Truth is, I've visited Daiso on several occasions and have left empty-handed EVERY time. It's not because I don't want to just throw everything into my basket. It's just that... I REMEMBER! I remember the dangers of the 100-yen stores in Japan. I'd fill my basket to the top, thinking "Oh, it's only $1!" and then of course, I'd leave there with a 3000 yen (~$35 at the time) hole in my pocket when really that should have been spent elsewhere. Everything is very cute - like puke-inducing cute. Of course, this is coming from the girl who has these Mashimaro (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mashimaro) headrest covers for her car. If I ever have my own place, I will be able to afford to stock up on Daiso goodies. I will surely decorate/furnish with the pukiness of Daiso, but by then, I might be able to afford Ikea... After stepping into Daiso, I can't really get myself to step into a 99-cent store. The items are just not up to par. 99 || 99 99999 99999 99999 999 9 9 9 9 9 || 99 9 9 9 9 99999 DAISO 99 99999 99999 || 99 9 9 999 9 9 STORES 99 99999 99999 99 [As mentioned in previous review, staying away from Ascii art. This is Ascii, not art.] Random Fact: The largest Daiso in the United States is located in Union City, CA. 17,760 square feet (1,650 square meters) of Daiso goodness! Field trip, anyone?! ANYONE!? I know there are Daiso nerds out there! read more

Clean and organized but they are always out of stuff or does not carry certain items that other Daiso stores carry. Ultimately, I gave up as on several occasions they do not have certain products. read more

Love the cute stuff here! KITCHEN WARE They have lots of kitchen utensils for baking or cooking and frying stuff. A lot of Accessories such as chop sticks, forks, or like decorated toothpicks and etc. They have one or 2 aisles of it cool to walk through it to find it. PLATES AND CUPS They have 2 whole rows of cups and plates. They got some cute tea cups or just regular cups and all sizes and colors and patterns and most them are cute. Lots of plates for Japanese cuisine and lots of plates for tea time or even for some fancy dinner ceramic fun plates. STATIONARY ITEMS Lots of stationary items like pencils and pen. Drawing pencil or just a regular pencil. Also erasers with cola or orange fragrance. Little sketch books or notebooks to take notes. Also lots of pencil bags to boxes. Also lots of id or business card holders to keychain coin pouches and etc. HAIR ACCESSORIES Lots of different sizes of mirrors. Lots of hair clips and hurl curlers and just so much little fun things for the hair. Also sell shampoo and conditioner as well. Most items do have Japanese words on them so some might be hard to read what it is for or for directions. COSMETICS ACCESSORIES Lots of cosmetic empty bottles from sprays to roller ball tip with an empty bottle. Also lots of makeup and eye lashes and nail are supplies as well. Most of the items are 1.50 unless it is marked with a special price. CELLPHONE ACCESSORIES Lots of cell phone holders and clip on keychain to cellphone. Multiple head phones and color chargers and etc. Lots of iPhone solid color cases for 6 and 6 plus for only 1.50. HOME GOOD ACCESSORIES Lots of brooms, garden supplies, boxes to organize things, slippers that disposable, cleaning mops too. Also lots of tool such as plier, wrench and etc. ART Lots of origami boxes to hold the paper. Also sell lots of origami paper if your into work. Also lots of nice washi japanese paper too. Also lots of art supplies from empty canvas to are painting plates and etc. Also lots of folders, or easel to display artwork too. LINES There is one single profile line, with multiple cashiers. Also do move in a fast pace too. Lines do get long quick. BAGGING They do charge for bags and are 10 cents. Also there is a bagging area where you take your basket of items to the bagging are and you bag it yourself. They do have tape, and wrapping paper there for you. Overall i will try to make a visit to come here and shop and find knick knacks i might not or need. Thanks for reading and yes come here its fun! read more

I love all the things I find here. So many unique products. I send about 1 and half here on every visit and walk thru all the aisles. I buy things that I didn't even know I really needed until I see it. I love working on DIY projects at home and coming here I can find what I need such as a white wire grid rack, hanging trays, magnetic accessories to go along with it (message command center). This was all under $10. Daiso has nice plates, cups, tea sets, tapas dishes, slippers, scarfs, crafting supplies, etc. It's a treasure hurt when you come here. You never know what you will find. As a friendly reminder: be careful what you purchase since there are no refunds or exchanges. Every item is $1.50 unless there is another sticker price on label. read more

Daiso oh how i love thee. Where else can you find practically a whole store filled with things for $1.50? They have everything ranging from flower pots to pens to kitchenware and most of which are $1.50!! We went today to pick up some dog harness ($1.50) since our dog kept chewing through them, some cups ($1.50), two packs of chopsticks ($1.50) and a grater (also $1.50) The only thing that was semi-annoying was the fact that our cashier kept holding up everything in our basket and asking us if we really wanted two cups or four dog harnesses. Umm.. if it's in my basket and i'm checking out, i think i want it. It was mildly annoying but whatever. Oh, and you have to bag your own stuff, which isn't a big deal but they tend to give you one big bag to hold all your goods even if you have a MOUNTAIN of stuff. read more

Before leaving for San Fran, I happened to read Website friend Christine Y.'s review of Daiso in Seattle, and about her desire for one to be located in SoCal someday. But this summer, if she should save up all her bread and fly Trans Love Airways to San Francisco USA, it WILL be worth it; if not for the sake of Daiso's bargains, but for the sake of her own joy of shopping. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmIy7Ch4M84 I discovered one at Hwy 280 off the Serramonte Avenue exit in Daly City. What I encountered was something like a 99 Cents Only store with a Far East orientation, if you'll pardon the expression. It's a great place to observe a spectrum of lovely female shoppers of all ages, some with their obliging, sometimes-sheepish boyfriends or husbands in tow. Merchandise consists largely of tchotchkes, knickknacks and notions, either imported from or influenced by Japan and mostly priced at $1.50, the rest at various higher prices. My cursory examination found nothing priced at more than $8, i.e. an adjustable wrench on a wall display containing drill bits, hardware and tools, which I call the Workers of the World Wall, or the Testosterone Trap, for short. This would be my turf in the store, were one to be conveniently located in these parts. However, I'm sure I would mosey about the store and do a little shopping, with a lot of people-watching thrown in. read more

First think Japanese. OK good. Now think trinkets. Think stationery (but not the super cool or cute Japanese kind). Think chawans and small dishes for your shoyu and wasabi. Think any imaginable plastic-ware you'd need for your bathroom or kitchen. Think of plain but elegant washi for your crafts projects Think of sembei display conveniently place near the checkout counter. (Yes, I bought a couple of bags) Think crazy eccentric yukatas for your lap dogs. Yes. YUKATAS for your LAP DOG for $5. (Oh we'll see some of those out at Cherry Blossom Fest this year won't we? Admittedly: when I was in Japan a couple of years ago I bought two of them for a friend who has dogs such as these. But I paid something crazy like $15 or $20!!!) Think Dollar store and WONDER how the heck you just spent $20 and 30 minutes wandering throughout the store. I give them 3 stars for cramming all that stuff under one roof. Some of which was decent quality and some of which is, well... worth a buck. But the fourth star is awarded for their amazing little lap dog corner and the wall of dog yukatas. And no I don't own a lap dog. Impressive show Daiso. Impressive show. read more

Here twice, Found everything I need. I like how the store is very bright Very clean and organized Will be back for more stuff for sure read more

Daiso in Japan saved my life because I was starving student who couldn't afford anything more than 500yen. One of my local friends even donated a sack of rice from his hometown. How sad is that?? I'm glad I'm not so dependent on the existence of dollar stores anymore, but visiting Daiso still brings back memories. If you're a student living in a dorm, Daiso is the perfect place to buy necessities such as: plates, cups, chopsticks, plastic containers, hangers, etc etc. Or, stuff that you don't really need but you buy anyway just because they're cheap, such as: tamagoyaki pan, wind chimes, a dozen tea cups, daruma dolls, lunch boxes, "supreme commander" headband, old Japanese folk song CD, chopsticks made for 5-year-olds, instant plant-in-a-can, and head umbrella thingamajigs to prevent shampoo getting in kids' eyes. See, I don't need all this stuff, but GODDAMMIT I LOVE CHEAP, RANDOM JAPANESE STUFF. Just don't get folders because they're all made to fit A4 paper. Also, do NOT bring your boyfriends here!! To them, walking around Daiso is as appealing as walking around Victoria's Secret minus the boobs. read more

Love this store! It has everything you need from socks to tote bags to toilet bowl cleaner. It's always fun to go into this store weather you have something you need in mind or just to browse around the cool little things. They workers are on point. I feel like I've noticed "secret shoppers" walking around checking you out to make sure you don't steal anything. I appreciate that! They're doing what they have to do to protect their store but they're not doing it in a totally obvious, in your face manner. Points for that! Everything is so cheap, so with keeping that in mind things may break a little quicker depending. I bought a broom for my daughter to help play "clean up" and it broke within hours of being in our house. I have bought some great waste baskets that I have been using for years! So, it's really a hit or miss. But, it sure always is fun! read more

WARNING: Stay away from this place if you know you're an impulse buyer! All sorts of thing from dippers to chopsticks and even candies-- they all have them here. There are so many varieties of useful items that who knows existed. My favorite though is their office/school storage supplies. I always go here for the clearbooks and other stuff that can make my files very organized. Some items available here are usually not on Staples and Office Depot. There's no wasted space here as everywhere you look, you can find something useful (or too cute that you find yourself taking things you don't really need). So again, if you can't control yourself, don't go here. You could find yourself with a trunk full of plasticware. LOL. read more

Hi, my name is Kay. I'm Asian...and I love me some cuteness. Typical things I'd buy here, which illustrate just how Asian I can be: - Origami paper - Plates decorated with blue fishes or something like that - Cute tupperware - maybe a ceramic Lucky Cat read more

Daiso makes me happy. Every few weeks, the bf & I drive from SOMA to do a shop for random household/food/personal stuff. We've learned to stop at Daiso first, since they often have things I'd normally pick up at Target, but *much* less expensive. Most recent example: mesh 'lingerie' bags, for washing delicates. Selection at Daiso about 8x larger than at Target (more sizes, shapes), & about 4x less expensive. Score! :) The bf is not at all thrilled by Target (unlike moi), so he usually stays with the cart, sporting a dazed and slightly uncomfortable expression, as I rush around the store with my list, like a contestant in that shopping game show from the 80's. But in Daiso, he's perfectly content wandering around. The hilariously translated ad copy on merchandise throughout the store keeps him cracking up & snapping pics with his phone, thus enabling me to browse more leisurely through the blissfully random selection of goods. We leave, amazed at how little we spent, munching on rice candy or Hi-Chews... it's practically a bonding experience. Daiso booty has included the following: - Origami paper in pretty designs (gifts for kiddos) - tiny glass jars for spices - lingerie/laundry bags - empty spray/squirt bottles - travel-size bottles - makeup remover wipes - cheap plastic dress-up jewelry for girly lil goddaughter - apparatus for air-drying laundry - massage roller-thingy - armwarmers - noren curtain - curtain rod - plastic bucket for tie-dying - cardboard thing for cat to scratch - "toilet sheet" [plastic film for the wall, "To prevent splashed pee and Easy cleaning!" (the bf is pretty neat, actually, but our newfangled toilet is very, er, enthusiastic.)] read more

So, you were probably wondering what ever came of the old Circuit City which was in the parking lot of Serramonte Mall. Well, wonder no more! Ugh.... perhaps I'm biased because I know of *much* better places in LA to get the same crap for the same or less $... Essentially, for those of you famliar, this is "ICHIBAN KAN on crack." It's huge, and they have aisles dedicated to much of everything, and as Suzu T says, I didn't have the time (or patience) to check everything out in my short visit today. It just opened on Saturday (12/16/06) and already the place is a freaking MESS. And by MESS, I mean, MESS. And by Crap, I mean Crap, but the kind of crap that you really need. Y'know what I am talking about, people!! Items strewn about, people leaving things *not* where they found them, nothing placed in any sort of organized fashion. .... Heck, you'd think I was in Dollar Tree. Today's purchases: $1.50 each: 2 of those 'sponges' that clean almost everything (German invention, they say) 1 bag of Ramune Candy 3 sets of alumninum bento 'dividers'- using cupcake liners is too expensive ($2.50 for 36? WTF?) - 1 set contains 80 liners 2 packages of real cotton puffs 1 Oblong shaped frying pan (for egg in bento) 1 Teabag Pouch (empty teabags for loose tea.) Alll of the above can be purchased with less stress and in a much better atmosphere at 98 cents Marukai in Gardena. Oh, and about the parking lot? Getting out of it is a freakish NIGHTMARE. It shares the same parking lot as the Serramonte Mall. I dare you dare you double dare you on this week before x-mass! read more

So Kimby T took me here last night and I was in all with all the cute nick knacks in this store. There were alot of cute stuff that you didnt know you needed. There was stuff for your kitchen and food of Japan and spa products and just a whole bunch of SSTUFFF. One piece of advice. Do Not got in the store while you have been drinking. FYI read more

Wow!!! This new location and new remodeled store is great. Nice selection and well stocked shelves. A far cry from the old place that Daiso previously had in Serramonte! My kids love the school supplies and the small Lego building block type sets. We will be back! read more

I just walked out of Daiso with a wind-up rat, a watermellon shaped ashtray and a card that reads "I need foods!" hellz yes. read more

This review is geared for teachers, but if you are curious, please read on... This place is the bomb and cheap (nearly everything is $1.50)! Forget about everything towards the front and middle of the store. Go straight to the back walls to bypass wicker baskets, china, teapots, wrapping paper, cosmetics, etc. You are a teacher! There is no time or money to waste. Go straight to plastics. You will find great things to organize papers and supplies. This will be your Disneyland. In the "garden" section, you will find great things for your classroom planter or potted plant. I found a watering can that holds the perfect amount of water for our classroom plant! Get a pair of slippers which are located along the back wall. Slip them on after all the students have left. I'm notorious for this. I walk around in them on school grounds and many coworkers have complimented me on my cleverness. I plan on buying each teacher a pair for the holidays. Pillows for your classroom library or reading center! Stationary section is nice, but completely unnecessary if your school provides you with supplies that suffice. The far left hand corner of store has some equipment that you can use for PE and music. For my keys, I found a coily armband with a whistle (hello... YARD DUTY!) in this section. You will find yourself in this store for at least an hour. read more

The things I find at Daislo are always simple, affordable and practical. It's always fun shopping at Daiso, especially this one, which is huge and items are neatly organized into different sections, so finding what you want is extremely easy. Daiso holds a wide range of products, including stationary, utensils, storage boxes, Japanese snacks, kitchen accessories and MUCH MORE. Overall, even though the items are basic and inexpensive, it does not mean lack of quality. I have been using many products for some time now, hassle free. Anyone can find something they might need here. For those of you who don't want to be paying for brand names, Daiso is the perfect place to go. read more

Epic cheap stuff!! A paradox - not an oxymoron, my friends. a) Chic and minimalist aluminum business card holder. b) Sweater pill defuzzer. c) Folding wood-framed magazine rack with really adorable like-only-the-Japanese-can-make-'em kawaiiiiiii apple print canvas cloth. These are all things I have actually seen elsewhere for at least five bucks more EACH (a - Muji, b - Walgreen's, c - somewhere in Japantown). I bought them here. Note that "here" almost everything is $1.50. As Napoleon would say, "Gah! Lucky!" I know. :) They have pretty much everything here. Kitchen supplies? Yup. Stationery? Yup. Neckties? Yup. Picture frames? Yup. Tweezers? Yup. [Opens up her dictionary and points at a random noun.] Yup, pretty sure they have that, too. This place takes one look at our Jack's 99 Cent Store, chews it up, and spits it back out. Man alive, I wish they had one of these here in NYC. The only drawback is it's a little off the beaten path, but with so much to draw you in, Daiso is worth a side trip. read more

Is it REALLY and "Asian Target" or an "Asian Sears" or are those really "American Daiso" biters? Went for the first time today with no reason to go . . . just not a good idea. Stuff seems better quality that the cheesy dollar stores, and it just seems cooler . . . not sure what that says about me, but it probably ain't good. In my brief time there good for: :: Boxes and small storagey kinds of things; :: Office supplies: pens, folders, etc; :: Kitchen knick-knacks; Have fun! read more

This place is the best $1.50 store I have ever been into. Way better resource for teachers and budget-smart students (okay, and professionals) than Dollar Tree. They literally have everything imaginable - gardening, kitchen, tools, snacks, undergarments, protractors, desk organizers, drawer organizers, sushi molds, cookie cutters, binders, bento boxes, banana holders, EVERYTHING! There is guaranteed something you will need/want to buy once you step into the store, even if its a box of Pocky or a sushi cell phone charm, all for the awesome price of $1.50. Learn it, live it, LOVE IT! read more

AMERICA NEEDS TO BE SLAPPED IN THE FACE WITH DAISO! Seriously, you can get everything here. And I do!! This location is particularly the best because it's super huge!! I went there yesterday and spent so much money but got soooo much stuff! I got wine glasses, big coffee mugs, fake eyelashes, ashtrays, sponges, construction paper, asian utensil holder, and sooo many other things btu it only came out to like 30 dollars. step yo game up, america. read more

Now that I'm unemployed and have nothing better to do than to go to a cheap Japanese store and buy things I want, but don't really need, what better place to go than here? Well, at least I have somewhat of a good self discipline. I can't wait till I cook and use my new apron and draining bowl. It's really easy to buy stuff you don't need here. That's unfortunate. It's also really easy to buy stuff you never knew about. Personally, I love those disposable hair catchers, but I go back and forth between using that and the rubber one since part of me doesn't want to always use disposable stuff. I get out of here $14 dollars (and some change) shorter than when I came in. If you think about it, it's not bad since I just returned $28 dollars worth of purchases at Target across the parking lot. read more

Daiso was Saiko! (translation=daiso was great) I love Dollar stores...well $1.50 if you want to be exact. A $1.50 for mostly everything in the store, and all the items from Japan! Great selection, and great savings! You can find a variety of cheap, but mediocre quality items. Cute japanese decorations, cute baking goods, plastic storage bins, tea cups, frames, hangers, stationary, toys, household goods, food, plates, bento box containers, cosmetics, and the list continues of a variety of Japanese goods! A bargain hunter must spend time in this shop, especially if you enjoy Japanese goods. It has a lot to offer, and I love it! I also favor this place, because it is almost similar to the one in Japan, and therefore I enjoy finding items I need from there. A pretty decent sized store, and usually pretty clean and organized. Never had any problems with service, and usually they are very helpful. On one occasion, I was looking for an item, and instead of pointing me in the direction, the guy actually walked me there...how nice! After buying a large mound of items, I initially didn't intend to come for, I left happily. Don't forget, you have to bag the items yourself..don't complain (it's how it's done in Japan)! I'm always excited to go here, and can't wait to visit again! Weeeeeee! read more

Totally overwhelming and vaguely frightening. Sort of like using tampons for the first time. Only tampons never gave me cute wooden frames for a dollar fifty. Or TSS. I think TSS is a lie! read more

When I spotted the Daiso sign from the 280, I was determined to check it out ASAP. Actually, we drove all the way from Sunnyvale to Daly City specifically for Daiso. To our great fortune, we got to shop the night before the Grand Opening! The Daly City Daiso is MUCH larger than the Alderwood store. It's the size of a small warehouse. It's a frugal girl's dream or perhaps downfall. If I die today, please have my ashes sent to Daiso and sold for $1.50. Just kidding. I've frequented many dollar(ish) stores, and I have to say that Daiso is far superior. Not only does it feature a range of goods (bath & beauty products, toys, beautiful gift wrapping, raunchy costumes, pet accessories, kitchen supplies, stationery, and other marvelously random kitsch), but also, most of the products are actually worth a $1.50. It likely has everything you need, and everything you need, but just didn't realize -- like a panda cake mold! The clerk mentioned that they are also opening up a Daiso in Fremont, Sunnyvale, and San Jose in about 3 to 4 months. I CAN"T wait. Seriously, I'll probably have to trek back to Daly City at least one more time :) read more

For someone who loves to buy unique and somewhat useless things because they are cute, I would think I'd go crazy at a store like this. I was excited to check this place out because of the reviews, and was expecting to possibly burn a hole in my wallet, but I only came out with gift wrapping paper and 2 squeeze bottles. I must say everything is organized and sectioned nicely but I guess I've been to other places like this and see the same things to not be all crazy for. Too bad I can't read Japanese as I didn't know what half the things were for. They did have these cute cupcake wrappers and gift boxes to put your baked goodies. But seriously 6 cupcake wrappers for $1.50, uh I'm fine going to my local Albertson's and getting 50 wrappers for $.99! But they were cute! read more

I always go to Daiso for certain things. 1. cotton (similar material like shiseido's cotton but only $1.5 for 2 boxes) 2. correction tape ( only $1.5 which Walgreen's, Office Depot, etc sell at least $3 to $4) 3. bags for tea 4. Japanese snacks 5. stationary (good equity of stationary for cheap price) PS: 6. Face oil blotting paper! Only $1.5, too! read more

Most things are are not one dollar, and run $1.50 and up. Maybe we should call this place Daiso ken Nakaba? At any rate, it's still cheap. You can find housewares, air fresheners, chopsticks, and many other things. They seem to have a lot of rules ... no refunds, exchanges, etc and don't think going out the exit door the wrong way. Why is it my back only itches when I see a back scratcher? You will find them here, some with rubber balls on one end. You can still see the "good guys" stickers on the emergency exit doors. read more

Wow. The largest 100-yen store in Japan in California. Who would have ever thought. read more

Hmm what can I say? $1.50 sounds like a bargain, but watch out, you'll fall into a trap! Remember that just because something's only a buck-fifty doesn't necessarily mean it's a great deal. There are some good finds here that I would fork over $1.50 for, i.e. dishware, some bakeware, some household items. But there's other things that I couldn't believe they charged $1.50 for... i.e. stickers, some stationary, some snacks, chopsticks (you're much better off getting the $1/pair ones at Ichi-ban Kan in SF). Also, the blaring Jpop over the speakers gives you a headache after a while. All in all, interesting experience, but I'm not very inclined to return, especially since I've got Ichi-ban Kan in SF! read more

Ok, I take back what I said about the Daiso in Union City. http://www.yelp.com/biz/daiso-japan-union-city#hrid:KgX7H9FwnUake870yHUQKg/src:self The Daly City Daiso reigns supreme of all the Daiso in the bay. read more

If you are going for the first time....USE THE BATHROOM BEFORE you go in! The do not have a public restroom and you are guaranteed to spend at least 1 1/2 hours in there! The place is tidy and pretty interesting to those who aren't of Japanese decent. I am 99% positive that all their items are printed in Japanese so it's kind of fun trying to figure out, "what's this for?" I spent 20 bucks and came out with a ton of items. Most of the items are priced at $1.50 and if not it's labeled. I know I'll be back, SOON! BTW...most interesting item I saw in there? A cloth that snaps around the toilet seat. Hmmm, I wonder how cold their toilets really are over there? LOL read more

Daiso is a fun store in that I always manage to find something here to buy even when I don't even need it. I bought a lot chopsticks, bowls for rice / miso soup, and tea cups here. And I love their food section. I always get my chopped nori from here!! And for $1.50, it's a good buy! It's also a good spot to pick up some Hello Panda biscuits and Calpico drinks. One thing that always bothers me about this place is that you have to bag your own stuff. I'm not saying that I'm lazy to bag my stuff up, but I guess that would make the line move fast when they get really busy over there. Not too much of a big deal to complain about though when stuff is really cheap here. read more

I saw this place off the 280 freeway and wondered what it could be. Curiosity caught my friend and me so we had to check it out. You could loose track of time and be lost like Alice in Wonderland inside this store. Wow, the first thing I saw was a sign, "Nothing over $1.50 unless marked". Just about every conceivable household item is sold here for the home; kitchen, bath, toiletries, garden, food, toys, business items, crafts, and gadgets galore! I didn't need anything but did end up in line to purchase disposable bags for tea with my friend who had stuff to purchase. We spent hours in Daiso only to wait in a long ass line to pay for some cheap ass items and bag it yourself. read more

Oh Daiso Daiso.. The first one in the area! I feel like I've been coming here for almost 10 years.. has it been that long yet? Possibly! I remember shopping at IchibanKan, proudly thinking I had hit the Japanese Dollar Store jackpot, until my friend Dave showed up to my house with the most random $1.50 goodies. Things I've Bought Over The Years: - adorable mini planters for mini succulents - Dont Cats to prevent your pets from going places - Lots of "natural yeast bread" breakfast buns - Instant curry - TUPPERWARE - Random kitchen items I didn't know existed - Random bathroom items I didn't know existed - fuzzy socks - artsy and crafty things I can't believe I'm leaving a review just now.. but I suppose I'll have to return and take some pictures of my favourite randoms... and buy more miniature versions of the stuff I already have. read more

This ginormous glob of a Japanese dollar store has far more leverage over any American dollar store. There were things in here I didn't know existed, and everything in here comes neatly packaged in neon and spammed in Japanese graphics. Even down to the metric sized tools, nuts and bolts. No space is spared from the onslaught of design overload. I got lost in there for a good hour or so with all the pretty and shiny things pulling me left and right, almost as if I was in a huge maze designed for rats. I eventually made my way out of the place, but only with the help of my Japanese girlfriend who held the key to deciphering the clues hidden in Japanese hieroglyphs. read more

Sweet Jeebus. Daiso has landed in the Filipino motherland known as Serramonte. And aren't we all lucky? Yes, it's Ichiban Kan on the Cream and the Clear or whatever Barry has coursing through his veins these days. It's almost a shame to walk out of this store with nothing in hand. Crowded even early in the day with eager bargain shoppers, you can quickly get overwhelmed if you don't have an item in mind that you need. Okay face it, you don't *need* that plastic lunch box. But shit, it's a buck fitty, and you can't say no to that, can you? *in the basket* You don't *need* that pair of sandals. But hell, what's six quarters? You'll only get 20 minutes in a meter anyway with those quarters. But you'll have a lifetime of cute slippers that you will brag about for days. Yes it's chaotic plus the store was straight raggedy, and you will probably circle the store for a good hour just looking for that deal you missed, but it's worth that one-of-a-kind find you were looking for. I didn't find the food that I hoped for (Ichiban Kan rules for that. This place left me..hungry.). I'll be back, Daiso, oh yes, I'll be back. read more

Thanks to Daiso, I have: * stopped recycling Chinets and now have a tableware set for 4 * provided guests with their own slippers to use while staying over * stopped measuring things with my thumbs * returned the scissors I swiped from my mother's sewing basket * developed an addiction to sweet bean paste jelly And I also have: * a rod for my shower curtain * window treatments that have eliminated the need to duck * tools to help me become more organized (it's a work in progress) * a piggy bank read more