Tell us about the history of your company.

We were founded by Sol and Pauline Schreck in 1946 after both had completed their service in the U.S. Army. They settled in Chicago where Sol was planning on beginning a career as a dentist. While looking for work, he wandered into a surplus store and was able to use his expertise to help some customers. The owner was impressed and decided to hire him. Sol went from employee to manager, and eventually broke off to start his own wholesale business, which has become what we are today.

What products do you offer and what are your top sellers?

While we specialize in new and used Genuine Military Surplus from WWII until today, we’ve branched out to include recreational camping, tactical, fashion, and re-enactment goods. Some of our top sellers are cold weather gear, blankets, backpacks and uniform shirts.

Are there any new or unique products coming up?

In the next few months we’ll have an expansion and re-work of our WWII and Vietnam era reproduction gear.

Why do dealers choose your products over your competitors?

We provide the genuine military surplus that is becoming harder and harder to find. We do a good job of describing the details of our products so dealers aren’t surprised when they open the box. In this industry, words like “surplus” and “condition” can mean different things to different people, so we make sure our customers know what they are getting.

What types of stores carry your products, and who is the end consumer?

We sell to a wide range of stores around the world including high-end fashion outlets, mom and pop surplus stores, big box stores, recreational camping outlets, gun show salesmen and everything in between.

What challenges have you seen recently in your industry, and what are you doing to overcome them?

We’ve seen dramatically rising costs coupled with decreasing inventory of available surplus. We continue to work closely with our military contacts to get the best prices we can for our dealers. We do our best to buy in bulk so we can keep our prices steady over time.

What advice do you have for independent retailers facing the same challenges?

Retailers need to do a good job of conveying all the benefits of buying surplus in order to justify the higher costs than they remember from years back. Imitations can be had, but American-made surplus will still win in quality at all price points. In addition buying surplus helps keep jobs and industry in the U.S., and at a time when that can be said less and less, every little bit helps.

What is your order process and turnaround time for dealers?

Our order processing time is two to four business days, but we are happy to rush orders when customers request it.

Do you have any minimum order requirements, or requirements when choosing a dealer?

Dealers must have valid re-sale certificates and place orders at a minimum of $200.

 

Schreck Wholesale Inc.
3100, N Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60657
773-477-0112
Joe Catanese, info@schreckonline.com
www.schreckonline.com