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

Sun, 12/17/2023 - 14:51

Five Below.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

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 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.
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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.
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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.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider.

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.
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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.

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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

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.
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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.
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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.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

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.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

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.
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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.
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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.
Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

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.

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Retail, Lifestyle, holiday-shopping, Shopping, Retail, five-below, Holidays

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I went holiday shopping at Five Below with a $50 budget and now understand why …