Cutting costs: Owner touts his local overstock chain, Jomar

Yesterday's Consumer Watch column on reining in expenses mentioned Mark Davidsaver, the aptly named Illinois software developer (for diesel engines and transmissions) who runs the "YourMoneyPage" website as a hobby.

Davidsaver, like many Internet hobbyists, sells ads for his site, so in that sense he's also a businessman. He wasn't the only one I heard from.

In the spirit of localism and fair play - I've previously pointed readers to Overstock.com as a source for savings - here's an e-mail from Mark Segal, a local businessman whose six-store chain, Jomar Inc., also sells overstocked items. The difference: You can see and touch his stores' merchandise. You don't have to rely on Web-site photographs and descriptions, or pay for shipping.

I haven't been to Jomar yet myself, but with two teenage daughters, I intend to investigate. (One of Jomar's rare mentions in our newspaper archives referred to it years ago as a favorite of Marjorie Margolies Mezvinsky, the former newscaster and congresswoman who now runs Women's Campaign International.)

Mark Segal didn't drop any names - he just told me that he was proud of his company and the savings it offers to consumers. One of the ironies of the modern marketplace is that the best bargains may well be at places that you've rarely or never heard of, because retailers have to build marketing costs into their prices.

Segal writes:

There is only one true factory outlet store left in this city and that is a six-store chain called Jomar Inc. We buy everything a department store or catalog company does not sell, or everything a customer returns to that particular store, and sell it for a fraction of the original retail price.

Did you ever wonder what happens to that dress shirt your wife bought you at Macy's that was not quite right? Well, when your wife returns it, it does not go back to inventory; it goes to Jomar. [Clarification: Not all of it; Segal says Jomar is "one of maybe four companies in the United States" that get Macy's overstock and returns.]

Bottom line: If you want to buy a $40 department store garment in this city for $5 or $6, every day, Jomar is the only game in town. We carry anything a department store carries plus furniture and fabrics. We are Philly-born and family-owned since 1967.

I understand that our company may not fit into your "little secrets" concept, but after reading your article, my passion for my company, and the fact that we offer the public true value, compelled me to send you this e-mail.

Thanks for your time.
Mark Segal
Jomar Inc.
"Phillys Best Kept Secret"

If you've had experiences with Jomar, good or bad, please feel free to comment by clicking on the word Comment beneath this posting. (Remember to fill in the word-verification box to prove you're not a spammer-bot.)