File photo.
Coastal Seafoods, a major player in the Midwest's fish market, is trying something new to attract customers during the post-holiday retail lull.
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, it is having its first "Winter Seafood Garage Sale." Fish and seafood fans will find frozen cases of shellfish, lobster, crab, shrimp, salmon, tuna, octopus and squid.
"Consumers will see a 30 percent savings compared to regular prices," said Chris Blankenbaker, the Minneapolis director of corporate development for Fortune Fish & Gourmet, which purchased Coastal in 2016.
Cases will vary from 10 to 30 pounds with most, but not all, of the seafoods wrapped individually to pop easily in the freezer. Prices per case range from $30 to $400 for more than 60 varieties.
Asked about the garage sale concept, Blankenbaker said: "It sounds like a fun and interesting concept, Whoever heard of a seafood garage sale before?"
The sale will be held in Coastal's actual garage area along E. 24th St in back of the store at 2330 Minnehaha Ave. S., Minneapolis. Cold-loving customers willing to brave the weekend's low temps will get free samples of warm smoked Arctic char chowder and sausage and shrimp skewers while they wait before the sale begins.
One more weekend sale: Saturday is the last day to take advantage of Menards' bag sale. It is the first time Menards has brought back the sack since January 2017.
Get an immediate 15 percent off everything that can fit inside the grocery sack that was included in last Sunday's Star Tribune. If you can't locate the bag, Menards has extras in the store.
The advantage of the bag sale is the immediate discount, as opposed to mailing in and then waiting for a rebate credit toward a future purchase. It's also a larger discount than the rebate sales, which are typically 11 percent.
The discount can be used on regular-priced or sale items. The usual restrictions apply: Items in the bag can be twice the height of the bag but stacking is not allowed.
