Tuesday Morning has an unusual retail model—A closeout retailer of home accessories, gifts and other odds and ends. The company opened its first store in 1974 and currently operates 662 stores in 43 states during periodic "sale events." For example, the latest sales event began on Dec. 7 and (except for Christmas Day) will run until New Year's Eve, after which all the stores will be closed for a period to restock. The retailer repeats this cycle throughout the year, with the longest down times typically in January and summer.

All together, Tuesday Mornings are open about 300 days a year. According to the company, its run of merchandise is typically discounted in the range of 50% to 80% off regular retail prices.

"We don't really have a typical customer," said a manager of a suburban Chicago Tuesday Morning location on Monday evening, when GSR visited the store. The store reflected its eclectic sales model, with the slightly chaotic look of a place that's always being stocked, perhaps adding to a customer's feeling that something unexpected might be waiting among the somewhat jumbled items.

"We sell overstock and discontinued items, so there's no guarantee something you see will be here next time," the manager said, "Our regular customers like that—it's more interesting than an ordinary store, where everything is always the same. You never know what you're going to find here, at a discount."