Willoughby 99 Cent

Lapin and I visit this location on occasion to pick up odd and ends items. The store is a bit disorganized and packed to the gills. The cashiers are a bit rude and there is no organization to the checkout lines. They do accept credit cards with a minimum of $ 5 I believe.

Much like their old sister store (now defunct) over on Hoyt, this 99 Cent store is a dirty, crowded little place filled with:
–women who glare daggers at you for being alive.
–men so large that you would gladly give them your pants if they asked.
–employees that hate you because you don’t have to work here.
-«brand names» that don’t exist anywhere else, and are highly to extremely highly questionable.
Make sure to inspect whatever you’re buying, as there’s a good chance it’s not going to be in the best shape. That said, they also have:
–tons of party supplies at rock-​bottom prices.
–various office items that are about ¹⁄₅ the cost of Staples.
–cleaning supplies that might not be toxic, and are extremely affordable.
–the cheapest kitchen goods and disposable plates in the area.

Cannot even give this store one star. It’s awful and the people who work there are completely dishonorable. Bought batteries there yesterday, opened the first pack and tried to use them in a toy. Did not work. Thinking maybe the toy was broken, I tried the batteries in another toy — they still did not work. The batteries were clearly dead and I went back to the store to exchange them. When I did so, the person behind the counter pointed to a sign on the wall that states «No Refunds or Exchanges on Batteries». I explained that that made sense if I’d bought something THAT WORKED, but that I did not want. I spoke to the manager, and he said the same thing. I spoke to another manager, and he said that maybe they didn’t work because I «shook» the batteries. This place is terrible — they are willing to sell crappy product to unwitting people to make money. To sell me something that is defective and then to hide behind a ‘No Refunds’ sign is deceptive and cowardly. DO NOT SHOP HERE!

I go to this dollar store to stock up on disposable essentials. I buy shower liners, cleaning sponges, bleach, brooms, etc from this very cheap and conveniently located store. It beats the Duane Reade which sells everything at double or triple the price.
Most of the stuff here is non-​brand. They have a few branded foods but I avoid buying food here as its hard to tell the origin or age of the food. Store is disorganized and the aisle are extremely narrow. But hey, you get what you pay for and here you are paying very little.

This store is stocked with the most random items! From a hair brush, to spatulas, naked drink to school supplies… they have it all! They always have whatever I’m looking for.
They have name brand items like Listerine and Dove for a lot cheaper than you would find it for in your local pharmacy or grocery store, or wherever people purchase these items.
I must say that the store is slightly disorganized and cluttered. The aisles are small and not easy to navigate through. Things are not always in a place that makes sense but if you’re patient, you’re sure to find what whatever it is you’re looking for. If not, the employees here are nice and would be more than happy to assist you.
I stop by here first before I go to any other store. I save lots of $$$!

Note: This store is probably on 59 Willoughby as the Helen Keller Center for the Blind I think occupies 57.
99 cents stores are a curious and somewhat fascinating thing I feel; I know my good friend Andrew J. actually has a fear of them, probably those slashed prices, they’re dangerous. I can see why though; there’s a fragile nature to the store, an under-​the-​radar, underground, yet incredibly tacky array of items arranged in the most economical way as to not waste an inch of space. They are excessive and extravagant yet cheap at the same time, and it’s almost a frustrating, nauseous feeling. I even love the fact that they don’t call it a «cheap» store, but the use of the great marketing tool of .99 makes for a catchy title even though not everything is actually a dollar.
The Willoughby monster of a 99 cents store rivals another one (either on Hoyt or in the Fulton Mall) nearby, but this one is decidedly quieter, although that doesn’t really mean much. Open 7 days a week which is more than I can say for some of the businesses (after all it’s still trying to make the transition to residential) which means anytime I need TP or Bounty or soap or soda or a plastic broom and butler that will last about 4 days, I can come here, a closer striking distance and much roomier than the Duane Reade (what is this, a car commercial?).
You’ll basically have to walk around, as with any 99 cents store, to find what you’re looking for, but this one really can take the cake as one of the biggest and most stocked ones I’ve seen; my favorite part is that save a few actual brands, they love to stock up on knock off brands on everything from candy to hair gel. There’s aisle after aisle of great bathroom and kitchen supplies that’ll hold you over and assorted snacks (yup, they have those 3-​liter bottles of Diet Pepsi, for what 2 bucks, it’s not pretty).
Here for half the stuff you’ll probably need assistance in getting, because the walls run up very high with product and the store is pretty massive, even employing an extra man to which you have to check your bag in. But it’s incredibly convenient because they have all that space. The front is awash in all this sunlight from the afternoon, giving it an eerie soft and warm feel, like a Unsolved Mysteries re-​enactment.
However, the real reason why this place, and probably most similar stores, deserves a nice, juicy, sexcellent review, is because of the people that come here. They’re pretty insane. This one woman who was in line but not really actually felt compelled to speak to everyone who was in line for real as their initial intention. She bought 3 cartoon plastic weaved bags that probably won’t last the week but oh well. She struck up conversations and actually handled and touched other people’s stuff that were in their carts, so much so that the lady in front of me who ran said cart actually left the line to go look for more stuff.
This linsanedy (can I make up that word? Insane Lady? Linsanedy) then proceeded to cut in front of me, mumble a question asking me if I was in line, and then just cut in front anyway. I wasn’t in a rush or anything, but it was kind of hypnotizing to see.
In fact everyone here enjoys staring at everyone else here, in a fascinated but ultimately blank expression with possible hints of disgust-​out-​of-​fear.
The two women at the registers were almost the most depressing looking people ever. I put my items on the counter and I think she just stood there staring at them for an uncomfortable 8 or 9 seconds, she was definitely tired.
However, I’m definitely going here more often over something like a Duane Reade; you can get serviceable and sometimes actual brands for cents less that in the end add up to a couple bucks saved here and there.