You might want to run this by the GardenWeb fruit growers and see what they have to say. I like Big Lots for some things, but when I was a rose gardener I wouldn't touch their roses. I don't know who their supplier was, but the quality was poor. At the time, someone said some of the discount stores get much of their stock from low-end suppliers in Texas, and the plants don't do well in colder climates. This might have changed, though.

If you have proof of the price ie their ad, see if Home Depot or Lowe's will match it.

These low-quality trees tend to die after a couple of years and sucker from the roots, giving you branches and leaves, but not fruit.

check the root stock if you can before you buy too many. During the economic down turn ALOT of tree growers in this country went under and dumped sub par trees on the market trying to get anything for their inventory. These trees are too young for that but there are still alot of growers on the verge who are dumping cheap, sub par, not fertilized or cared for properly, plant material on the big stores still. Cheap trees often don't get good root systems started young, have proper or even healthy branch pruning etc... I can always spot a poorly grown tree from faaarrr away LOL... Personally I'd try a few and cull out what doesn't do well after 1 yr, if they are cheap enough to you, to do that. ~ liz

I have bought several trees from Big Lots and they were all good solid trees and survived. Including their rose bushes. They are all at the house we had in Dallas.
I would not hesitate to buy them if they are nice and green and healthy looking. they usually have a decent selection. I am hoping the store here gets some because I want some of the fruit trees.

Raven, possibly the difference is that you were in Texas. That was mentioned in the criticism I read of their roses--that they might be okay where they came from (Texas), but not in the northern states.

Could be I have no idea where their supplier was from. I bought several different rose bushes from them and they all did beautifully. It is definitely very hot there in that Dallas area. I had a sprinkler system that would come on automatically for my beds. Anything not watered regularly would fry.

I'd never purchase a ten foot fruit tree. They require too much training (pruning) as young whips in order to develop the proper infrastructure needed to bear a crop of fruit.

Fuji and Red Delicious can pollinate each other, but be sure that you purchase pear varieties that have overlapping bloom times, too. Most pears require cross pollination in order to produce fruit, just like apples.

Are these trees bare root or in containers?

The ones that I have bought are in large black plastic pots just like at the nursery and have the hang tags on them with the plants information. I wouldn't be able to tell those from the nursery trees if someone mixed them up.
Really don't see any difference at all from the ones there or Home Depot or Lowes etc.

If the Fuji will grow in your area, I recommend it for an eating apple. Those are tasty. If you live south of the Mason-Dixon line, you need a 'southern' apple. Northern apples will not bear fruit and may not leaf out properly in spring. A northern apple requires at least 6 weeks of freezing winter weather to flower in spring. The dormant flower buds wait until after it has received at least 6 weeks of winter before it will blossom. This keeps the buds from coming out of dormancy in early winter during a warm spell. If the winter is too mild or too short, it will not blossom.

Jemdandy, sleeperblues is from Wisconsin. No need for concern about chilling hour requirements. Minimum chilling requirements are typically expressed in hours, not weeks as the requirements are highly variable from variety to variety.

My concern about Fuji is that it is considered an apple variety for warmer locations (500 CR hours) and might not be fully hardy in Wisconsin. It's rated as a zone 6 plant.

Yep, from Wisconsin. Think I'd go with Red Del. anyway, since it is my all time favorite apple. We do have an apple tree that produces a very tart baking apple, not sure what kind. These trees are in pots, Rhizo. When I passed by yesterday, a lot were gone already so not sure what's even left.

Sleeper, does Red Delicios grow in your area? Its blooms can be pretty cold sensitive, too.

Again, you'll need another overlapping variety to serve as a pollenizer for the RD. Crabapples, if the bloom time overlaps, can serve as pollenizers for eating apples, too.

The best RD apples I had were picked straight off of the tree in Door County. That's in the Eastern part of the state, and I am in the Northern part, but I would think the climates aren't too different. Meaning cold in the winter.

Door County in Wisconsin is one place in Wisconsin that is sucessful for cherries and apples, because of its unique weather. The winters in Door county are harsh, about zone 4, but unique. Door County, the 'Thumb' of Wisconsin, is surrounded by the cold water of Lake Michigan. That part of the lake often freezes over as it did this year. In spring, it becomes an icebox that holds back the cherries and apples keeping them from coming out of dormancy until late in the season. For most years, the trees are held back late enough for blossoms to escape a late frost. As a result, the fruit crop in Door County is delayed. Cherries ripen in August whereas in southern Illinois, cherries ripen in late June to early July. Cherries are not sucessful in the remainder of the state. For similar reasons, most of Michigan's cherry orchards are located on the east side of Lake Michigan.