This week's treasures from my 99 Cents Only Store!
Frugal Fairy Tale:
I must confess that the 99 Cents Only Store is my first frugality love. We were acquaintances throughout childhood, seeing one another now and then for a bag of candy or a small toy. Officially, however, we met in college when I found myself needing to purchase odd items such as paperclips and cleaning sponges with my own hard earned money (Rude College Awakening # 1: Things like scotch tape, tooth paste, notepads and toilet paper do not simply appear in your home.) Call me crazy, but spending any substantial amount of cash on these items was not appealing, causing me to start a somewhat regular relationship with good ol’ 99 Cents Only Store. As fate would have it, our love has grown into an eternal flame of true faithfulness (perhaps an exaggeration).
SILLY MYTH – Contrary to popular belief, these stores are not full of broken or rotting merchandise. I have actually asked a 99 Cents Only Store manager about this accusation and she responded by explaining that NO store is allowed to sell out of date, decayed, or broken items to the public. This is especially true in regards to food; expired items are removed from the shelves.
HOW THE STORE WORKS – 99 Cents Only Store purchases many products in bulk and then breaks down the items into resale quantities. This mainly applies to non-perishables such as office or cleaning supplies and household materials (decor, paper goods, etc.).
Additionally, the store receives overstock from grocery stores and other retailers. This mainly applies to food items. For example, Campbell Soup company put pink packaging on many of their soups last October for a breast cancer awareness promotion. When the promotion ended, many grocers removed the decorated cans from their shelves because they were “out of date” and sent them to overstock stores such as 99 Cents Only Store. The soup has the same shelf life as any other can but is now cheaper.
HOW NOT TO GET RIPPED OFF – Many people confess that the hardest part of shopping here is the temptation to buy unnecessary items. It is very easy to stop in for tooth brushes and leave with 6 new picture frames, some scrap booking supplies, 2 candle holders, a package of cookies and some stationary (not that I’ve ever done that before, cough). Stick to your list and only “fall prey” to good deals on things that can benefit you and your family.
MY ADVICE -
- Look for brand names, there are many to be had. This is a good method of quality control with food items. Some off brands are just as good as mainstream, others should be avoided (a little trial and error is required at times).
- Ask a manager when their food shipments arrive throughout the week and shop accordingly. For me, Thursday mornings are the best time to find plenty of fresh salads and fruit.
- Pay attention to packaging and quantities to make sure you’re getting a good deal. Individual drinks like canned soda or teas are often over priced and can trick you into spending more than you would at a regular grocery store.
- If at first you don’t succeed, well, you know the rest – Don’t give up. Try browsing the store nearest you on different days. If you’re still seeing no good deals, try a new store location. When you are saving over half on many regularly needed items, you’ll be glad you stuck with it.
And now, drum roll please, a list of items I have purchased at the 99 Cents Only Store…….
Large box of Nestle After Eight Chocolate Thinmints, large container of Bryers Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Back-to-Nature Organic Mint Oreos, packs of Sharpe permanent markers, mini seedless watermelons, cantaloupe, honeydew, Reynolds foil, standard sized bags of Popeye Spinach and Dole Salad mixes, Switch Soda, Sargento Cheese, organic cherry tomatoes, Circo baby socks, hats, and tights for my daughter, wow……. good times.
Enjoy!
