J & S Surplus & Outdoor Store

i used to know long time very knowledgeable employee who i learned much from. best deals are outside in back in shipboard large truck borne walk in steel containers. great book and european uniform jacket selection. they have 66%markup so trading can be uphill battle.

So I just got back from J&R surplus in moss landing on the way to Monterey, and was trying to sell or get store credit for some of my military gear. The man looking at my stuff Asked if I had anything cool and combat related like 30 round mags knives or multi cam, I said we live in California and it’s illegal to sell or use those 30 round magazines. He asked if all I had was ACU stuff and if so that stuff is fazed out and coming in like crazy and know one is buying it because they all want the multi can. I said I don’t want to contribute to someone wearing new uniforms that I earned the right to wear and they would use them for stolen valor and that’s wrong. He offered 70 $ for my stuff and I said months ago I came in and sold a full brand new ASU uniform and he looked at and said ASU’s what are those? I said how can you work and sell military stuff and not know the proper The vernacular for military gear or uniforms? He said «you know what fuck you I don’t have to take your shit I’m not buying it get the fuck out no sell! Wow so I bit the bullet and without another word I grabbed my gear threw it in the back of my truck and left. Was I wrong?

Worth a stop if you’re passing by. Bought some mace for my adult daughter. The very nice woman working at the register encouraged us to look around so we buzzed through a quick look at the military memorabilia, flags, knive holsters, shirts, hats, boot and shoe care, survival gear etc contained in this place. I’d bring my middle school and up kids here for a look see — it might scare little kids though. Kind of nifty and will stop back in.

The three stars is for the friendly service and the amount of surplus items. The minus two stars is for having the swatika not only in the store but also on their website, right next to the military service flags. This is very disrespectful and not with the purpose of a US Military surplus store. Come on, guys, there may be money in it, but all the good you do is negated by that one costly act.

So I went in today. The lady at the front counter was really cool. A great first impression.
I went to the back and was looking at a box of old swords and knives and stuff like that. I thought a sword might be a cool gift to get my son because he and his friends like that kind of stuff. He can hang it up on his wall. Keep in mind this is cheap stuff. Like most of the stuff they sell, they get from Mexico.
So I pulled out one of those swords looked at the guy behind the counter and ask him how much he wanted for it? He looked at it… and said well the handle is kinda messed up how about $ 19.99. I said that sounds good and gave him my credit card. He rang up the sword. In the meantime I saw another one just like it but it had a case. So I was thinking hey cool maybe this case would fit my sword because it did not have a case… and I could buy the case. So I pulled the case off of that sword and then me and the person behind the counter was seeing if it would fit my sword. And it would not. But at that time the guy behind the counter noticed that there was a price tag on the case that said $ 119.00. At that point he looked at me and said wow man you got a really good deal! I said yeah.
So I left and when I got to my truck I thought well the kids might have fun clanking both swords together so I might go ask him how much he might want for the other sword. It was just like the other one also with the handle all messed up. I remember the guy making a comment about they had them forever because of the handles that were messed up.
I decided to go back in and ask how much for the other sword?
So I went back in and said «I would be interested in buying the other sword but I don’t really need the case». Then I said how much do you want for just the sword? At this point i could tell the person behind the counter just created his own illusion of reality … He immediately assumed that I came back thinking I would get the 2^nd sword for the same price as the 1^st sword… This truly was not the case. At all. I knew i had gotten a good deal for the first sword and I was very willing to pay more for the second. I was thinking around $ 50. So his assumption (instead of communication) turned him into … well. not a very nice person.
This is the point where everything went all wrong. And the only reason why is because the guy behind the counter was upset now… with himself because now he’s thinking he sold the other sword to cheaply. … But that was absolutely and completely his own fault. I had nothing to do with it. I asked the price… he said the price… AND there was no haggling… I payed for it. period.
So now he says… The price is what’s marked on it! With a really adolescent attitude. I said nope. I’m not going to pay $ 19 for the first sword and $ 119 for the second sword .that was exactly the same? That doesn’t make any sense? He knows what the cheap made in Mexico swords are worth. You can buy them on ebay for $ 19 or less all day long. He knew that when he gave me the first sword price. But… At this point he was trying to make up for his mistake .and wanted me to pay waaay to much for the second sword to make up for it.
Honestly I dont get caught up in silly drama and I really didn’t care about any of it. So I said nope and left. Didn’t think anything else about it.
But… what this person doesn’t understand is I have a friend that works at that store. Later my friend tells me after I left the guy just sat around and talked crap about me for about half an hour… In front of other customers. Saying stuff like «I was greedy! and I wanted to get something for nothing!»… And all kinds of other mean and hateful things. About a person he doesnt even know… at all. My friend said it was pretty embarrassing for everybody.
Well I have this to say to him…
My friend tells me everyone working there feels your not really very good at your job. Shocker right? For you to price something to a customer to low and then to be unjustly accusatory and resentful about it later,. and go on and on about it in front of all the other customers is typical behavior for you.
So… maybe I’m not a such a bad person thats greedy and out to get you.. Maybe you’re just a silly little man that’s never learned how to take responsibility for your own actions. You set the price. Not me. Maybe… your ego is just in controll and its hard for you NOT to play the victim. Maybe … your always looking for something else or someone else to blame instead of taking responsibility for your own actions and growing up as a person?
Just something to think about next time before making a fool of yourself in front of employees and other customers.
Remember everybody knows … If you’re the type of person that will talk crap about anybody… you will talk crap about everybody.
Next time be a man.
If you think you got something you need to say… just say it… to their face.

Typical surplus store with lots of interesting gadgets you are tempted to work into use in everyday life. Bonus was these vintage trunks they had for sale in front of the store at really reasonable prices.

Their Eagle Iron and Leather store next door was awesome! They had the coolest stuff. I’m not from the area, was just passing through and wish I had more time to spend there. I bought a candy skull sticker for my Jeep, and a sexy little American Freedom tank top that I love!
Apparently only the surplus store is on Facebook, but would love to see Eagle Iron start up a page too. Also asked about online ordering and that’s not available either. they need to make this happen so I can buy more stuff and tell my friends!
They also have the coolest giant motorcycle art statues out front. We had fun taking pics on those :)

Interesting place with some military surplus and even military antiques for sale. I noticed some women’s East German military nurses uniforms, for instance, and other old military items I couldn’t name. There were other outdoor survival supplies as well, and items for children.
I didn’t see the racist plaques people mentioned in other reviews, but I wasn’t looking for them, either, so they may have been there still – not sure.

Meh. They get three stars just because they have such a huge selection. If you’re looking for something specific, I’d be surprised if you couldn’t find it here. That’s the only thing about this place that’s impressive, though.

Total guy store! I came here with my husband after our trip to Carmel. A quick stop to see what this place is all about. You walk in and you get that smell of old military metal (if you know what I’m referring to) It reminded me of my dads old military stash. This place was full of everything you can think of from old scuba gear to kids toys to survival gear and way more.
What I thought was really cool is that it had all the old equipment that was used 30 – 40 years ago. If your a prepper or like collecting military memoriabilia this is a must see spot. Remember to go outside and into the storage containers! Theres lots of neat things in there.

Feeling kind of Rambo-​ish I decided to go into the surplus store. The emphasis on surplus of stuff. What caught my attention is the diversity of items. Samurai swords intermixed with every variety of knife one could think of. None of it high quality of course but a great selection.
The booty-​call panties next to the Confederate Flag one-​piece bathing suit with the matching thongs, a die for combination. There is even a Confederate flag that they can wrap themselves in when getting out of the swimming hole.
The place is packed from floor to ceiling with stuff. I’m not making that up. Stuff is actually hanging from the ceiling. It is an ADD dream or nightmare depending if one is on medication or not.
Once in the clothing section I was amazed to find Selma, Alabama segregation memorabilia (from July, 1931) in front of it was an intreating Sambo collection of metal Americana art work. The «Irish, need not apply» sign leading into the clothing section was eye catching. Like I said this place is packed full of diversity.
J&S is a quantity over quality place. It is a prime example of what the market will bare. Being that the items are over priced for the quality. Surplus items should be more expensive and lower quality than what one can get at a high end sporting goods store. Really, $ 100 for a shovel that normally costs $ 25? Just because it say Gerber on it doesn’t mean it’s worth 4 times as much a surplus store.
There is an entire back section of the store that is in containers that if one didn’t know was there you’d never see. The items back there are of equal quality as within the store.
My Rambo-​ish mood slowly feel into Rambo 4 instead of Rambo 1 movie theme. Pointless with no plot. Like the last movie I stayed wishing and hoping something would come of it. At last only so much stereotyping and low quality could keep my attention. Unlike the Rambo movies I didn’t pay a cent to browse through the store.
It’s worth the stop if one is into diversity or not. There is something for everyone.

Outwardly racist, (sexist, too) — what they would probably call «history» to sell plaques like they used to have in the South discriminating against blacks, and others such as Irish.
Signs:
«Colored Waiting Room»
«Drinking fountain. Whites, Colored. (w/​arrows).»
«Irish Need Not Apply».
With that in mind I did not know if it was okay for me to use their bathroom since surely I have some Irish in me so I decided to wait. Too bad as surely the bathroom would have had a story to tell. Besides, I was not going to buy something from this place and if I am going to use their bathroom I believe I should buy something.
Watch out for the MRE products (food rations that expired 22 years ago). Another Unilocaler did not note the date and wrote about it. (ask me if you can’t find it)
They have a section just for ‘Sambo’ in case you are missing that special Sambo piece for your collection.
Anti-​women, too…(this is their website):
Lots of stuff — overpriced. An A.D.D. nightmare with stuff packed in every single corner.
Disappointed that it was not the army surplus stores I am used to in the midwest.
It was more confederate flags, women’s bathing suits with a confederate flag on it, target practice outlines of Bin Laden, hunting stuff, tons of knives, hats, «Don’t Tread On Me» t-​shirts and flags. Overalls, storm whistles, over-​priced foldable shovel (the reason we went), women’s underwear that says: «Booty Call» on the behind.
There is a back area that you would not even know is there unless you were looking for a shovel, know they probably have it yet could not find it. Even if they had a sign stating there was more in the back you may not see it through all the stuff in your face.
They did have some Army surplus but not as much as I would have liked to see: they had cheap peacoats, real wool peacoats, wool blankets, medic bags, ect. They might well have had plenty of that stuff hidden in plain sight but the racist stuff told me ignorant people ran the place so why stay in such a black place? (it really is dark, cramped in there with stuff in every, single corner)
Normally I write more on a place… but honestly they are not worth my time.
You might like it if you are into the above. But, then again, mostly educated people use Unilocal and this «surplus» place seems to be mostly for ignorant people.
I am the queen when it comes to hardware (for real) but… there are so many better places than this, and with better prices. I left and stood outside waiting for my husband.
Since I will not be back? I have no choice but to give it 1 star.

My teenage son wrote the following review:
When I first pulled up in the empty lot, I expected to find many cool army surplus items. My shopping experience started going downhill when my brother noticed two confederate flags flying outside the store. We’d driven for over an hour to get here, though, so we went inside, hoping for the best. We were greeted at the door by a small, old cast iron sign reading: «water fountains; white /​colored» with arrows indicating which way for each. Then we saw a similar sign over the restrooms that stopped my mom in her tracks. On our way to the exit, we saw something that made us leave at an even faster pace; we passed by a sliding glass container with red nazi armbands inside. If this sort of thing doesn’t bother you, you could probably find cool army surplus items, but we just got the hell out of there.

Awesome store for all you tactical/​airsoft/​paintball/​prepper people out there!

I found out about this unique shop while I was attending York. A nice number of students were commuting from La Selva Beach, Aptos and Santa Cruz to attend the small private high school located on the sunbelt atop a little hill. These commuters educated me about this «army» shop. Camo print baby-​tees were a hot commodity at one time and this place was you were one stop shop for all your «army”-like needs.

I love J&S, though I rarely buy anything. It’s a fun place to just go and look at stuff. It’s also a great place to get your paintball stuff handled. They have a HUGE selection, but probably more importantly is the fact that the staff is just plain awesome. They’re really friendly and always willing to help out. One time they even LENT us a product so that we didn’t have to buy it for a fundraiser we were doing for the homeless in Santa Cruz. Pure class. Check them out. They’ve got lots of parking and are easy to get to.

I’ve been coming here since I was little on the drive in to Monterey and Carmel. It became a sort of family tradition to check out all the fun stuff. I remember seeing swords everywhere and a bazooka hanging from the rafters. That’s just cool to see when you’re a kid.
I came by not long ago and was surprised to see little has changed. If anything, they have more stuff now out back in cargo containers, and odd stuff like horseshoe sculptures and a giant welded motorcycle sculpture with license plates all over it. Service was helpful, though I had the sense that things seemed overpriced. I was torn on buying a mace or a medieval style chest plate. I wonder what weird stuff I’ll see next time I visit.

I have been looking for a tactical vest to turn into a lightweight option to a laptop backpack (don’t ask), and i have been looking online all over and found little more than imitation paintball gear which looked very flimsy and cheap.
I hardly knew about J & S until my girlfriend took me there. We drove to J & S and i found quite a few black tactical vests and picked the one without gun holster, which i had no use for. Needless to say it fits perfectly, it’s sturdy with plenty of velcro and pockets to store all my laptop gear and comes with floatation padding, an added bonus for outdoor activities. Not to mention i can wear it while driving!
It has been a LONG while since i last felt like a kid in a candy store, and i gotta say i had a hard time leaving the place even after checking out.
J & S has plenty of stock, anything from apparel to accessories, storage, equipment, weaponry (thou i’m not quite sure if they sell actual firearms or if they are only for show) and if i were into paintballing, J & S would be the first and probably only place i’d check before even thinking of ordering online. Absolutely worth a look for outdoor and camping gear.

Thinking of buying ANYTHING at J&S Surplus PLEASE READ FIRST!
I had thought this was a great store… the staff was eager to help me find the ideal pocket knife for me, telling me about a number of knives
…I settled on the Kershaw Wild Turkey, for the J&S price of $ 98.
A couple days later I went online to see if I could find one for my friend… $ 28.95!!!
Direct from the Kershaw knife store. That is the sale price (they are always on sale there), but their regular price is $ 39.95! Still less than half what I paid!
I do NOT live in the area so it is not at all convenient to return the knife.
I am always in support of going to the store and supporting physical (non-​virtual) businesses, but this is unacceptable! J&S Surplus marked up the price triple the price from what I could get on the internet, giving a bad name to mom and pop business.
SAVE YOURSELF THE TROUBLE, find another store where they don’t practice highway robbery.
I do NOT live in the area so it is not at all convenient to return the knife.

You know whats disappointing? Driving by and seeing a sign that says AMMO and walking inside to not find any.
Mostly seems to be geared towards airsoft/​paintball. A mess of Rothco merch thats priced a bit high. 5 or 6 shipping containers outside full of surplus, ammo cans, parachute silk. If you have the time, start digging.
Also, a random assortment of 3^rd Reich paraphernalia (surprise).
When Im driving by, yes. Out of my way? Not so much.