When Savers left Bristol Plaza, I was really upset, as there was nowhere exciting left to shop in the plaza. But then, the clouds parted, the trumpets blared, the sun beamed through, and ALAS!- Five Below was bestowed upon our city. Located directly next to our community staple, Dollar Tree, I worried how another discount store would fare in a plaza with 3 other discount retailers. Would they provide something unique & of value to our community? Why yes, they do!
This is the 2nd Five Below location I've ever visited, but it is the nicer of the two. It has been open for a year now, and it still looks new, clean, and organized inside. Their shelves are usually always full and impactful looking, overflowing with items you're not exactly sure how they made their way in there- like Polaroid Bluetooth Headphones & speakers, Monopoly & other Parker Brothers board games, older but once popular Xbox One video game titles, Wildberry brand Incense & more. It's a really fun store to browse around- they have a wall full of $5 fun screen print tees, featuring popular brands, characters, snarky phrases & timely memes. You could literally buy your entire child's school shirt wardrobe there- buy them 10 tees they'll love for only $50.00. Next to their tees are a display of socks for the whole family- there's some great athletic socks AND there's great fun licensed sock packs. $5 gets you a 2-6 pair pack of socks, depending on what it is. That's probably my fav stuff they have as far as clothing goes, but they also have a small area for juniors "fashion" (subjectively speaking, LOL), an area for seasonal shoes/slippers/sandals, there's athleticwear in the back that includes sports bras & leggings, too. They also have backpacks & wallets, although the backpacks would never work for someone with actual books to carry, as they're small & flimsy looking (Think drug store back-to-school backpacks).
There's something for everyone in Five below, & it's the perfect place to fill a christmas shopping list or pick out stuff for a birthday. Don't be deceived by the name, though- while there are plenty of things you can buy for $5 or less, it should more aptly be named $20 below, as many items are over $5, and some items encroach into the $10+ territory. This is true in my favorite area of the store- their electronics section. Don't get me wrong, for $5.95, you can get a pair of soft, ear covering bluetooth, wireless charging headphones in a myriad of styles from classic to glittery rainbow cat ears. You can even get airpod knockoffs for less than $10. My very favorite stuff are all the adaptors they have for super cheap- need an aux-bluetooth converter for your car? Or how about an OLD iphone cable? What about an hdmi-hdmi mini adaptor? They've got quite a selection of that kind of thing. They even have "gaming" computer gear, depending on what your standards are. If you're ok with a membrane keyboard but just want it to have a sweet rainbow LED backlight? They got you. They even have a matching "gaming" mouse. Heck you can deck out your bedroom, bathroom, & office with their selection of LED color changing gadgets!
Beyond their electronic area, they also have games, exercise/sports gear, books, art supplies, party bags/gift wrap, Wet n Wild makeup, sample size cleaning products, a candy zone, & stationery. It's really a neat shop. While Dollar Tree might be better for your more basic needs, like generic medicine, dish soap, et.al, Five Below is the next step up on the Maslow Hierarchy of Dollar Stores, offering clothes, makeup, home decor, gifts, & cheap goods to make life a little more fun. Plus, the associates are always really nice.
Biggest gripe? Terrible store hours. 10 am to 8 pm Monday-Saturday & 11-7 on Sundays. Still doesn't change the fact it's totally worth checking out. read more