Sunday, December 17, 2023

I went holiday shopping at Five Below with a $50 budget and now understand why the store is expanding rapidly

A view of the Five Below logo on a wall above an escalator in the store.
Five Below.
  • Five Below is a discount specialty chain that has 1,400 locations across the US.
  • I decided to visit the closest one to my home in New York City.
  • I gave myself a budget of $50 and was pleasantly surprised to have spent less.

Five Below was founded in 2002 in Wayne, Pennsylvania, as a kids' store, but it has since expanded to offer hundreds of different items.

And it has expanded rapidly. By 2008, there were 100 stores. In 2016, sales reached $1 billion, according to the brand's website.

In 2022, the chain opened its 1,200th store, and in early 2023, it announced plans to open 200 more stores this year for a total of 1,540 stores in the US.

I decided to see what the hype was all about and pay my local Five Below a visit during the holiday season. While there, I was interested in seeing what I could get with a $50 budget for holiday gifts.

Here's how my Five Below shopping spree went.

Five Below is a chain of specialty discount stores founded in 2002. The name refers to the merchandise, which is mostly $5 and below.
five below

Five Below was founded in Pennsylvania in 2002 by David Schlessinger and Tom Vellios, the team behind the now defunct toy-store chain Zany Brainy.

The idea of the chain is that almost everything costs between $1 and $5, with some exceptions that cost up to $25.

I've been to a couple of Five Below locations but never one in New York City. In December, I visited the Fifth Avenue store to do some holiday shopping with a $50 budget.
five below nyc
The Five Below I visited in New York City.

There are five Five Below locations in Manhattan.

Walking up to this store, I was surprised to see how small it appeared to be — the ones I had previously been to were the size of a small Target, at the very least.

While the store seemed small from the outside, I realized it actually had two floors, with most of the inventory downstairs.
five below escalator
The escalator down to the main floor.

The ground floor was filled with random assorted items, such as Funko Pops, various toys, a picked-over selection of Christmas ornaments, and more.

At the bottom of the escalator, I found a selection of wheeled baskets and a mural telling me to "let go and have fun." So, I did.
the floor at five below
The floor was telling me to relax.

I didn't really have a set plan before coming to Five Below, but I didn't want to spend more than $50 on holiday gifts for my friends and family (or myself). I was interested to see what I could get within that budget.

I appreciated the wheeled baskets. You had the option to carry them like a normal shopping basket or drag them around like a little wagon, which is what I chose to do.

The first thing I was struck by was how bright the store was, even though we were underground. It didn't feel claustrophobic at all.
interior of five below
One corner of Five Below.

It also wasn't as crowded as I expected.

Close to the bottom of the escalator was the Five Beyond section — that is, items that cost more than $5.
five beyond
Five Beyond.

According to Five Below's website, every store is separated into eight sections: Style, Room, Sports, Tech, Create, Party, Candy, and New & Now, in addition to the Five Beyond shop.

Five Beyond is where most of the items that are sold for more than $5 are, with some exceptions scattered throughout that are priced at $5.55 or $5.95, for example.

Notice that none of these items go above $25. At this store, the selection included a putting mat, a foosball table, Beyblades, wall art that doubled as a wireless speaker, a pogo stick, and an arcade-style basketball hoop.

Nearby, I also spotted a display filled with New York-themed items, like these water bottles.
five below nyc water bottles
NYC water bottles.

They were, of course, $5.

The first thing I tossed in my cart was a $3 hot-chocolate bomb, which seemed like a perfect stocking stuffer for anyone with a sweet tooth.
hot chocolate bombs
Hot-chocolate bombs.

They came in different variants, including salted caramel, Belgian chocolate, milk chocolate, and double chocolate.

A mug with my mom's initial on it made a perfect complementary gift.
an H mug
An initial mug.

There was a huge selection of mugs to choose from, but since the "H" was the first thing I saw, I knew it was fate.

This display said the mug was $5.55, but it ended up costing $3.50. I'm not sure why the display price was lower, but it was a pleasant surprise when checking my receipt.

I continued exploring. This display of Squishamllow-esque pillows caught my eye.
fake squishmallows
Pillows.

These aren't official Squishmallows, though Five Below does sell official licensed Squishmallow merch (more on that later), but these were remarkably similar, and cheaper at $5.55.

Books can be expensive, but not at Five Below.
five below books
The book selection at Five Below.

There aren't really novels at Five Below, though — it's mostly coloring or activity books, alongside some cookbooks.

Anyone who wants a Stanley cup or a Hydro Flask without wanting to spend upwards of $30 should check out their local Five Below.
water bottles at five below
Water bottles at Five Below.

These were all $5.

I was also surprised by the selection of weights and other workout equipment.
exercise section of five below
The exercise section.

This corner of the store had weights, yoga mats, jump rope, resistance bands, massagers, and more, all for less than $6.

The weights were priced at $5.95, which made them the most "expensive" items I saw outside the Beyond section.

Nor could I believe there were full-size posters priced at $5.25.
posters at five below
A "Super Mario Bros. Movie" poster at Five Below.

I was expecting to see generic, non-licensed artwork instead of posters for things such as "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," "Stranger Things," various animes, and more.

Then I came upon the candy section, aptly named Sugar Rush. It was enough to rival any candy store.
candy section at five below
Sugar Rush.

Anyone looking for small presents for a candy junkie should make their way to the closest Five Below.

This is where I saw the most kids running around in the store.

There was a relatively small Christmas-decoration section but even less representation for Hanukkah or Kwanzaa.
holiday section of five below
The holiday section of Five Below.

In fact, I didn't spot any Kwanzaa decor, and I only saw a menorah when I was going back up on the escalator and it was too late for me to snap a photo.

But for those who celebrate Christmas, there was a decent selection of ornaments, wrapping paper, trees, tinsel, and more.

But far and away, tech accessories were the most popular items in the store.
tech stuffers
Tech stocking stuffers.

In this photo alone, there are phone grips, dozens of different wall-chargers (including a "Shrek" trio I was very tempted to buy), night lights, silicon sleeves for Roku remotes, and keychains.

There was a giant display of speakers and a few phone stands.
more tech accessories
More gadgets.

I couldn't believe the selection.

I also noticed another display telling me to "let go and have fun" — I later learned this is one of Five Below's slogans.

With a full cart, I headed to check out and discovered I was $4 under budget, even after purchasing a tote for $0.35 and making a $1 donation.
five below tote
The reusable tote.

Plastic bags were banned in New York State in 2020, so most places offer you the option to purchase reusable bags if you don't bring your own.

I wasn't sure how much I was planning on buying, so I decided just to buy this bag, as it all fit in there.

I purchased nine items for holiday gifts — as well as the bag and donation — for $42.40. Tax was $3.76 for a total of $46.16.
my five below haul
My Five Below haul.

Starting clockwise from the mirror ball, here's what I got:

  • A $5 disco ball

  • A $3.50 mug

  • Five pairs of "Powerpuff Girls" socks for $5

  • A $3 hot-chocolate bomb

  • A $4 suncatcher

  • A $5 Squishmallow Tsunameez keychain

  • A $5 "Harry Potter" Tsunameez keychain

  • A three-pack of rhinestone engine button decals for $5.55 (the most expensive item)

  • A $5 mystery Pusheen pin

Am I expecting these items to last forever? No. But they will make perfect little gifts to complement bigger ones.
my disco ball reflecting in my apartmnet
The disco ball is already proudly hanging in my living room.

You could definitely do all your holiday shopping at Five Below, between the candy, room accessories, and more. In addition to the sections I visited, there were sections for makeup, cosmetics, and clothing, although they were more crowded, so I didn't check them out.

In my experience, Five Below is a real one-stop shop, especially for kids, teens, and tweens. After visiting, I can see why the store has expanded in recent years.

It remains to be seen how well my purchases hold up, although I do have lower expectations for a store that prides itself on selling items for less than $5. When I'm buying something for $3, can I really expect it to last long? But who knows, maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.

One thing I do know: Anyone looking for last-minute cheap stocking stuffers should head to Five Below immediately.

Read the original article on Business Insider


from All Content from Business Insider https://www.businessinsider.com/five-below-holiday-shopping-affordable-review-2023-12f
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