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100 yen (approx $1) have long been huge in Japan too, and their business model is even simpler: most of what they sell is plastic and made to order in China in

100 yen (approx $1) have long been huge in Japan too, and their business model is even simpler: most of what they sell is plastic and made to order in China in huge volumes. They have grocery selections too, but nothing that would require refrigeration or otherwise spoil quickly. And while hardly luxury, they're also not down-market in the way that Dollar X's in the US are, many are located in central business districts and there's no stigma to shopping in one. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100-yen_shop https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100-yen_shop

tkgally 5y ago
Daiso, the largest chain in Japan, designs a lot of their own products, and the shear variety of some product lines is one of the stores’ attractions. Twenty years ago, before going back to the U.S. from Japan for a family reunion, I bought fifty folding fans, each with a different Japanesey design, at Daiso as gifts. The relatives I handed them out to seemed delighted, and they cost me only a buck apiece. Until I started working from home last year, I wore a suit and tie to my job in Tokyo. I have a collection of more than two hundred ties, each one different, all looking reasonably decent, bought for a hundred yen apiece at Daiso ten or twelve years ago.
- mcshicks 5y ago
  There are Daiso locations in the US (and I think many other countries now), at least in California. They aren't as good as the ones in Japan, and they have somewhat different items in one location than another. But they do have lots of interesting stuff, although most of it is $1.50 and up. The tool section is pretty neat as well as their stationary section.
  - proggy 5y ago
    As someone who’s spent time between California and Japan recently (2019-2020), I honestly think the differences between a Daiso in the US (Los Angeles) and a Daiso in Japan (central Tokyo) are very slight. I bought a lot of little gifts for people from Daiso when I was in Japan, and I’ve found that most of what I bought is also available in the stateside stores. Most of the everyday goods (household, serving ware, tools, cleaning, toys, stationery, etc.) are identical, with only the food and beverage section differing significantly. For instance, in Japan there is a limited stock of local brands by the register (somewhat marked up vs. the local combini). In California, it’s a very select handful of true imports, but most of it are brands who are producing a local US variant that Daiso doesn’t have to ship through customs. And interestingly, they stock some specialty Hawaiian drinks like POG that you can’t find easily in either California or Japan.
    - mcshicks 5y ago
      Hey that could be. So yeah I didn't mean to imply the goods were different, just less selection. I mostly go to the ones in Oceanside and Keary Mesa, and the last one I visited in Japan was in Fujisawa early 2019. I haven't been to the one on Sawtelle in a while but I do seem to remember it being bigger than the ones in San Diego.
- new299 5y ago
  Right, and it appears to be a completely different model than that presented in the article. What’s interesting is that a significant fraction of the products at Daiso are made in Japan. Not by any means the majority, but a lot of the simple injection modeled products (containers), some of the ceramic plates and bowls, some of the chopsticks. It’s pretty shocking to me that they can make these products domestically and sell them for ~$1. But I suspect for simple products the economics of making these items locally still makes sense, when compared with shipping a bulky object which is largely air.
- clairity 5y ago
  i love daiso. the one in little tokyo (downtown LA) is actually spacious, relatively-speaking. apparently ikea loves them too, as i've seen a lot of gadgets that are staple items at daiso make it over the years into the ikea catalog. little kitchen items are what i notice the most, but other things too.
eloisant 5y ago
I'm not sure about US dollar stores but there are really good deals at Japan's 100 yen shops. For example simple plastic boxes that cost 10 euros in France are at 100 yen in those shops. So in Japan it's not just for poor people, there are items where it doesn't make sense to buy them anywhere else than a 100 yen shop.
wirthjason 5y ago
They are popular because they are good. The products have good designs and reasonable quality, at or above the $1 level. The stores are bright, clean, and the staff friendly. My guess is that they have a much more integrated supply chain than the stores in the US and can better understand what their customers want/need. There is an air of quality around ¥100 shop shop and a stigma of $1 stores being junk. Any reasonable Okaasan takes it as a badge of honor finding good stuff and bragging about it.
- zdragnar 5y ago
  I used to have the same opinion of dollar tree and co, until I met my wife, who shops there frequently. Like any other store, there are certain things that you should get elsewhere. However, I was genuinely impressed that the quality of many things was quite a bit higher than what the stereotype had led me to believe. Edit: perhaps it is worth pointing out that she also shops Wal-Mart and aldis, and buys only from each of the three stores what the better deals are.
  - wirthjason 5y ago
    What are the good things to buy there? I think someone else mentioned crayons in this thread.
    - zdragnar 5y ago
      It really depends on your needs and access to other stores. There's a relatively limited selection of greeting cards compared to places like walmart or target, but you'll save 4-5 dollars each that way. Dish detergent and other cleaning supplies can be hit or miss, same with staple spices like black pepper. We have a lot of battery operated candles that we use semi-frequently, and after a failed experiment with rechargable batteries bought online, we went back to the dollar packs of AA and AAA. For smoke detectors and other 9v batteries, I tend to go elsewhere. Pet supplies can be a really good deal- collars and toys. I don't know that I would trust their food or treats other than the milkbone biscuits that my wife's dog has been happily eating for 17 years. Laundry softener sheets if you use them, holiday decor, some craft supplies, scissors or other items that you might use on occasion. If it is going to see heavy use, probably buy elsewhere. If not, and you just need something that gets the job done, dollar tree can be hard to beat. That last point is why I tend to dislike applying the "boots" trope to these stores- not everything you buy will be worth investing top dollar in. Some things I would definitely consider passing on- their olive oil "blend" bottles might seem like a good deal until you read the ingredients. It is 98% canola, 2% olive oil. It is probably the only item that actually is a real rip-off of the tings that I have looked closely at.
MeinBlutIstBlau 5y ago
These dollar stores are located in many business districts. Definitely not right on a main street, but within a nearby vicinity (like 1-3 miles). At least they are in my state. Dollar stores are never farther away than 10 miles max.
riffic 5y ago
Daiso has a presence throughout Los Angeles, and it is definitely a different animal than your typical dollar store.
Supermancho 5y ago
Dollar stores also exist in Canada (Dollarama and Dollar Tree), where my wife and I call them 75cent stores because of the conversion rate.

tkgally 5y ago

Daiso, the largest chain in Japan, designs a lot of their own products, and the shear variety of some product lines is one of the stores’ attractions. Twenty years ago, before going back to the U.S. from Japan for a family reunion, I bought fifty folding fans, each with a different Japanesey design, at Daiso as gifts. The relatives I handed them out to seemed delighted, and they cost me only a buck apiece. Until I started working from home last year, I wore a suit and tie to my job in Tokyo. I have a collection of more than two hundred ties, each one different, all looking reasonably decent, bought for a hundred yen apiece at Daiso ten or twelve years ago.

mcshicks 5y ago
There are Daiso locations in the US (and I think many other countries now), at least in California. They aren't as good as the ones in Japan, and they have somewhat different items in one location than another. But they do have lots of interesting stuff, although most of it is $1.50 and up. The tool section is pretty neat as well as their stationary section.
- proggy 5y ago
  As someone who’s spent time between California and Japan recently (2019-2020), I honestly think the differences between a Daiso in the US (Los Angeles) and a Daiso in Japan (central Tokyo) are very slight. I bought a lot of little gifts for people from Daiso when I was in Japan, and I’ve found that most of what I bought is also available in the stateside stores. Most of the everyday goods (household, serving ware, tools, cleaning, toys, stationery, etc.) are identical, with only the food and beverage section differing significantly. For instance, in Japan there is a limited stock of local brands by the register (somewhat marked up vs. the local combini). In California, it’s a very select handful of true imports, but most of it are brands who are producing a local US variant that Daiso doesn’t have to ship through customs. And interestingly, they stock some specialty Hawaiian drinks like POG that you can’t find easily in either California or Japan.
  - mcshicks 5y ago
    Hey that could be. So yeah I didn't mean to imply the goods were different, just less selection. I mostly go to the ones in Oceanside and Keary Mesa, and the last one I visited in Japan was in Fujisawa early 2019. I haven't been to the one on Sawtelle in a while but I do seem to remember it being bigger than the ones in San Diego.
new299 5y ago
Right, and it appears to be a completely different model than that presented in the article. What’s interesting is that a significant fraction of the products at Daiso are made in Japan. Not by any means the majority, but a lot of the simple injection modeled products (containers), some of the ceramic plates and bowls, some of the chopsticks. It’s pretty shocking to me that they can make these products domestically and sell them for ~$1. But I suspect for simple products the economics of making these items locally still makes sense, when compared with shipping a bulky object which is largely air.
clairity 5y ago
i love daiso. the one in little tokyo (downtown LA) is actually spacious, relatively-speaking. apparently ikea loves them too, as i've seen a lot of gadgets that are staple items at daiso make it over the years into the ikea catalog. little kitchen items are what i notice the most, but other things too.

eloisant 5y ago

I'm not sure about US dollar stores but there are really good deals at Japan's 100 yen shops. For example simple plastic boxes that cost 10 euros in France are at 100 yen in those shops. So in Japan it's not just for poor people, there are items where it doesn't make sense to buy them anywhere else than a 100 yen shop.

wirthjason 5y ago

They are popular because they are good. The products have good designs and reasonable quality, at or above the $1 level. The stores are bright, clean, and the staff friendly. My guess is that they have a much more integrated supply chain than the stores in the US and can better understand what their customers want/need. There is an air of quality around ¥100 shop shop and a stigma of $1 stores being junk. Any reasonable Okaasan takes it as a badge of honor finding good stuff and bragging about it.

zdragnar 5y ago
I used to have the same opinion of dollar tree and co, until I met my wife, who shops there frequently. Like any other store, there are certain things that you should get elsewhere. However, I was genuinely impressed that the quality of many things was quite a bit higher than what the stereotype had led me to believe. Edit: perhaps it is worth pointing out that she also shops Wal-Mart and aldis, and buys only from each of the three stores what the better deals are.
- wirthjason 5y ago
  What are the good things to buy there? I think someone else mentioned crayons in this thread.
  - zdragnar 5y ago
    It really depends on your needs and access to other stores. There's a relatively limited selection of greeting cards compared to places like walmart or target, but you'll save 4-5 dollars each that way. Dish detergent and other cleaning supplies can be hit or miss, same with staple spices like black pepper. We have a lot of battery operated candles that we use semi-frequently, and after a failed experiment with rechargable batteries bought online, we went back to the dollar packs of AA and AAA. For smoke detectors and other 9v batteries, I tend to go elsewhere. Pet supplies can be a really good deal- collars and toys. I don't know that I would trust their food or treats other than the milkbone biscuits that my wife's dog has been happily eating for 17 years. Laundry softener sheets if you use them, holiday decor, some craft supplies, scissors or other items that you might use on occasion. If it is going to see heavy use, probably buy elsewhere. If not, and you just need something that gets the job done, dollar tree can be hard to beat. That last point is why I tend to dislike applying the "boots" trope to these stores- not everything you buy will be worth investing top dollar in. Some things I would definitely consider passing on- their olive oil "blend" bottles might seem like a good deal until you read the ingredients. It is 98% canola, 2% olive oil. It is probably the only item that actually is a real rip-off of the tings that I have looked closely at.

MeinBlutIstBlau 5y ago

These dollar stores are located in many business districts. Definitely not right on a main street, but within a nearby vicinity (like 1-3 miles). At least they are in my state. Dollar stores are never farther away than 10 miles max.

riffic 5y ago

Daiso has a presence throughout Los Angeles, and it is definitely a different animal than your typical dollar store.

Supermancho 5y ago

Dollar stores also exist in Canada (Dollarama and Dollar Tree), where my wife and I call them 75cent stores because of the conversion rate.