A surplus store or disposals store is a business that sells items and goods that are used, purchased but unused, or past their

use by date An expiration date or expiry date is a previously determined date after which something should no longer be used, either by operation of law or by exceeding the anticipated shelf life for perishable goods. Expiration dates are applied to some f ...

, and are no longer needed due to

excess supply In economics, an excess supply, economic surplus market surplus or briefly supply is a situation in which the quantity of a good or service supplied is more than the quantity demanded, and the price is above the equilibrium level determined by sup ...

, decommissioning, or

obsolescence Obsolescence is the process of becoming antiquated, out of date, old-fashioned, no longer in general use, or no longer useful, or the condition of being in such a state. When used in a biological sense, it means imperfect or rudimentary when comp ...

. The surplus sold is often

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

, or industrial goods; in the case of the former two, the business is usually called a military surplus store, government surplus store, war surplus store, or army-navy store.

Military surplus

Military surplus stores sell equipment that was intended for the military but is unable to be used, no longer in service, or originally purchased in excess by the military. These stores often sell

camping Camping is a form of outdoor recreation or outdoor education involving overnight stays with a basic temporary shelter such as a tent. Camping can also include a recreational vehicle, sheltered cabins, a permanent tent, a shelter such as a Bivy bag ...

equipment or military clothing. Large amounts of former military clothing and equipment were sold in these stores after

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

By country

Canada

Known as army surplus stores, these typically also carry sporting goods related to hunting, fishing, and camping.

China

Army surplus stores in China are common. They mostly specialize in clothing, footwear, tarpaulins, and blankets, but also often sell occupational safety equipment.

Germany

Allied-occupied Germany The entirety of Germany was occupied and administered by the Allies of World War II, from the Berlin Declaration on 5 June 1945 to the establishment of West Germany on 23 May 1949. Unlike occupied Japan, Nazi Germany was stripped of its sov ...

, the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...

initially confiscated the stock and materials of the ''

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

'', including 500,000 tonnes of stock and over 150,000 tonnes of scrap. In 1948 a government agency, the ''Staatliche Erfassungsgesellschaft für öffentliches Gut'' ("State Collecting Company for Public Good", StEG), was formed to manage the sale of these items. In reference to the name of this agency, the army surplus was called ''Stegware'', and their stores were nicknamed "''Steg shops''". Goods sold by these stores included new and used clothing, camping equipment, and tools; early on, vehicles and heavier equipment were also sold. In the early 1950s the U.S. military began to add their own surplus from the war. The joint surplus was sold across Germany until the 1980s.

United States

Known as military surplus stores or army navy stores, surplus stores in the U.S. typically carry military or military-spec equipment. After the World Wars and

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

, large amounts of military surplus was left over from the large amounts of equipment made for drafted troops, making their stock and sale common. However, with the advent of the military being volunteer and the fighting force being smaller, most modern military stores have had to switch to selling "military-spec" items, which are civilian remakes of military items.

References

External links

''Amateur Computer Society Newsletter'', 1966-1976
��The early computer hobbyists relied on surplus electronic parts. {{Retail Militaria Retail formats