'Wouldn't see in your average Goodwill': Discover the University Surplus Store

Wearing a UNC beanie and church robe costume, Joshua Riggs sorted through a large container of computer parts at the University Surplus Store. Riggs, and his outfit, appeared right at home.

The aisles of University Surplus, located on Estes Drive, are organized and hold a wide variety of items. The store sells items such as old laptops, vinyl records, vending machines and antique furniture. It aims to find a new home for University property no longer needed by departments.

University Surplus, in the form it exists today, has been around for 20 years. Alfred Jeter, the store’s logistics manager, said that he has overseen the transition of the store from a warehouse of surplus to a larger operation.

“About a year after I got here we established the store and then we initially were operating on a half-a-day schedule one day a week,” Jeter said. “Then, we moved to two days a week, and then we moved to where we operated the store five days a week.”

The store has TV stands, as well as items related to schoolwork and home decorating, with a TV playing daytime television in the store adding to the ambiance.

While the store initially had none of their own vehicles, they have since  amassed a fleet of 11 trucks.

Riggs, one of the store’s drivers, said that University Surplus also has connections to the N.C. State surplus store.

“If we get items that are a certain value or a certain category that we aren't able to sell here, we usually ship it out [to N.C. State] and we usually get some sort of side profit for that,” Riggs said.

All transactions at the store are done in cash and any furniture being sold by the store must be transported by the customer.

University Surplus, which has a partnership with PowerHouse Recycling Inc. in Salisbury, N.C., recycles around 351 tons of scrap metal waste every month, with Jeter saying that the store likely recycles 15 to20 tons of material each month, including items such as computers, monitors, laptops and TV screens.

Han Nguyen, a UNC alumna and employee of the store, described University Surplus as a place that provides the community with a good place to find better-priced items.

All items in the store are priced at $500 or less and if there are any items that come into the store that would be over that threshold, they are sent to a state surplus store where they are either sold or auctioned off.

“There's just so many different things from certain departments that other people from other departments might need, so they can just come here and then get it for really reasonably priced, and it still goes back to the University in a way,” Nguyen said. “I think that's why this is a good place.” 

In addition to more traditional and useful items, the store also sells seasonal items. In his church robe costume, Riggs said that the store had recently received a delivery from the PlayMakers Repertory Company.

“Around this time of year, we'll occasionally have some folks who want to shop for Halloween, so we'll always try to cater to seasonal stuff,” Riggs said. “Generally, any cool factor is stuff you can seek here that you probably wouldn’t see in your average Goodwill or your rescue mission type of shop.”

While Jeter said he enjoys meeting new people and customers, he said that one of his favorite parts of managing the store is hearing praise from customers for the kind, courteous and understanding demeanor of the store’s staff.

"I like the idea of meeting new people that come in all the time and being able to satisfy what they want out of the store," Jeter said. "In other words, giving them a real good value for what they have to pay for the products that we sell."

@dailytarheel | university@dailytarheel.com