The 99 Cents Store Is Life!

[Anonymous]

If you're one of those people who holds their nose up against going to a 99cents store, I invite you to think otherwise. Honestly, I can't understand why someone would want to pay more for an item, knowing there is a cheaper priced one of the same exact item somewhere else.Keep your money in your bank account! Here are the things you should get from the dollar store.

Gift Wrapping Supplies

These should only be bought at a dollar store. You're giving these things away anyway, and there is no reason to pay 3, 4, 6+ dollars for the same items. Things like tissue paper, gift boxes, ribbons, gift bags, and wrapping paper are all here whether for Christmas time or Birthdays.

Birthday and wedding supplies

Need some table cloths, matching cups and plates or birthday banners or balloons? The dollar store is your go to. If you need to DIY some wedding centerpieces or decor, you can find a lot of videos online about how to do some easy and cheap decorations that look quality.

Cleaning Supplies

Anything you use to clean is here whether it's for windows or the tubs or the toilet, save some money by getting this gear at the dollar store

Junk and Candy

I'm not really a fan of junk food, but if you're having a party, your cheat meal, or a pregnancy craving or it's Halloween, get all the candy, cookies, and chips you need for cheap. This is also a great place to get tons of candy for cheap for a candy bar for your wedding or birthday party.

Your Kitchen Starter Kit

If you are moving on up and out and don't have any kitchen gear to your name, start here first. Things like cheese graters, can openers, colanders, and spatulas can all be found here.

Quick Fix Kits

If you're no handyman or woman, and you break something the one time or need to screw something in on your Ikea furniture, don't get an expensive tool kit you will literally never use. Just get your basic screw drivers and hammers, tape measurer, buckets, levels, paint rollers, etc. from the dollar store.

Toys for your young ones

Small children do not know the difference between the expensive department store toy, your dollar store toy, or a bunch of pots and pans you throw on the floor for them to play with. Get them some toys, stickers, coloring books, and games from the dollar store to occupy them during road trips, when they are bored, or for whenever that definitely won't break your bank. Also if they lose or break them, it's no big deal, they can be easily replaced.

Hair Accessories

These things are so ridiculously overpriced at major stores. Things like bobby pins, hair clips, hair ties, headbands, etc. cost only a dollar here.

Seasonal Items

Spring, summer, winter, fall themed items are here. Holiday items are here. Do not spend a ton for things you will only pull out a few or once a year. I don't remember the last time someone looked at my Christmas tree and wondered how much I spent for the ornaments. No one knows, or frankly cares so don't break the bank on seasonal items. In fact, like major stores, wait until the season is over, and you can snatch these items up usually for 50 cents or a quarter a piece.

Crafting Supplies

The 99 cents store now has a bigger collection of crafting supplies like ribbon, tulle, hot glue, stickers, faux flowers, wreath rings, etc. and there are tons of tutorials on Youtube about how to make just about anything from there for cheap.

School Supplies

This is a definite for your young ones. They have tons of art supplies, notebooks, pens, pencils, cases, etc.

[Anonymous]

Dollar stores were my lifeline when I was in college. I didn't buy all of my groceries from there but I grabbed some bowls, plates and kitchen stuff. It helped a lot

[myTake Owner]

I agree. When times are tough and money is low, it's a lot of people's life lines---it is life. I know a lot of low income elderly who legitimately shop there a lot to save money. It helped me out for a period too when I was between jobs a few years back and trying to cut costs.

[Opinion Owner]

Exactly! There are a lot of people who benefit from it.

[Old_Man_Of_The_Sea]

I am always surprised at the number of people who pay over the odds for items like these.

[NearlyNapping]

First. Advertisements are not allowed at GaG. This is an obvious advertisement.

I like good deals. But I know prices pretty well on the type of things I buy. Places like the 99 cent store, Dollar Store and Odd Lots usually don't have any better prices than what I can find elsewhere. Often they are more expensive. Even more often they are selling pure junk, like low cost mass produced junk that you find at flee markets. A large part of what they sell is what I'd call trinkets.

Every now and then you actually find a good deal. But in my opinion it's not worth making a special trip there. So I only go if I'm already nearby.

[MermaidMotel]

OBVIOUSLY... GaG has reviewed this mytake and has determined that it isn't an "obvious advertisement", if the mytake has been featured and is popular.

[NearlyNapping]

@MermaidMotel
It sounds like total marketing to me, whether GaG reviewed it or not.

That was only a side note from what I had to say anyway.

[dewatergirl]

Any 99 cent store or dollar store is a joke. It's all crap. Sure you might be able to get a few good deals here and there but it's pretty much all crap. The quality of the items are horrible. Nothing lasts, and the ingredients in the food are unidentifiable. A lot of the time they will sell something from a brand you know but the amount you get is much smaller and it turns out it's cheaper to buy at the normal store. Everything from here is most likely made in China or in a country where the workers are paid pennies and treated like crap and working in awful environments. Even things like kitchen ware are toxic. They still have lead paint in many of their products. All of this stuff is toxic for you, made by underpaid workers, brakes quickly and then will be dumped in a land fill where it takes thousands upon thousands of years to decompose if it even is capable of it. Just pay a little extra for higher quality items that will last longer, are healthier, and are fairtrade.

[Anonymous]

My only problem is that it you replace the toys that your child breaks then they won't learn to be respectful of their things though there have been issues of dollar/ pound stores of not selling things that are of the proper quality e. g. not the right grade of material as it's too flammable or possibly toxic and hasn't got the right labels.
Colouring books are pretty good and so it everything else but the toys.
Though, if you want cheap toys just use boxes and old plastic water bottles because it also teaches kids to recycle if it's a baby then make sure it's quality items (non- breakable or at least they don't break easily if they do break).
So, yes, I can see why you'd use them but over here we have a massive chain called Poundland that has begun selling stuff for more than a pound (it took over one of my favourite shops- the 99p store and it sold stuff for what I'd say was better quality than Poundland).

[myTake Owner]

I was more referring to really young children who break things because they don't know their own strength sometimes, and rather then you as a parent spending 20, 30, 50+ dollars on a toy for a child that young, buy something that if it breaks, to replace it, won't then break your bank. Thrift store toys are another good option. Older children for sure should be able to take care of their toys appropriately, but still in life, accidents happen.

Pound land probably sounds like they sell similar stuff.

[Opinion Owner]

My parents always got stuff that was on sale and would always keep the price below £10 and when my siblings were born (10 years after) they had kept most of the stuff and used it for them (hand me downs are pretty good and so are things from charity shops for toys, books, knick- knacks and clothes (there are between 7-12 where I live).

[Personontheinternet]

Yes, it is, but I can't stand the ones around me. They're dirty, they're always packed with parents who can't control their bad kids, and there's always drug users asking for money whenever you walk up to the entrance. Although they do have some good stuff in there, I try my hardest to avoid them because the ones where I'm from are terrible.

[myTake Owner]

Awe that sucks. There are definitely ones that I go to, and those I don't.

[Leimarie]

I love the 99 cent store! I've found items that are expensive if purchased else where and always see some great snacks. The only thing I would steer clear of are the cheap toothpastes & food containers since I've read somewhere that there are high levels of lead.

[FreedomByChoice]

''"I can't understand why someone would want to pay more for an item, knowing there is a cheaper priced one of the same exact item somewhere else"

there is a reason why these things are cheaper in the first place. Anyone who knows the basic of marketing would know that items the majority of the time are sold based on the quality of it. is it by chance that a lot of the stuff that I would get from the 99 cent store would go to crap before I spent more money on an item?

[myTake Owner]

well I think a majority of people just use it to buy gift type things like cards or gift bags, so does it really matter if you're not going to keep them anyway and they are for one time use except when it comes to how much you pay elsewhere?

[FreedomByChoice]

even when I pay for bags in stop and shot the handles break easily. I order the majority of my stuff from online markets that aren't sold in stores mostly

[FreedomByChoice]

stop and shot lol. I mean stop and shop

[Anonymous]

Yasssss and the $1 store!
I get toliet paper, nakpins, soap, nail polish remover, cotton balls, and sponges for washing dishes. I like to ball on a budget

[MarcoIsAFailure]

We have 1€ Stores in Germany... most of what costs 1€ is actually worth less and most things do still cost more than 1€.
The whole deal is more of an "at least 1€" thing. Also, prices only in 1€ increments.

[pretty-kitty]

Why compromise quality to save a few dollars? I work hard for my money and I save where I can but I'm not going to purchase inferior, poor quality products to save a few dollars.

[Futron]

HOLY MOLEY. I've never seen one of these in my life. Only 5 below and dollar general exist around me. Where do I find them?

[Streamhopper]

They're all over the place in Wisconsin.

[myTake Owner]

At least in the US, there are 7 major dollar store companies: Dollar General, Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, Fred's Super Dollar, 99 Cents Only, 5 Below, and Deals. I'm guessing some stores are just really regional, and others are more nation wide.

[Futron]

It sounds like they have a wider selection than most other dollar stores-from what I read, it sounds pretty great.

[Anonymous]

"I can't understand why someone would want to pay more for an item, knowing there is a cheaper priced one of the same exact item somewhere else"

Spoken like someone who has never had a *quality* item in their life.

[acooke-13]

In England we have a few different £1 stores (called different things) and it is AMAZING, I buy my fave chocolate there all the time!

[deraz24]

Definitely lol they do wonders on a gift bag and card, and they do have little things for your house that can come in handy so they alright with me

[JustCallMeLeon]

There are good and bad stuff there. For example, knives tend to go blunt after a month and lamps die after a while. But decorations and kid toys are definitely worth it.

[myTake Owner]

Yeah, I would also definitely stay away from anything electronic and especially their batteries. They are the absolute worst things in life.

[April10]

lol there's all kinds of cool stuff if you look hard enough

[myTake Owner]

I know, and I love all the DIY projects you can find made with stuff from there. I'm working on a birthday party right now, and I have literally already saved about $50.

[Rissyanne]

Where I am from it's called everything's a dollar. I love it!

[zombiebabe]

oh wow! that store seems amazing too bad there's no such thing here :(

[sedrftvgyhujik]

there's pound land in the UK but i generally just go online for anything thats not food. I probly could for food also?

[GoodGuyBreakingBad]

Thanks for sharing with us. There is dollar stores where i live.

[Browneye57]

You wrote ALL that about a junk-store? Is this like an advertisement or what? LOL