Growing up hearing the commercial jingle, "I should have bought it...... when I saw it..... at Mardens" - It's a Maine thing and that jingle holds true. If you see a deal that you really want....don't hesitate, buy it, because it WILL be gone within a week or so. This location is VERY easy to find. A repurposed Kmart building, I believe... It's right off the highway, in fact you can see it from the off ramp to the right. There is plenty of parking even when it's crowded. I have never been to this location around the holiday, but I have driven by, and it is always packed! This locally owned retail chain, sells overstock, liquidation and salvage items. We have seen things from Amazon as well. It's usually so random, although they have seasonally appropriate items as well. When we have the time and energy, we like going through the clearance aisles...yes, they have clearance aisles in a discount store. The clearance aisles are only organized by the percentage off and so it's chaotic. Bring patience and a sharp eye for deals. We have gotten electronic peripherals and accessories. We also bought some great yard deals. While we didn't buy them, they had Robotic Lawn mowers with batteries for sale. This store is quite large and have things like furniture, appliances....so much stuff. If you are a patient bargain hunter, that doesn't mind being around people, you may like this store. Worth at least one visit. read more

I had to return a shirt that cost me $11.99. I paid with my credit card. My wife returned it as it was the wrong size on the shirt. They credited the card and the credit was for 9.28. They said the difference is the return fee. That info is missing from the online polices. Not that they care but I'll never go back to that junk shop. read more

You really can find a great deal here and see quite a few interesting items, but be prepared to spend a lot of time hunting. (The hunt is part of the fun, of course). Be wary of the "66% off" section.. that's a bunch of Amazon returns, and some of the prices aren't as amazing as you'd think they are. I bought a ceiling fixture (maybe new, maybe not- but appears to have all its parts) that was supposedly $80 new and I paid $30... turns out it was $40 on Amazon. I did get some of my favorite gum that's usually $4 a package and got a set of 4 of them for $8. Again- hunting around is part of the fun, and you will never know what you will find. read more

I should literally have stock in this store for how much I shop there! Have saved so much money on great products! One of my favorite places to shop, always an experience and exciting because you don't know what you'll find! Owners are wonderful! Only problem I've had is getting caught saying, " I should have bought it when I saw it!" read more

5 STARS for LOW PRICES. 3 STARS for DIRTY STORE. Mardens buys out other stores that go out of business... or suffer natural disasters (fire, flood). The result is deeply discounted goods. PRICES: Unbelievably low prices, but... sometimes you get what you pay for. STORE: Dirty shelves, over-stuffed with often disorganized stock for you to sort through. Think of it like a treasure hunt! THE DEAL: The best prices you'll find on clothes, food, home goods & more. BEWARE the expired & damaged goods. read more

This is the BEST STORE AROUND!! It is a TERRIFIC TREASURE HUNT. MI'm new to the neighborhood so my new neighbor brought me to Marden's and what a gem! We don't have a store like this where I am from and I love it. If you enjoy spending time looking around to find bargains then this is the store for you. The fabric department is outrageously extensive but also outrageously cheap. I bought fabric in North Carolina before I moved here then I found the very same fabric at Marden's at a quarter of the price. I want to thank the really nice lady behind me for her kindness! I am from Florida so my credit card wouldn't go through so I was paying with another card. Two of the dishes I was purchasing were not priced so they had to find a price for me. There was a line forming behind me so I purchased what I had and got back in line to buy the two dishes. The nice lady behind me paid for my dishes and turned around and handed them to me!! WHOA!! HOW NICE!! The people of Maine are super sweet!! As it turned out, they were two gorgeous Kate Spade plates @ two dollars each! Now that's a BARGAIN!! Thanks Nice Lady and Thanks Marden's! I have been back quite a few times now and absolutely love this store. I found really nice shirts for a fraction of the price I would pay at any other store. Clothes are a huge bargain and are in great shape. Nothing gross or unsellable. I can't wait for my daughters to come visit me so I can bring them here. Marden's has everything under the sun. It's kinda crazy...NO COUPONS!?! When I am shopping at other department stores that accept coupon's, I have to "Do the math" to figure out if I am getting a bargain or not. It's no problem here! Everything is a bargain; you just have to find it! read more

Too much fun! Don't go in with a list though. The fun is in the hunt and finding things you never knew you needed.

Over priced and outdated. Junk that no one else wants, skip it and go to regular retailer.

Huge surplus/ salvage store. This location is in an old walmart, so it is big. It is still dirty, but just rows and rows and aisles and aisles of goods. Lots of food and clothes. Carpet, you name it. Plenty of parking and room. Great location, one of the biggest. Great low prices on evetything. read more

If you're looking for something, this is not the place for you. If you're looking for an adventure, Mardens is it. A combination of overstock, thrift, and defective merchandise: think shampoo bottles covered in ash from a CVS that had a fire. Some good finds: israeli chocolate with pop rocks, cheap appliances/housewares/fabrics etc, wide selection of hunting and fishing apparel, good selection of yarn and embroidery thread. The place is pretty sketch, and the people who work there can be .... interesting, but you'll always find something you didn't know you needed, and it has a small cafe that isn't half bad. Worth a visit- definitely a maine experience. read more

(score 1-100) - 58. I've bought so many things from Mardens over the years. They used to have two locations and were like the old school Building 19s or Surplus Warehouses. They would have incredibly unique items that came out of fires or closeouts. The best part was the prices. You could find everything you would find in a Home Depot, ..paint, flooring, furniture and then everything you would find in a Walmart...food, home goods and office supplies. Mardens took over the old Walmart location and now has become more corporate. They have raised there prices and become more main stream. They have allot of the same items but it looks more department store than surplus store. It is one of those places you have to check out from time to time because inventory will change over but it's still not anywhere near what it used to be. Mardens is owned locally if that is important to you. read more

Bought carpeting and had it installed by one of Marden's installers. Very satisfied with both the carpeting and the installation. Tony was courteous, quick, and did an all around great job. read more

always an adventure, Marden's is a staple to the Maine way of life. the Waterville location is where they took over an old Walmart, and do they pack it with the crap i've come to love and expect. today, they had Israeli chocolate with pop-rocks inside! plus light bulbs for a steal, and a special sale for Veteran's day!! you'll find a little bit of everything here. there's always a good amount of fairly weird stuff, then some stuff everyone needs at good prices, and then some really great stuff at unbelievable deals. make sure to leave a little more time than you think you'll need, because this place will suck you in! it's an especially good stop for home fix-it or renovation projects. the only reason i'm not giving 5 stars is that merchandise is sort of poorly organized, in a way that makes me kinda nuts every time i'm here. read more

Marden's is my go-to place for quilting, home decor, fleece and outdoor fabrics. Sure, they carry some fabrics from manufacturers you've never heard of, but if you know what you're looking for, you can find lots of beautiful brand name fabric at half what you'd pay at a quilt shop. Benartex, eStudio, Moda, RJR, Henry Glass...and more! And the folks who work at the Waterville store are so helpful in choosing fabrics that will work well together, and in giving general sewing advice. It's like visiting good friends when I shop there. Of course, I usually visit Marden's other departments, too. I've purchased rugs, kitchen gadgets, towels, reading glasses, shoes, rope, books, hardware...all at greatly reduced prices. There's always something new there, but some things aren't there long. It pays to remember their slogan: I should have bought it when I saw it at Marden's! read more

Marden's is a hit or miss.. The one thing I have noticed is their prices have increased. Where there used to be big bargins you now have to search and do research because sometimes they are not any cheaper than the big box stores. You have to make sure you are a very wise shopper here!!! read more

Marden's is a godsend if you're poor (and I've been there!). I mainly go to check out the food selection (and cheap olive oil!) because you can usually stock up on pantry basics here like pasta, cereal, soup, and canned tomatoes extremely cheaply, which is awesome when you don't have a lot of money. Years ago I got my mattress and box spring from this location for a really good price too. Sometimes you have to really spend time looking through what they have, since none of the inventory is regular due to the salvage nature of the business, and sometimes you want a wet nap after handling items, but overall, you can really find some gems here. read more

Place sucks, just a bunch of garbage you dont need. Its really not "cheap", I dont know why people think this place is so great. Its a dump. We went there tonite with our daughter. Well our daughter wanted to sit in the cart so we grabbed a cart...filthy by the way, so changed to another cart. There was this bitch of an employee behind us complaining we were taking to long. Its expected from a shit hole like this. They wont get my business again...do eveyone a favor and drop your prices or close the store and actually out something decent in the town of Waterville. read more

I always love going here when I am in town. During my recent forays I have found wellies for my wife ($8.88), a full all-weather outfit ($10), jerky, a 100' garden hose ($22) and a whole bunch of Cooks Illustrated cookbooks for $10. Not a place to go if you are looking for something specific, but if you are interested in general items such as gardening or clothing or shoes you should go there first. The stock rotates quickly so it is worth going in at least once a week. The staff are sweet, and while the store is a bit tumultuous it is relatively clean. read more