AUSTIN, Texas — Ever wonder what happens to all the things left at Texas airports?
From knives, to corkscrews, to power tools (yes, power tools) – to luggage and jewelry. Everything is shipped to the Texas State Surplus Store in Austin where it is cheaply resold.
KENS 5 took a short drive up I-35 to see what deals the massive store has to offer.
"Anything from vehicles to office desks, which we'll see later – but also all of the willfully surrendered from TSA checkpoints here in Texas,” said Kristy Fierro, director of State Surplus Program. "Last year we had an aircraft from DPS sell for $1 million."
The Texas Surplus Store is where you can get these items surrendered at TSA checkpoints for a steal!
“You, for example, take off your jewelry and you forget to pick it back up or you leave it in your carry on. All of those types of items,” said Fierro.
Fierro says the storefront and online auctions stay busy year-round with customers of all ages out to find a deal.
"Any customer type that you can imagine finds their way here. And we enjoy them. I mean, it's a lot of fun. It keeps the day very vibrant,” said Fierro.
Customers shop for things like corkscrews, power tools, hammers, bowling balls, weights and portable blender cups that end up on sale but Fierro says the top item: knives!
Sharp objects or anything that could be used as a weapon are most frequently confiscated by TSA agents and end up in the surplus store. And they have plenty.
"We filled this up this morning. By tomorrow morning, it probably won't look anything like this. Sometimes people get upset that we don't fill them enough,” said Fierro.
Program Specialist Jeffery Neely says one of his favorite jobs is sorting the knives.
"Definitely one of my favorites. It's pretty interesting. It's pretty fun. Just the wide variety of things we find. It makes it entertaining for sure," said Neely.
Most knives sell for just a dollar but some cost hundreds, even thousands of dollars.
But there’s also things state agencies hand over too…
"So think of anything that a state agency retires or no longer has a need for,” said Fierro. “A lot of those items still have value to the public for reuse or to other agencies."
Among those? Cars!
"Behind me is the vehicle lot here at Bolm Road at our state surplus store. And it is basically an example of all types of different vehicles that come from all state agencies within the Austin area,” said Fierro.
Hundreds of vehicles are sold a year and are mainly sold through an online auction but some are sold onsite. Their most popular vehicle is the DPS Tahoe.
"We have a lot of first time car buyers. We have a lot of second vehicle buyers. We have a lot of farm buyers that want a truck for the ranch so really, there's just a huge, huge range of customers for this type of vehicle,” said Fierro.
The store also features a massive warehouse where you can find desks, chairs, office supplies, power cords, art work, lottery machines, confiscated slot machines and more.
Fierro says you’ll be surprised at what you can find at the surplus store and all is prices to move – all profits go back into covering operational costs.
"So long term investments for the program to make us strong and better to serve the people of Texas,” said Fierro.
Serving them, Fierro says, is the most rewarding part of her job.
"I think my team and I, we take that very personally that we play even a small role in helping people save money. And, you know, again, it's fun. It's unique. It's different,” said Fierro.
So next time you’re in Austin and want a unique shopping experience, take some time to visit – you never know what you just might find!