When You Love What You Do, Is It Still Work?

Bob’s Stores is a Northeast retailer of branded apparel and footwear. Since our first location opened in Middletown, CT in 1954, Bob’s Stores has been synonymous with terrific brands, great value and great service. Today, we have over 20 stores in six states and an agenda loaded with great stuff to excite both our customers and our associates. We are committed to providing the best shopping environment with competitive prices, great branded merchandise, and convenient, hassle-free service.

At Bob’s Stores, you’ll find an average of 20,000 pairs of shoes to choose from in every store along with brands like Under Armour, Nike, Levi’s and Lee to Timberland, Reebok, New Balance, Champion and Adidas. We also carry a wide selection of rugged workwear with reputable brands like Carhartt, Dickies and Timberland PRO in addition to a huge assortment of accessories such as hats, shirts, jackets and novelty items with the logos and colors of your favorite sports teams.

The year was 1954. Bob Lapidus was just 24 when he bought his first storefront in Middletown, CT. The property was formerly know as The Gob Shop. Lapidus decided to name the new store after himself because he only needed to change the “G” in the Gob sign to make it Bob. Little did he realize that Bob’s would become the successful retail chain it is today.

His store, soon known as Bob’s Surplus, offered values on basics such as jeans, sneakers, t-shirts, and sweatshirts for men, women and kids - as well as sporting goods like fishing tackle and compasses. Bob’s was a fun place to shop with outstanding selection, value and responsive customer service.

Spurred by the blue jean craze of the 1970’s, the company’s growth within Connecticut was tremendous. As sales volume continued to grow, additional stores, as well as a distribution center, were added. In 1985, Bob’s eliminated the “surplus” from its name, dropped sporting goods from the mix and began to carry name brand apparel and footwear.

During the 1990’s and even into the new millennium, Bob’s Stores expanded within the New England market, as well as in New York and New Jersey. In 2017, Bob’s was purchased by SDI USA, LLC, a division of the Frazers Group. In 2022 we were acquired by the GoDigital Media Group and are currently growing our Bob’s Footprint in the Northeast.

Throughout the company’s history, store designs and merchandise mix have changed with the times. However, the basic principles by which we do business remain constant. We are committed to providing the best shopping environment with competitive prices, great branded merchandise, and a convenient, hassle-free experience.

At Bob’s Stores, we are committed to providing a diverse benefits package designed with options to help satisfy all the healthcare needs of our full-time employees and their families. The program also encourages our employees to strive to meet their retirement goals as well as provide an avenue for a positive work-life balance.

Our benefits package includes:

• Medical, dental and vision plans

• Group term life insurance - Company paid

• 401(k) savings plan*

• Generous merchandise discounts across all GoDigital brands - Bob’s Stores & Eastern Mountain Sports

• Paid holidays

• Paid vacation days

• Paid sick time

• Flexible Spending Account

• Short-Term Disability - Company paid

• Long-Term Disability - Company paid

• Employee Assistance Program

• Associate Recognition

Some of our best benefits come without an enrollment form. Additional benefits for our part-time employees include:

• 401(k) savings plan*

• Generous in-store and online merchandise discounts across all GoDigital brands - Bob’s Stores & Eastern Mountain Sports

*Certain eligibility requirements will need to be met.

Some of our best benefits come with our culture. We’re fun! We’re fast! We’re casual! We’re also flexible and very diverse. We know that the more diverse our workplace is, the more creativity and perspective we will have as a company. In addition, our management team will recognize and reward your exceptional efforts.

Bob’s Stores was founded on the strength of one guiding principle instilled by our founder Bob Lapidus: “Treat all customers with respect and dignity and they will return again and again.” To this day, the Bob’s Stores family continues to carry that guiding principle.

As a loyal and dedicated employee, we want to reward you for your hard work and see you grow and succeed in whatever path you choose. Since our employees at every level gain a strong understanding of our company culture and values, we focus on promoting from within while offering a variety of advancement opportunities. This means that any employee can grow within their own department, their own store, or upwards into a home office or distribution center role within the GoDigital family.