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   As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 28, 2001

                                                    Registration No. 333-_____

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM S-8
             REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                       VALUE CITY DEPARTMENT STORES, INC.
             (Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

               Ohio                                            31-1322832
    (State or other jurisdiction                            (I.R.S. Employer
  of incorporation or organization)                        Identification No.)

                              3241 Westerville Road
                              Columbus, Ohio 43224
              (Address of Registrant's principal executive offices)

                       VALUE CITY DEPARTMENT STORES, INC.
                            2000 STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN
                            (Full Title of the Plan)


                                James A. McGrady
                Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary
                       Value City Department Stores, Inc.
                              3241 Westerville Road
                              Columbus, Ohio 43224
                                 (614) 471-4722
            (Name, address and telephone number of agent for service)

                          Copies of Correspondence to:
                             Robert J. Tannous, Esq.
                       Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur LLP
                              41 South High Street
                              Columbus, Ohio 43215
                                 (614) 227-1953

                         CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                Proposed Maximum     Proposed Maximum         Amount of
Title of Securities         Amount to be         Offering Price     Aggregate Offering      Registration
to be Registered             Registered            Per Share*             Price*                Fee*
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                  
Common stock,
  without par value           3,000,000              $2.75              $8,250,000             $2,063
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


*Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant
 to Rule 457(h), based upon the average of the high and low prices of Value City
 common stock as reported on the New York Stock Exchange on September 24, 2001.

This Registration Statement shall be deemed to cover an indeterminate number of
additional shares of Value City common stock, without par value, as may be
issuable pursuant to future stock dividends, stock splits, or similar
transactions.


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                                     PART I

              INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(A) PROSPECTUS

         The document(s) containing the information concerning the Value City
Department Stores, Inc. 2000 Stock Incentive Plan, specified in Part I will be
sent or given to employees as specified by Rule 428(b)(1). Such documents are
not filed as part of this Registration Statement in accordance with the Note to
Part I of the Form S-8 Registration Statement.

                                     PART II

                     INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

ITEM 3.  INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

         We incorporate by reference the following documents that we have
previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission:

         1.       Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February
                  3, 2001 (filed May 4, 2001 and amended June 4, 2001).

         2.       Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended May 5,
                  2001 (filed June 15, 2001) and August 4, 2001 (filed September
                  18, 2001).

         3.       Current Reports on Form 8-K dated June 29, 2001 (filed July
                  12, 2001) and August 23 (filed August 24, 2001 and amended
                  September 19, 2001).

         4.       Definitive Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of
                  Shareholders held on August 29, 2001 (filed July 19, 2001).

         5.       The description of common stock which is contained in our Form
                  8-A filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant
                  to Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
                  amended, as updated in any amendment or report filed for the
                  purpose of updating such description, is hereby incorporated
                  by reference.

         All documents filed by us pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or
15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, after the date of this
Registration Statement and prior to the filing of post-effective amendment which
indicates that all securities offered have been sold or which deregisters all
securities then remaining unsold shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference
in this Registration Statement and to be a part hereof from the date of filing
of such documents. Any statement incorporated by reference herein shall be
deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement
to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently
filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein
modifies or supersedes such statement. Any statement so modified or superseded
shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part
of this Registration Statement.

ITEM 4.  DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES

         Not applicable.

ITEM 5.  INTERESTS OF NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL

         Not applicable.



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ITEM 6.  INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS

         As permitted by the Ohio General Corporation Law, Article SEVENTH of
the Registrant's Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation provides that
any person who is serving or has served as a director, officer, or incorporator
of the Registrant, or has served at the request of the Registrant as an officer,
director, or trustee of another entity shall be indemnified by the Registrant to
the fullest extent permitted by the Ohio General Corporation Law.

         Indemnification of directors, officers, employees and agents is
required under Section 1701.13 of the Ohio General Corporation Law in those
cases where the person to be indemnified has been successful on the merits or
otherwise in defense of a lawsuit. Indemnification is permitted in third party
actions where the indemnified person acted in good faith and in a manner he
reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the
corporation and in criminal actions where he had no reasonable cause to believe
his conduct was unlawful. Indemnification is also permitted in lawsuits brought
by or on behalf of the corporation if the standards of conduct described above
are met, except that no indemnification is permitted in respect to any matter in
which the person is adjudged to be liable for negligence or misconduct in the
performance of his duty to the corporation unless a court shall determine that
indemnification is fair and reasonable in view of all the circumstances of the
case. In cases where indemnification is permissive, a determination as to
whether the person met the applicable standard of conduct must be made either by
the court, disinterested directors, by independent legal counsel, or by the
shareholders. Such indemnification rights are specifically not deemed to be
exclusive of other rights of indemnification by agreement or otherwise and the
corporation is authorized to advance expenses incurred prior to the final
disposition of a matter upon receipt of an undertaking to repay such amounts on
a determination that indemnification was not permitted in the circumstances of
the case.

         Under Section 1701.13 of the Ohio General Corporation Law, a
corporation may purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is
or was a director, officer, employee, or agent of the corporation, or who, while
serving in such capacity, is or was at the request of the corporation, a
director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation or legal entity or
of an employee benefit plan, against liability asserted against or incurred by
such person in any such capacity whether or not the corporation would have the
power to provide indemnity under Section 1701.13 of the Ohio General Corporation
Law. The Registrant has purchased directors' and officers' liability insurance.

         The above discussion of the Registrant's Articles and of Section
1701.13 of the Ohio General Corporation Law is not intended to be exhaustive and
is respectively qualified in its entirety by such Articles of Incorporation and
statute.

ITEM 7.  EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION

         Not applicable.





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ITEM 8.    EXHIBITS

Exhibit                              Exhibit
Number                             Description
-------                            -----------

   4(a)     The Certificate of First Amended and Restated Articles of
            Incorporation of Value City Department Stores, Inc. (previously
            filed as Exhibit 4(b) to the Registration Statement on Form S-8
            (Registration No. 33-44207), filed with the Securities and Exchange
            Commission on November 26, 1991, and incorporated herein by
            reference).

   4(b)     Code of Regulations of Value City Department Stores, Inc.
            (previously filed as Exhibit 3.3 to the Registration Statement on
            Form S-1 (Registration No. 33-40214), filed with the Securities and
            Exchange Commission on April 29, 1991, and incorporated herein by
            reference).

   4(c)     Value City Department Stores, Inc. 2000 Stock Incentive Plan
            (previously filed as Appendix B to the Registrant's Definitive Proxy
            Statement for the 2001 Annual Meeting of Shareholders held on August
            29, 2001, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July
            19, 2001, and incorporated herein by reference).

   5      * Opinion of Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur LLP regarding legality.

   23(a)  * Consent of Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur LLP (included in
            Exhibit 5 filed herewith).

   23(b)  * Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP.

   24     * Power of Attorney.

--------------

   * Filed with this Registration Statement


ITEM 9.  UNDERTAKINGS

The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

         (1)      To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being
                  made, a post-effective amendment to this registration
                  statement;

                  (i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of
                  the Securities Act of 1933;

                  (ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising
                  after the effective date of the registration statement (or the
                  most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which,
                  individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental
                  change in the information set forth in the registration
                  statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or
                  decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar
                  value of the securities offered would not exceed what was
                  registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the
                  estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form
                  of a prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule
                  424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price
                  represent no more than a 20 percent change in the maximum
                  aggregate offering price set forth in the "Calculation of
                  Registration Fee" table in the effective registration
                  statement;



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                  (iii) To include any material information with respect to the
                  plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the
                  registration statement or any material change to such
                  information in the registration statement;

         provided, however, that paragraphs (1)(i) and (1)(ii) do not apply if
         the registration statement is on Form S-3, Form S-8 or Form F-3, and
         the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment
         by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed with or
         furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or
         15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by
         reference into the registration statement.

         (2)      That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
                  Securities Act of 1933, each such post- effective amendment
                  shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to
                  the securities offered therein, and the offering of such
                  securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona
                  fide offering thereof.

         (3)      To remove from registration by means of a post-effective
                  amendment any of the securities being registered which remain
                  unsold at the termination of the offering.

         The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of
determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the
Registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit
plan's annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be
deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered
therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be
the initial bona fide offering thereof.

         Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities
Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of
the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the
Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange
Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act
and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification
against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses
incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant
in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such
director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being
registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter
has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate
jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public
policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of
such issue.


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                                   SIGNATURES

         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the
Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all
of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration
Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly
authorized, in the City of Columbus, State of Ohio, on September 28, 2001.

                           VALUE CITY DEPARTMENT STORES, INC.


                           By: /s/ James A. McGrady
                               ----------------------------------
                               James A. McGrady
                               Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary


         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the
capacities and on the dates indicated.




              SIGNATURE                                      TITLE                               DATE
              ---------                                      -----                               ----
                                                                                     
     *Jay L. Schottenstein                      Chairman of the Board of Directors         September 28, 2001
-----------------------------------------         (Principal Executive Officer)
     Jay L. Schottenstein


      *George Kolber                            Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors    September 28, 2001
-----------------------------------------         and Chief Executive Officer
      George Kolber


       /s/ James A. McGrady                     Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and     September 28, 2001
-----------------------------------------         Secretary (Principal Financial and
     James A. McGrady                             Principal Accounting Officer)


     *Martin P. Doolan                          Director                                   September 28, 2001
-----------------------------------------
     Martin P. Doolan


     *Ari Deshe                                 Director                                   September 28, 2001
-----------------------------------------
     Ari Deshe


     *Jon P. Diamond                            Director                                   September 28, 2001
-----------------------------------------
     Jon P. Diamond


     *Richard Gurian                            Director                                   September 28, 2001
-----------------------------------------
     Richard Gurian


     *Dr. Norman Lamm                           Director                                   September 28, 2001
-----------------------------------------
     Dr. Norman Lamm




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      *Geraldine Schottenstein                  Director                                   September 28, 2001
-----------------------------------------
     Geraldine Schottenstein


     *Robert L. Shook                           Director                                   September 28, 2001
-----------------------------------------
       Robert L. Shook


     *Henry L. Aaron                            Director                                   September 28, 2001
-----------------------------------------
       Henry L. Aaron


     *Elizabeth M. Eveillard                    Director                                   September 28, 2001
-----------------------------------------
       Elizabeth M. Eveillard


     *Marvin W. Goldstein                       Director                                   September 28, 2001
-----------------------------------------
       Marvin W. Goldstein


     *Harvey L. Sonnenberg                      Director                                   September 28, 2001
-----------------------------------------
       Harvey L. Sonnenberg


     *James L. Weisman                          Director                                   September 28, 2001
-----------------------------------------
       James L. Weisman



*By:   /s/ James A. McGrady
       ----------------------------------
       James A. McGrady, attorney-in-fact
       for each of the persons indicated




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                          Registration No. 333-_______


                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549



                           -------------------------


                                    FORM S-8

                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT

                                      UNDER

                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933


                            ------------------------


                       VALUE CITY DEPARTMENT STORES, INC.

                            -------------------------

                                    EXHIBITS

                            -------------------------


   9



                                  EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit                               Exhibit
Number                              Description
------                              -----------

   4(a)     The Certificate of First Amended and Restated Articles of
            Incorporation of Value City Department Stores, Inc. (previously
            filed as Exhibit 4(b) to the Registration Statement on Form S-8
            (Registration No. 33-44207), filed with the Securities and Exchange
            Commission on November 26, 1991, and incorporated herein by
            reference).

   4(b)     Code of Regulations of Value City Department Stores, Inc.
            (previously filed as Exhibit 3.3 to the Registration Statement on
            Form S-1 (Registration No. 33-40214), filed with the Securities and
            Exchange Commission on April 29, 1991, and incorporated herein by
            reference).

   4(c)     Value City Department Stores, Inc. 2000 Stock Incentive Plan
            (previously filed as Appendix B to the Registrant's Definitive Proxy
            Statement for the 2001 Annual Meeting of Shareholders held on August
            29, 2001, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July
            19, 2001, and incorporated herein by reference).

   5      * Opinion of Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur LLP regarding legality.

   23(a)  * Consent of Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur LLP (included in
            Exhibit 5 filed herewith).

   23(b)  * Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP.

   24     * Power of Attorney.

 --------------

   * Filed with this Registration Statement