Phat Albert’s

The worse customer service in the world! One of the employees told me he was watching wrestling and the cashier stopped in the middle of the transaction to use the use the restroom! Had to wait 15 minutes for another cashier to complete my transaction! Thumbs down !!!

I like this place, you’ll probably like it to if you enjoy hunting for useful, cheap stuff. Pretty much everything, all in one place. The quality of things differs from obscure and very questionable to your standard name brands, and at decent prices.
Lines can be really long (or not long so much as slow), at least on a weekend. Recommend for cleaning supplies and random browsing. Probably wouldn’t buy much else here… but, eh, you never know.

DUUUUUUUDE. This place right here, though? I love it. I just moved into the neighborhood with my boyfriend and after setting up our place, there were a few things we still needed (storage, plants, dishes, etc). Phat Albert’s had everything. EVERYTHING — and then some. Reading the reviews I expected cement floors and chaos, but what I got was order. It’s like if a drug store, clothing store, Family Dollar, and Rent-​To-​Own had a baby. the place is HUGE. I was overwhelmed by the choices and satisfied. I’m making another trip for some more household stuff — maybe even one of their surprisingly stylish rugs.
I don’t think I’ll ever need to shop anywhere else.

A fascinating mashup of 90s fashion botique meets los angeles swap meet meets going-​out-​of-​business futon warehouse. Great deals on things you didn’t know you needed, like fake flowers, as well as things you can’t find for cheaper, like dove bodywash for under five dollars (illegally imported and resold from guatemala, but who’s counting– and who cares). This place is right next to the Q train and the park, so make sure you stop by on your way to your home (or somewhere you can put down a giant bag filled with reasonably-​priced goodies).

This store is great for cheap household items and it’s pretty big inside. The only downfall is that most of the women’s clothing is for juniors and you spend half of your visit there on the checkout line despite there being 3 – 4 cashiers.

Your one stop shop for everything flea market– no promises there aren’t real fleas too. Phat Albert’s is a quintessential NYC bargain store, there’s everything from bins of underwear on the sidewalk to cleaning products, curtains, air conditioners, you have it in your house they probably have it in there.
The space is huge and disorganized, so it can be easy to get turned around. Just keep going on the knowledge that whatever you need is almost certainly in there, somewhere, if you’re willing to spend a bit of time wandering and digging. If you need some basic stuff– shower curtain, cleaning products, window screen– Phat Albert’s is the place to get it on the cheap. If you want to find anything relatively stylish, however, you are really going to have to get elbow deep into the boxes of audacious junk. I did eventually find a solid navy curtain there on one visit, but I thing I had to unearth about 45 packages of psychedelic dollhouse patterns first. Check all the packages and labels here, quality not guaranteed!

The neighborhood is overflowing with 99 cent stores but Phat Albert’s is definitely king. It’s known around here for having everything you could possibly need. Bath towels? Check. 20-​piece dinnerware set? Check. 1980s art deco furniture? Check, check. Now, I’m not saying that all of the items you find here will be high quality nor am I saying that everything here will be the cheapest compared to same/​similar items in other 99 cent stores nearby. But if you’re in need of something, Phat Albert’s has you covered. And don’t worry, you won’t notice the smell after a few minutes of wandering.

As fellow Unilocalers have Unilocaled, this discount store has a little bit of everything which I love. Sure it’s not the fanciest place. It is a bit dusty, smells a bit and it looks like a big warehouse. But it has Furniture, home goods, pharmacy, hair items and my favorite… clothes! You can find cute no name clothing or … You can be treated with discovering clothing from Bloomingdales and Macy’s here. Great news for a bargain fashionista like myself. There are no guarantees in what or when you can find these goodies. So I will keep coming here and hoping that I will find some buried name brand treasure here! My only wish was that I can get those bargains here more often!

Whatever you may need you can find it here!!! Now It may not be in the exact color you want but nonetheless it will be there. I have to say I love a discounters and this is one of the best… as far as merchandise is concerend:)
The over look of the store is very shanky, cramped and a quit dingy. HOwever, the low low price of things, makes it ok that you will need to dust off when you leave.
other then that the staff was pleasant not overly helpful but satisfactory and I found everything I need with money to spare thanks Phat ALbert!!!

Its good for little things. I am a more «Eco friendly chick» So the toiletries dont benefit me at all. They hold things like dove, and suave. The place looks crappy but the clothing section is somewhat organized. Its like a thrift store, you find whatever they have, and thats it. Dont ask for anything special, whatever you see you’re lucky to get! Be careful with the doormen, they put the black guys at the door to confront and harass you, but never at the cashier. Today I went in and a lady was being stopped and searched about an item she wasnt charged the right price for: s

need a flask? fat alberts has you covered. what about a bike lock… hmm wait… yup its there. martha stewart bath curtains? an air conditioner? ban deoderant? a king sized bed? check check check and check.
dont get me wrong, phat alberts is pretty crappy, but despite their general crappyness they still manage to fill the ‘wal-​mart niche’ quite nicely. for that, i salute you phat alberts.

The people who work there are INCREDIBLY rude but they do have cheap stuff there. Best quality? Not really. But it’s a good place to get that beginning set of everything you need in an apartment before you are able to make enough money to buy great quality stuff. Plus their selections great

I have recently returned to this area of Brooklyn. Phat Alberts used to impress me, because the value was good, you could find good stuff and the place was reasonably neat — not anymore. Maybe I have changed? Or perhaps the place is undergoing renovations? Or going down hill?
I walked into the store thinking I could pick up a few odds & ends — A light bulb, some coat hooks, and maybe a good old fashioned, 3^rd world, old fashioned, wooden broom. I thought that should be easy enough and cheap enough, considering this store lies among countless $ 99 cent stores on Flatbush Ave/​South of the Botanical Gdns. I have always considered this place to be good local cheapie, something like a Target with a dollar-​store twist. However when lightbulbs are 3 – 4 $each, hooks are nowhere to be found, and brooms are all made out of plastic for no less than $ 8 (Believe me they were not worth more than 3 $) — then I dare say, go to Target.
On my browse toward the door, I walked by a bunch of cheap LCD flat screen TVs, the cheapest one was 499. Really?!? It couldn’t have been more than 19 inches. I passed the area of cheap clothing and just felt icky.
I left feeling disappointed with the whole experience, I also felt like a rat would jump out of one of the crates.
I dunno… meh…is all I felt. It used to be better.

phat alberts is the best!!! everything there is cheap! they sell mens and ladies watches at the counter for $ 5.99!!! i bought ten for my friends and family! they are great qaulity and design and the staff are amazing…
everything from clothing, houseware, to appliances even h.b.a
g-​d bless phat albert!!! by the way they have 4 other locations– broadway in brooklyn, clarkson street –crown heights, new utchrect in brooklyn! \
shop there only!

I love Phat Albert. I get my shower curtains and affordable house goods here. It’s basically a poor man’s Container Store, Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and Target in one. It is a hit or miss with some items but you get what you pay for. Their furniture isn’t really cheap and they have this kiddy section that seems out of place but that’s not what I go there for. What ever you buy here, you’ll end up throwing out eventually, but it’s convenient if you don’t have the money to spend but need those practical household items. I’m on a low budget so this place works for me.

This place rocks!
Tons of Closeouts from MACYS, BLOOMINGDALES, etc.
Major Brands with tags, clothing, bedding, housewares, small appliances and electronics. Tommy Hilfiger, Marc Ekko, Martha Stewart+++SUPER CHEAP. Plus The staff is nice and you save tons of $.
SUMMER 2012 update I got an american apparel skirt here for $ 1.99!
also lots of pretty Anthropologie tops for $ 7 or 8.
UPDATE ¹⁄₂₀₁₃ — Beautiful Donna Karan fitted sheet like 400 thread ct. $ 7.99
Entire store on sale lots of Macy’s closeouts:)))
Update 2015 — still got it! Still a great place to shop:) I bought an «address book» for my Aunt here. She wanted a new one, an old school Hallmark brand address book, new for like $ 4. Lots of cheap school supplies too.

Phat Albert’s is basically a warehouse full of junk. That being said, there are definitely some finds to be had. Socks and underwear, for example, seem to sell for less than other retailers. We thought we had found a great deal with no-​name CFL bulbs, but we took them home and discovered that they gave off really harsh light.
They accept cash only, and their customer service is not much to speak of. As another poster said: It is what it is. By no means is this going to blow you away with great prices, selection, or service. However, if you live in the area, PA’s is a great place if you’re in a bind and desperately need an ice bucket or tube socks.

Phat Albert’s: it is what it is. Personally, I find shopping there relaxing and enjoyable. Some of the bargains are insane (2xist men’s briefs for $ 2? That brand is usually ten times that price) and some are insane in another way (I will not be needing a Tahari suit with paint spilled on it, not even for $ 35, thanks though). If you are patient and enjoy the hunt, there are gems here. If you just need to run in and grab a new toilet seat, or school supplies, or $ 7 plastic shoes, or a Baby Phat top from last season, or any health and beauty aid you can think of of, this should be your go-​to place.
They lose one star for not having a mirror — what if I had wanted that painted Tahari suit? How would I have known how it would look on me? Phat Albert’s: put a big mirror near your racks of Bloomingdale’s tragedies, and I will bump you up to five stars no questions asked.
Edited to add: Phat Albert’s now has two dressing rooms with mirrors. Yes, it is true! But I am leaving them at four stars due the the aroma of rodent urine in the store. You can’t have everything, apparently.

This place was recommended to me as a cheaper alternative to Target. Cheaper than Target! Everything wasn’t cheaper than Target (and a couple of things might have been more expensive), but plenty was. It’s got lots of useful things and it seems very worthwhile to check out the clearance sections especially. Unfortunately its hours are a bit short, but its location is much more convenient for me than Target, so I can definitely see stopping off here for cleaning and household supplies that I would otherwise pay a lot more for at the supermarket.

This place is interesting. Sort of like a poor man’s TJ Maxx or Marshalls… comparable to an Ocean State Job Lot. They have a little of everything– clothes, toiletries, shoes, furniture and so on– and all on the cheap.