I went holiday shopping at Five Below with a $50 budget and now understand why the store is expanding rapidly
Gabbi Shaw
- 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.
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 to see 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, with some exceptions.
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. Earlier this month, I visited the Fifth Avenue store to do some holiday shopping with a $50 budget.
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, inside I realized it was actually two floors, with most of the inventory downstairs.
The ground floor was filled with random assorted items, like Funk 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.
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.
It also wasn't as crowded as I was expecting.
Close to the bottom of the escalator was the Five Beyond section — that is, items that cost more than $5.
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 located, 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 doubles 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Some Five Below fans were upset when the price of these
Books can be expensive, but not 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.
These were all $5.
I was also surprised by the selection of weights and other workout necessities.
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-sized posters priced at $5.25.
I was expecting to see generic, non-licensed artwork instead of posters for things like "Mario," "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.
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.
In fact, I didn't spot any Kwanzaa decor, and I only saw a menorah when I was back on the escalator going up 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.
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 different types of speakers and a few phone stands.
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 35 cents and making a $1 donation.
Plastic bags were banned in New York State in 2020, so most places will 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 to just buy this bag, as it all fit in there.
I purchased nine items — as well as the bag and donation — for holiday gifts for $42.40. Tax was $3.76 for a total of $46.16.
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.
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 could 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 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.
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