First time stopping into a Five Below location. Basically, it's a 'dollar store.' Rather, a $5 and below store. That's the hook: everything in the store is priced at $5 or below. And for what it's trying to accomplish, it does a pretty decent job.
Unlike other 'dollar stores' that try to sell everything - most of which is just total crap - it looks as if Five Below really focuses on those items that can be sold at the $5 and below pricepoint. Sure, it's not the same quality merchandise that you'd find at Macy's or Bloomingdale's. But in the categories that they choose to feature, it looks as if a lot of things would be worth a try.
For example, I made a great find on individual boxes of movie theater candy: Junior Mints, Raisinettes, Sno-Caps - all of those kinds of things. And most of them were selling for $1 box. Granted, the boxes were slightly smaller than the boxes that you generally find at movie theaters. But the savings are huge. Last time I went to a 'national chain movie theater,' I'm pretty sure that I paid $3 or $4 for one box of Reese's Pieces. So, the $1-per-box price at Five Below is an amazing deal. In fact, I stocked up on a lot of those candy items. Two bags full. Looked like I'd been trick-or-treating in 1978.
Also, Five Below had a pretty good selection of basic cell phone accessories - cases, chargers, cords, etc. Seemed to have a lot of earbuds and headphones, too.
Other things that might be handy (and cheap...!!!) at this time of the year included a lot of plastic drinkware and tableware items for summer that you could use around the pool, on the patio or at the beach. Lots and lots of pool/water toys, too.
Also had a small-ish selection of books for both adults and kids. Some clothing items, like t-shirts and stuff. Some simple athletic gear and smaller athletic accessories like water bottles. (How often do we lose one of those...??? All the time...!!!) Had a make-up/personal care area, too. Looked to be mostly basic items, but that's not really my wheelhouse. Looked good to me, though.
If you're in the area, might be worth a quick browse through the store to see if there's anything you might need for a couple of bucks. read more