380 Auction continues to rely on low prices, good quality, variety of goods — and family touch
Jim Beacom III believes the secret to retail success is to keep prices low and customer service high.
The third-generation businessman said such has been the credo of the family business, 380 Auction & Discount Warehouse, along Fairview Drive in Murrysville.
“You keep the prices as low as you can (and) you work hard,” said Beacom, 44, of Frazer. “At the end of the day, you let the chips fall where they lie. Always be on the right side of God. Lay your head down at night knowing you did right by your fellow man and you have no worries in life. Everything else just falls into place.”
Founded as an auction business in 1965 by Jim Beacom Sr., it transitioned into a retail facility in the 1970s and grew exponentially.
“It’s a destination now,” said Beacom. “You never know what you’ll find here. We try to offer everything under the sun. Everything is at a discounted price.”
The business is now run by Beacom, his father, and other family members, many of which are from the Tarentum area.
“You can trust one another,” Beacom said about working with relatives. “We know what’s going on. We have a lot of family members, a lot of people that work out of here and draw from this place.
“Everyone does their fair share of what they have to do. Everybody brings something to the table, which is very good and helps out in many ways.”
The most popular products this time of year are plants. The warehouse carries everything from perennials, annuals, hanging baskets, palm trees, various fruits, vegetables and flowers.
It has a variety of planters and all the necessities for gorgeous landscaping or to grow a sustainable garden. Fresh-cut Christmas trees are available in the winter.
“We try to get a wide variety of stuff in here,” Beacom said. “Everyone’s trying to beautify their homes. I think with the rising costs of everything people are doing staycations. They are staying home and spending the money at their own homes instead of going to someplace else to enjoy the time. We’re growing in the plant business more and more every year.”
Most of the produce comes in from local farms when it is in season.
“We try to offer as much local items as we possibly can (including) fresh sweet corn in the fall,” Beacom said. “We try to bring in from local guys only, but it’s so hard to find anybody local growing anything anymore especially in our climate.”
People also can find name-brand furniture, kitchen tools, paints, hardware, pool supplies, home goods, automotive supplies, pet foods and toys, sports merchandise, seasonal décor and more across a 30,000-square-foot retail space.
A kettle corn vendor sporadically sets up shop and provides a delicious snack.
Beacom said they been able to minimize the impact of inflation by dealing in volume, having less overhead than big-box stores, having a great staff and supporting supply connections made over the decades.
“We’ve had a very good reputation,” he said. “When we take something we pay for something. We don’t live on credit. It is how we’ve worked it all the time, and we take in volume as best we can.
“We have really great employees — can’t say enough about them. Any business out there that doesn’t treat their employees right won’t survive this. We’re fortunate.”
Between 20 to 25 people are working on a given day to make sure customers get exactly what they need.
Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays, closed Mondays.
More information about the business, its products, weekly ads and daily specials is available online at shop380.com.
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