I recently moved to the Ina/Oldfather area and was kind of excited that there would be a cute little 99 Cents Only store near me. The first time that I stopped by, I needed some beverages. Just some bottled water, canned soda, that kind of thing while moving into my new house. I noticed that the selection was a little lacking but again, I realized I was at a smaller store and not a huge Walmart. I did end up getting some water and some sodas, all of which were priced decently, but I will note that not everything here is 99 cents. While I realize that there is still a great discount here, if you name a place "99 cents only" then I do feel like the "ONLY" in the name means that nothing is going to be over $1. So there's some clever yet deceiving marketing going on with the name. Really, I get it, and I understand these items are still discounted, but you are being a little deceptive with the name.
On my first trip, the store was a little messy but I chalk that up to employees unboxing things, etc. The parking lot, like others have mentioned, is a little run down. No lines anywhere so it is kind of a free-for-all with the parking. Again, you're getting cheap items here, so I don't expect perfection. Yet the cashier had absolutely no personality. I was in a longer line and when I got to the counter with my few beverages I attempted some small banter starting with "It seems like a busy day" and the cashier only offered "uh huh" and nothing more. Boo. I guess not everyone is outwardly friendly but I mean...try to make customers think you care.
My second trip was terrible. I sent my husband in to grab me a hairbrush because while unpacking I had misplaced mine. He went in and grabbed one, nothing eventful to report. When I got home I opened the brush/comb set and started to use the brush. Immediately it broke. The rubber part with the bristles just popped out of the brush. It looks like it wasn't even glued in well. Anyway, I popped it back in and tried again. Pops right back out. Complete waste of any money as the brush won't work. I then turned to the comb and as I started to brush the comb breaks away from the handle. Again, looks like it isn't even glued in. Now--maybe this is why this product was sitting at the discount store--but I was still furious. Even discounted, the items should still work. About 10 minutes later my husband found my missing brush and he did offer to take these defective ones back but it didn't even seem worth it. While perhaps this is a manufacturing problem, you'd still think ANY store would make sure the product they are selling isn't so defective that it cannot be used.
My second trip put a bad taste in my mouth. I may still pop in for an emergency can of beans or something, but there is a Frys right down the road (and a nearby 24-hour Walmart as it turns out) so I don't see myself coming here regularly if I cannot trust the products they're offering. read more