than $50 order from Amazon and get everything $10-20 cheaper. This store is WAAAY overpriced. I came here to get a name tag for some luggage, it cost $2. I didn't have cash on me but they take cards. They wouldn't sell it to me! Said it would cost more to process the transaction. So why not charge me what, $.50? Maybe he thought I was going to steal some valor or something, I don't know. So yea, if you're getting something small bring cash or just avoid this place and wait a week for shipping and save a lot of money. read more

Don't come here if you want to sell uniforms. Owner will rip you off. I dropped 7 brand new uniforms, 4 nwus and 3 type 3s. And gave me 15 for them. Just be prepared to be ripped off. He also wanted my tactical bag I brought the uniforms in. And was surprised I said hell no.After that I walked around the store and saw how over priced everything was. Kicked myself for selling there. There's other places to buy and sell. Definitely not here. Go somewhere else. Oh and either the owner had a bad day or it's just in his nature to act like an ass. read more

Way too expensive. Expect to pay double what you can get online or up in oceanside. Even the surplus store in el cajon is way cheaper and thay have a way nicer staff. Time to make this place a micro brewery! read more

DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME! We have a company event that would have required a large amount of military gear and we searched for a local place that would have everything we need. Naturally we found Bargain Center. One of our team members called in and asked for a price quote on the items we needed and we were told he had "1500 pairs in the back" and that sizing wouldn't be a problem. We asked if we could get a small discount considering we were going to buy more than just a few items and he "quoted" us at 24 for a pair of pants. I made the mortal mistake of calling again and asking if he could be more specific with the pricing as we were going to send each person to pick up their items...the man who picked up was extremely rude told me I was the fourth person to call and that he couldn't make it any easier for us that we'd just have to come down. That should have been our first clue. If you don't want our business just tell me and we won't waste our time. Instead, we did as he advised and went down to the store to see the selection of gear and style. The 5 of us were able to get some of the things we would need. At check out he told us the best he could do was discount 1$ and that he had no more sizes and styles available for what we were looking for. Odd, I wouldn't think in 1 week he would have sold out of his 1500 items. Even better, now instead of 24 dollars we would have had to pay 28. Ok, I'm sure fans of this place will say why complain about 4 dollars? Well when you're getting ready to buy 20+ it adds up quickly. The customer service was terrible, we were lied to and decieved and wasted our time doing as he said by "coming down." Overall, he lost our business and as we were walking out he tried to justify his price by saying we'd pay more in shipping than we would if we would just buy it there. HA! We were able to find BRAND NEW items for less than he was selling his USED gear in the style and sizes we needed. Lesson here: Don't waste his time or he'll waste yours. read more

High prices decent selection. The price of the military gear they have is high. Good selection but still over priced. The normal clothes and items they also sale are better priced but the quality is not the greatest. This place really is no bargain center. Only buy items here when i need and cant find no where else. The 2 guys that always seem to be there are a little less then friendly. Always trying to get you to buy more than you want and always keep asking if you need help. Gets a bit annoying after 6 times in 20 minutes. As i said go here if you only have to get something you cannot get someplace else or in a pinch. read more

TERRIBLE Customer Service!! Will not go here again. The owner is very rude and condescending and prices are way too high, even for the used stuff! I suggest going somewhere else where they value the customer. read more

The Bargain Center is an iconic part of North Park history! Surplus is an understatement because they have everything under the sun that you could possibly need. Even if you are not looking for military/GI supplies, you can find several other goods there. Camping supplies, steel toed shoes/boots, blankets, sports gear, shoes, blankets....like I said ANYTHING! I love that it is an independent neighborhood business because I would much rather support neighbors than corporate companies like Big 5 or shop online and wait for shipping. The shop is perfect if you are looking for items for a costume party or for Halloween. I came here a couple years ago to buy supplies for a Halloween party and found everything I needed and as a bonus my costume looked authentic because it was! Ever since, I have come here for all my costume party needs. Parking in North Park is not the best but this place has a parking lot attached and you can park there for free! Plus after you finish shopping you can walk the neighborhood and grab some grub or some drinks. I heard that they buy used military apparel/equipment so if you are looking for a few bucks might be a good idea! Even cooler that back in the day they used to be a Piggly Wiggly! read more

I am surprised that everyone else had problems with this shop and the customer service. We were visiting San Diego for Spring Break, and I wanted to find a store that sold military merchandise to use as movie props to use for my short film. I came with my mom, and when we entered, It was full of military stuff! Contrary to other reviews, the atmosphere was fine. It seemed like a genuine shop. We browsed for 10 minutes or so, then the owner helped me try on some Vietnam war-era boots. we found a perfect pair at a good price. The camo-tops were a bit expensive, but they were antiques almost! PAY WITH CASH, we had no problems checking out. There is almost anything military that you can think of packed in here. I want to come back soon--there are almost no military stores in NorCal. read more

They sell new and used uniform stuff and supplies. Friendly folks. Near downtown and North Park.

This purports to be a "military surplus" store, and indeed there's a lot of new and used uniforms and equipment for sale. But in addition there is a lot of junk, one notch above a 99c store. I noticed that a lot of the goods, including clothing on rackss were layered with dust. Inventory is not like a cross-section of militaria - there is far too much crap. Another problem is that pricing appears to be completely arbitrary, as though a dartboard were used. Some items are priced below "market", and others are at some substantial multiple of what a knowledgeable shopper would expect. There is no service, and no expertise. read more

Dusty merchandise with out of date items. Amazon prices are cheaper. No"bargains" or discounts whatsoever.

This is a strange place jam-packed with all kinds of crazy shit. New and used military uniforms, boots, helmets, and backpacks are just some of the strange items. A couple really cool things we saw were a Russian Navy striped submarine shirt, really cool flight suits, and machetes. The stuff here is pretty expensive too, I buy new steel-toed work boots at Boot Barn for less than the used ones here go for...but it's all pretty fun to look at. read more

Huge inventory! Great customer service, very friendly. The man at the front greeted us right away and assisted with finding the right pair of boots. Also directed us to the exact backpack we were looking for. Definitely recommend. read more

Bought a great pair of hardly worn boots for $70. Way better than spending almost $200 for a new pair at the NEX!

So, apparently, if you're a white woman, they'll be nice to you, but if you're a Brown man; they'll pat you down when you leave. My boyfriend was racially profiled in this store right after I walked out to go across the street. He was patted down as he left, after he was being watched the whole time he was in the store. This is ILLEGAL. I'm never shopping here again. read more

I went there to look for some specific boots. the guy tried to tell me that they don't make Composite toe boots anymore and would not stop pushing his steel toe boots at me even though he was not telling the truth. He tried anything to make a sale even though he was lying to me. read more

Love these guys, cool stuff especially for North Park... People get worked up over the small business attitude, but I feel way better shopping here then REI, I'll take honesty and good ol fashioned service over robot service... Plus, it's a surplus store, if you can' t find anything cool in here than maybe you shouldn't be shopping here! read more

Terrible prices, couldn't find what we needed, girlfriend got stalked around the store as if they suspected her of stealing. There's a hundred better surplus stores in SD where the owners aren't so terribly bitter. read more

Went in the other day to see if they would buy my uniforms. First problem was that I went to stop playing my music and take off my head phones and the guy told me (didn't ask) to get off the phone. Then I take out the first top, I tried to tell him that I'm not going to try to sell it the way it was (cause it's dirty) I wanted to ask if once it's cleaned would it be worth it. But before I could get a whole sentence out he cut me off saying they're not worth anything, we don't want them because they're not clean. I try to tell him that I'll get them cleaned no problem just wanted to know if it's worth the effort (I have 6 sets) and then he acts like it's absured to wash them. Like "who washes uniforms? That's stupid" He tried to tell me if I machine wash them I'll mess them up, even though it clearly says on the tag of the uniform to machine wash cold. Said I could just leave it, it's not worth anything. Well I'll just take them home then since he's so rude and won't work with me. And then said to wash them and bring them back. ??? Make sense to anyone? Long story short, the guy was really rude, clearly has no brain to suggest you can't wash a uniform and seems kinda shady to say it's worth nothing but when I try to walk away he tries to get me to come back another time read more

This past Saturday I called before I came in and made sure of the hours and to let the guy working what I wanted to bring in. I get there and after inspecting the uniforms he says they are too worn and can't buy them. That wasn't the real issue as they weer worn even though this is a second-hand store but the real problem was how he made it seem as though I had burdened him by even bringing these uniforms for him to look at. He said he had plenty of uniforms something he could have told me on the phone so I could save the trip of going all the way there but no matter I just donated my uniforms to the thrift store on base and I will never go there again there stuff is overpriced anyway. I thought this place was cool becasue of the variety but I realize now it's just a scam selling used clothes for crazy prices, I guess people gotta make money somehow right. read more

So I had an upcoming trip where I decided I wanted a not too huge duffel bag with some backpack straps. I found a cool Israeli tactical bag online, but I didn't have time to order it. I called up Bargain Center to see if they had it. They guy I talked to on the phone immediately knew what I was talking about, but didn't have it. He did however tell me about a few of the bags he had that were similar that he thought I'd be interested in checking out. So I came in the next day and for about the same price as the one I was looking at online I found one that suited my needs. The interior of the place reminds me of that scene from Falling Down where Michael Douglas' character has the run in with the crazy guy at the army surplus store. The guy in there working wasn't crazy (well he at least didn't come off as such), but I wouldn't be surprised if they had a hidden back room stocked full of automatics. read more

Place is okay. But for the most part it's a bit overpriced for me. My friend bought a old DCU cammie top for $39.95 (I thought was way overpriced, you can find these for $20 and less on ebay). And he noticed a rip on the side and some rust stains(still wearable), he asked if the owner if he could do anything. Guy gave him $.50 off! Thing is not even new. haha..Now granted my buddy didn't have to buy it, but he needed it for some party he was going to and was pressed for time. The younger guys are pretty helpful, the owner though was more interested in closing the sale than answering questions. Do yourself the favor and do your research of what you are looking and what the going price is before coming here. My buddy checked around after (because he is weird like that) and found other places that sold this same thing on average of $17.99. His fault for waiting for the last second..lesson learned. read more

LOVING THIS STORE!!! I'm addicted! Incredible for holiday shopping, birthday gifts etc. My sis in law had a camo party for her son and bought all of the decorations at this store. It was so cool. I bought my winter jacket here......I'll be wearing it for years to come. The selection is endless endless endless. I'm ready to go back to pick up new camping gear for the summer.....sleeping bags for the kids...you know...all that stuff. read more

I can't rate a 0 star so they get one... Called previous to going. I specifically asked if he bought military uniforms and or frog gear, his response was "we buy everything". Once we got there he did not want to purchase any of the clothing items or frog gear because " it is the normal size". He tried to buy it all for 5 dollars and was selling everything overpriced. If you are looking for a respectful business I would not go here. You're better off taking the risk on craigslist or a yard sale. He could have at least told me over the phone that he didn't want those sizes of clothing instead of saying yeah we buy everything. read more

I used to shop there often awhile. back. The problem is that they really raised their prices over the past 7-8 years. Now their stuff is way overpriced. The owners there are very pushy. Before I was willing tolerate it since they had some unique imported surplus items. read more

Welcoming and friendly staff. Helped me find all of the things I needed for my trip up to the mountains to go snowboarding!

This was a pretty decent army surplus/camping/worker supply store with reasonable prices on high quality items. The first time I came into the store I bought a pair of great combat boots that still last me years later. The last time I came into the store was to get gift ideas for Xmas and did see some things that were out of my budget, but definitely to add on the wishlist. The store is well organized and is a good size. The service here is very friendly if necessary (but won't insist on you, meaning for easy low hassle shopping), helpful and professional. There is some parking in the lot, but mostly street parking is available. It's also very conveniently located off the main drags and within walking distance to eateries and other stores. The store itself it a bit outdated, old and can get dusty and it is a bit dark inside, that would be the only reason its not five stars in my opinion, but outside of that every visit has been 5 star worthy. read more

Recently moved to the area and wanted to visit a good old surplus store near my house. I parked in their private lot and was greeted with a hearty good morning by an employee in the parking lot who was sweeping the sidewalk. I was a little skeptical of a visit with some of the reviews but I was in the store a few minutes and another employee greeted me very friendly and asked if I needed help. I said no that I would like to poke around. They left me completely alone for a solid 40 minutes as I closely looked in each aisle and tried items on. When I decided on my purchases (shirt and canvas bag) the guy at the register was very quiet but not in any way rude, reviewed a shirt I was buying and took another five dollars off because he said it was tagged wrong. No complaints here. In an age of prepackaged everything and fake smiles it's nice to go in a place you can just wander and discover. As far as pricing nothing is cheap today and bargains are hard to come by. I found the prices fair but a bit more than the swap meet, although the quality of the items was better here. Looking forward to another visit. read more