Got expired Bed Bath & Beyond coupons? These retailers will take them

Bed Bath & Beyond's competitors are coming to the rescue of customers looking to use expired coupons issued by the failed retailer.

Big Lots said Thursday that it's "assisting shoppers nationwide" by accepting expired Bed Bath & Beyond coupons until May 7. Customers that bring one of the iconic blue-and-whites into one of its 1,425 stores will receive 20% off a purchase of $50 or more. The offer is only valid in stores.

Big Lots has 23 Massachusetts locations in Ashland, Attleboro, Auburn, Billerica, Danvers, Dennis Port, Fairhaven, Fitchburg, Franklin, Gardner, Lynn, Methuen, Milford, Northampton, Pittsfield, Plymouth, Raynham, Revere, Seekonk, Springfield, Swansea, Webster and West Springfield.  They can also be found in New Hampshire, in Belmont, Claremont, Derry, Goffstown, Nashua and Rochester. 

"At Big Lots, our mission is to help people live big and save lots, which means we're always thinking of ways to step up and deliver even more value to consumers," said CEO Bruce Thorn in a press release.

Similarly, the Container Store said Wednesday it is offering a 20% discount on any single item to customers "who bring a competitor's blue coupon to any store location."

The Container Store has 97 locations nationwide, and all of them will be accepting the coupons through May 31. Massachusetts shoppers can find the stores in Chestnut Hill, Natick and Peabody, as well as in Salem, New Hampshire.  

Pennsylvania-based Boscov's, a department store with 50 locations, is also exchanging mailed Bed Bath & Beyond coupons for $10 off purchases of at least $50 until May 31. The closest Boscov's location to the Boston area is in Providence Place. 

Earlier this week, Bed Bath & Beyond filed for bankruptcy. The company gave customers until Tuesday to use its ubiquitous coupons. Now, the retailer is offering "deep discounts" on its products as it winds down operations. The store will stop accepting gift cards on May 8, and the brand's Welcome Rewards points will stop being accepted on May 15.

History of Bed Bath & Beyond's coupons

Bed Bath & Beyond introduced its oversized coupon for 20% off a single item three decades ago.

Over time, the oversized postcard-like mailer and digital coupon with an eye-popping purple-blue border and font blaring "20% off in-store or online" developed a cult following and became a successful marketing strategy to lure in repeat shoppers, a retail analyst previously told CNN.

The "Big Blue" coupons became a pop culture reference as celebrities and late-night talk show hosts popped it into their on-air conversations.

Rumors swirled on various social platforms that Big Blue coupons never expire, even though the weekly coupon does feature an expiration date.

Then the pandemic hit and walloped the retail industry. With stores closed for months, and consumers rethinking their nonessential purchases, Bed Bath & Beyond sales and profit took a hit. In late 2020, the retailer said it was scaling back on its popular coupon program to boost its business.

Two years later, company executives called the move a 'big mistake," admitting they had misjudged how much shoppers had come to embrace the regular cadence of the Big Blue coupons.

Now that the company is going through a liquidation process, Bed Bath & Beyond said it's the end of the road for the coupons.