99 Cents Only Store

No kidding, I was bumped into twice by different homeless men on my first visit here. They let them run amok here for some reason. It gets crowded near the entrance but management still allows them to park their carts, strollers, suitcases, etc INSIDE by the front door. One guy was even allowed to bring his bicycle inside tonight. Isn’t that against fire code or something?
Along with that, produce section had rotting food smelling up the place. Workers here aren’t friendly nor helpful. It’s in a bad area of town so it’s a bit of a freak show. I miss my 99 cent store back in Oceanside, which somehow managed a lot more class than this pathetic location.

They have a bunch of teenagers working there with little people skills. One of the kids was «fixing» a shelf and I say «fixing» cos he kept dropping things not accidentally but more like «ugh this job» kind of attitude making a bunch of noise dropping things on the floor and almost making three people slip on the round things he kept dropping on the floor. The cashier was just as rude and did not even acknowledge me or the cashier didn’t acknowledge the other lady, so both cashiers (male teens) were talking to each other and avoiding is the customers. Didn’t say hi or bye or anything… Very unwelcoming

For the record Dunia and the management inspired this review… enjoy
The past couple decades this location went from a Lucky’s to Albertsons to what it is a poorly managed and unprofessional store where the produce is not being rotated (slightly older produce on top and newer on the bottom), expired and scattered products that you find on the shelves or floor. The checkout lines of course varies from experience of the employees and the amount of items a customer has so I don’t mind I am patient. Homeless people have been around that are for as long as I can remember, as long as they keep to themselves I don’t mind them they have rights too. I am writing this review because of Dunia who apparently is a manager at this location. She is rude, unprofessional, and has no customer service training/​skills. I was walking in the store at 700pm usually a bit busy. Walking inside from the entrance to where I step aside politely because I see yes.Dunia. she bumps into me without a excuse me or pardon me or get the heck outta my way. I get over it but what I don’t get over is the condescending way she treats the cashiers. She responds to her employees with a agitated defensive tone as if your asking her to amputate her right index finger. Not only this manager has these character traits but the others do too.(will update with names) they treat there employees like infants and have no respect for them. Iam beginning to think that either A. Managers arent being paid enough, B. Lack of leadership skills and training, C. Lack of Customer service skills/​training, or D. All the above. If i was a employee here I would hate it here hence the poor customer service that sometimes i receive. There are some good ones though who smile, who also politely answer your questions to the best of there ability and it is unfortunate for them that they’re not being treated with dignity. The management has to be a role model for the store and are suppose to respect all employees. There is a huge lack of leadership or at least maturity this location and you can sense it. This is not the case with this store. I’ve been to other 99cent only stores in Huntington Beach, and Los Angeles in West Hollywood and these stores didn’t have the same traits as this one. It’s a shame because families come here to afford to prepare dinner or party’s and elderly customers use this store to sustain themselves on a tight budget. I truly hope that these issues are resolved for the sake of the employees and for the community. 1 star for the negative comments, I gave 2 star rating because there are some good quality employees over there who need to be recognized and treated with respect.

This store is HUGE. I get all my candles and paper goods here. Just a lot of crazy stuff, it takes me forever to get from one side to the other. Yes, the lines are slow. I get here as early in the am as I can.
The problem I have is people complaining about the ‘transients.’ It’s not in a fancy area so what’s the fuss? Where are the homeless people supposed to go? Become invisible so you don’t get uncomfortable?

I have been to this store twice now. First I would like to say that unfortunately Karla the cashier inspired me to write this review. She was rude and made me feel like I was definitely not a valued customer. I had at least 60 plus items and it appears that at this particular store you have to put your own bags in the basket and so by the time I was done paying I had a ton of bags to load. She was already helping the lady behind me by the time I was done putting my change and receipt back in my wallet and my purse. She didn’t talk to me anymore or acknowledge me and by the time I was done loading my basket she was already gone and I was alone at the register. I felt very slighted. Not to mention their fruit is always rotten, and security followed me around both times. That’s the only 99 cent store in my area so I will have to go back but I don’t want to. They suck.

I love the 99 cent store. There’s so many great finds. It’s even more exciting at this location it seems that they have nicer things. Got a glass salad bowl from here and they have glass beer mugs that are really worth it. I already have some, too bad for me as the quality of the beer mugs are good too.

Prices are not always what’s marked on the shelf. Staff is rude very and unprofessional. Your in line paying and there yelling and having a conversation with the next cashier. Overheard a manager and a employee getting into it and dropping the f bomb. Cashier showing off his hikes and had no shame. Some food items are expired and when you let a staff member know they don’t do anything about it. Corporate needs to take a trip to this store. Needs respectful employee’s and needs to comp customer’s when an item isn’t marked down correctly. Needs major staff improvement!!!

I’m rating this location high because in terms of 99Cent stores, this one IS as good as it’s ever going to get.
Some things that can be a drag are:
Employees on the floor don’t bother to see how you’re doing, although there are a couple of really nice ladies at the registers.
The restrooms are creepy as hell, sorry, they’re just so dirty and the lighting makes you feel as if you’re starring in Syfy’s newest original movie where you get murdered in a bathroom, yup.
There are some homeless people who hang around the parking lot area, but I’ve never seen them cause any harm or trouble, but I can see how other people might not want to deal with that.
Some customers in the store scare you — they talk to themselves or worse, start talking to you. Just nod, smile and kindly let them know you’re in a rush. They might be creepy but they’re still people, no need to be rude and cold! This one time this lady asked to use my phone (she had been talking to me for a while and I was listening because I didn’t want to be mean). No one answered and my mind started to create this idea that whoever she called would track my number and come grab me —well despite my imagination being a drama queen, i’m still here and still alive!
Some items are NOT 99cents! I got a reaper from the Halloween department, and he was $ 1.49! Not that that’s not a great price, they’re $ 10+ at Target and Walmart, but it’s not 99cents ONLY, now is it? But to be fair, there are a few items below 99cents — to complain would be a losing battle.
Now here are the pros:
THEY HAVE CLEANED UP THIS STORE! They’ve straightened out the aisles, cleaned the bottom shelves (Which are always filled with CRAP by lazy people) and everything is now nice and organized! There’s still little areas that collect random items, but for the most part they’re doing a good job of keeping it clean. It feels as if you’re in an actual supermarket.
Their Halloween and now Christmas items have nice labels. I know this shouldn’t really matter, but I love some good packaging and after years of cheesy print, they finally have something cute and colorful, something you’d expect to find at Target. Not all, but some of their seasonal items seem to have been made nicer as well. Better quality is great. I know lots of people who buy from here just to use for 1 holiday then throw it away — why would you do that? If the quality is good, keep it and save you money the next time! Random but just my personal opinion. I got some great Halloween decorations and toys for our treat bags!
Like I said, there are some people at the register who are actually really nice and friendly. Used their coupons a couple of times and had no trouble or eyerolls (Ahem TARGET). They definitely know who to keep at the registers.
If you review this place, just keep in mind that it’s a 99cent store. They’re specifically placed in these locations because that’s the customer they’re trying to bring into their stores. They carry some great name brand products and it’s a great place to pick up school & crafting supplies, seasonal décor, cleaning products, drinks and packaged foods (Don’t think i’ll ever buy fruit or veg from here, sorry). You can find some truly great value here if you walk in with an open mind!

This store is super bomb! I came here and can get what I would pay 100s of dollars for at target or walmart at half the price. I’m so grateful! And this location is better than most because they are plentiful in home goods as well. Love 99 cent store. They don’t have this store in the Midwest or east coast. Love SoCal.

What does one expect when you walk into a «$ 1» store? For the most part not much at all but this place is pretty cool. It accomplishes it’s mission of bringing affordable items in with decent quality.
It’s fairly large with a food section; a lot of the food are smaller in quantity of what you would normally get but that’s ok. It gets the job done. You can practically find anything in here to be honest but this is my go to place for picking up school supplies. Spiral books and pens, a college students dream lol. They also have good tupperware here, which is awesome because it normally costs $ 3+ for one. And when you eat the way I do and use tupperware for meal prep and on-​the-​go… You can’t beat the price.
If you happen to come across one, stop in and you’ll be amazed at what you can find.

Pros: Nothing.
Cons: Rude, lazy service; slow lines, difficulty parking, bad area, store unkempt
This is the worst review I’ve ever given to date (88 reviews including this one). Usually I try to think of at least one redeeming quality, but I honestly can’t think of a thing although my trip was admittedly short. They of course have low pricing, but every 99 Cent Only store has low pricing. I reserve a one star review for places that take action to make my experience bad – cheating me or being rude for instance. If the place makes an honest effort to satisfy me, they get at least 2 stars. Well, this 99 Cent Only store was rude AND had other problems, so in my book it should be either zero stars or a MINUS one star.
The parking lot is difficult to even drive through, with cars blocking lanes and not enough parking spaces. The store is in a bad neighborhood. The store had messy displays, with items strewn on the shelves.
When I went I had to wait 20 minutes in line to buy 2 items.
To top things off the service clerk that I got was argumentative. The items I had were marked $.49 but rang up $ 1 each. I pointed out there was a sticker on the item that said $.49, but the clerk refused to even look at the item right in front of her. When I showed the sticker to her, she still refused to change the price and started peeling the price sticker off! Now I can understand if there’s some mistake, but if it’s marked for a certain price, the store has made an legal offer to sell at that price. What needs to be done is that the store clerk needs to call the manager to help negotiate some sort of settlement, but the store clerk just wanted to take the lazy way out and argue.

What? I haven’t reviewed?
Great place to get reasonably priced toiletry items and the occasional grocery item. Surprisingly, they aren’t the cheapest for some things, so pay attention when you are buying. It is just a buck, though, you won’t be out much.
That’s the short of it.

So I came here for dog supplies and it has been by far the biggest and the best 99 cents store I have ever been to. The lines were super fast and they have pretty much everything I need at a good price.

This place is like the skid row of Costa Mesa lol. You can walk past a meth addict, crack addict, and heroin addict before you even get into the store. I may be embellishing a little bit, but it’s only by a crackhead or two.
I go here to get things that normally cost a few dollars more anywhere else, so there’s no point in paying that amount of money when you can get the same plunger, notebook, or any other random product here, cheaper, to save a few bucks.
My only bad experience out of the 5 – 6 times being here. Every other time I had no issues, so please don’t judge this place on my one funny experience out of the many.
I normally don’t have an issue with the line taking forever to get moving, but the last time I was there, the girl at the check-​out clearly checked out, because even though she saw 10 people in line (and she’s the only line open) she proceeded to move like they do in movies when they’re walking toward the camera at slow motion speed. It’s almost like when someone sees the traffic light turns green, and they proceed to still cross in front of you and they move at the speed of death as opposed to showing a little bit of care for others.
You take the good with the bad like anywhere else. I will say though, when I got to the counter she was somewhat nice, which is a better scenario than a complete attitude problem to go along with the slo-​mo work style she sports. This had been the only time that I experienced this though, out of the many times being there which were a good experience.

Me: «What…you’ve never shopped at the 99 Cents Store? Geez. you are SUCH a princess… where do you shop anyway… Neiman Marcus»?
Classy coworker «Why…are those my only options»? Coworker then looks at me like I’m scuzzy, then scurries away from me like I carry contagious pink eye that will infect her at any moment.
Me: «Wait…what I meant was is that you look like you shop at Neiman Marcus because you are always so well dressed and well… CLASSY. Of course you wouldn’t shop at the 99 Cent store, you are much too classy for that… plus I know (because you’ve told me a million times) that whenever you jack your credit cards up to the limit (which is ALL THE TIME) your dad comes to your rescue and pays them off. Don’t get mad, I know I’m low class for shopping at the 99 Cent store… geez…I can’t help it if I’m low class. that’s just me… I’M LOW CLASS!».
He…he…true story.
Yes, Virginia, there IS a Santa Claus AND a middle ground somewhere between Neimans and the 99 Cent store… just don’t ask me where. Sure I love Neimans. who the hellz doesn’t? However, sometimes (yikes…who am I kidding… like MOST of the time) I need to get my shop on for as little cash expenditure as humanly possibly. I’m not sure why but I think it has something to do with the fact that hubs and I are paying off a house, old school loans, kids braces, vet bills and we still need to feed and clothe the family… that’s why I heart me the 99 Cents Store like Kobe Bryant hearts the ladies.
I just go grab me a cart and start throwing things into WITHOUT EVEN STOPPING TO CHECK THE PRICE… Whoo-hoo…you know… kinda like what those Basketball Wives chicks do when they plow through Gucci. They just pull that shiat off the racks willy nilly and don’t EVEN give the price tag a look-​see. Then they just haul their butts over the the counter with a PILE of Gucci, Gucci, Gucci, hand over the Black Amex card and think to themselves «Yeah sucka… swipe that sweet thang and WEEP honey»! He.he. why can’t that be me, why can’t that be me… OH WHY CAN’T THAT BE ME???
Anyway, back to reality. Anybody who is not married to an NBA-​er, who is not a trust fund baby, whose daddy does not pay their bills, who is not rollin’ in dough or who is just plain cheap as chiat needs to check their pride at the door, hold your head up high, grab that purple cart and STRUT YO STUFF BABY through the smudgy, finger print laden doors of the 99 Cent store. A virtual treasure trove of cheap made-​in-​China booty abyss awaits you.
You will feel like a newly minted rapper running wild through Cartier, buying diamonds as big as marbles and planning on wearing one each in each of his earlobes. You will feel like a Kardashian who has let been loose in Louboutianland who has been told «The sky’s the limit baby»! You’ll feel so smug when you tell your kidz «Yes my love, you can have a toy AND a candy bar»! Watch out kiddies, Mama’s on a ROLL!
The best part is checking out when your ENTIRE cart totals up to forty bucks. FORTY BUCKS? Are you freakin’ kidding me? Forty bucks for bathroom cleaner, mints, cookies, kitchen tongs, toothpaste, toothbrushes (for the dog), dog toys, paper plates, plastic cups, gift bags and bows, tissue wrap, scotch tape, scissors, body wash, hand sanitizer, hand soap, room deodorizer, fake flowers to make a wreath for the front door with, super glue, baby shampoo (to wash my makeup brushes with), a hammer, thumb tacks, a rear view mirror hanging car deodorizer (he.he.just kidding), kitchen spray cleaner, laundry dryer sheets, reading glasses (hell, I always loose them or break them anyway), batteries, greeting cards, dental floss, Chinese almond cookies, catsup, mustard, pickles, a St. Patrick’s day bow for the dog to wear on her head, plus lots of other stuff I can’t remember at the moment.
Yes, I’ve heard the urban legends about not buying toothpaste here and I DID have a banana disaster here once. I bought a bunch of green bananas here, took them home, waited for them to ripen and they never did. Strange… I had to toss them in the trash.
Other than that, I heart me the 99 Cents store!

This is a 99¢ store. You get great bargains ! If you don’t like the people that shop or work there, then you need to shop a
some where else.

What is there not to like about the 99 cents only store? My college years were all based on this chain store to purchase gift bags, wrapping paper and flower accents to add personal touch to gift wrapping.
There are plenty of good quality products that is needed for everyday uses. Another of my favorite is shopping for birthday cards, balloons and if I’m lucky an odd items to make it all worth while. I got some pillow shams made of cocoa tree material and it’s my favorite shams =)
All I know is, 99 cents goes a really long way. My neighbor loves to shop here for her fresh vegetables. They have so many items from kiwis, strawberries, bell peppers, broccoli and it’s fresh. It’s really worth it here, especially if you’re on a tight budget.

Sex, drugs, and rockin’ rolls at 99 cents only!
So I am in the checkout line near a mixed rack of 99 cents clothing that I’d never seen before. A woman customer blurts out loud, «Hey, is this garment a man’s shirt or woman’s blouse?»
Another customer gives the flowered pattern top a glance and yells back so half the store can hear, «It’s for both… it’s what they call… what’s that word?» Another woman in line says, «Do you mean it’s Bi SEXUAL?»
I and others let out a huge laugh, and the cashier is somewhat embarrassed, and says to me…“That’s not what she meant”. So, I yell out, «I think you meant It’s UNI-​SEX».
I guess the yelling and laughing made time fly, and I was out of that store with 10 items for $ 10 plus tax without any stress. The generic Advil (ibuprofen) — my anti pain DRUG of choice, can of Frito’s, a small bottle of Salsa, and ROCKIN’ Pan De Leche rolls were part of my stash that day.
This Costa Mesa store near Victoria and Harbor is a typical 99 cents store. And the most important reason is that you know what everything costs. So what makes this store different?
In a positive way —
1. The parking; there is a huge parking lot in the back to accommodate shoppers even in the busiest Saturday and Sunday.
2. In store specials, though they’re not common. Still, twice I found some really great deals I didn’t find at other their stores. Once, I found a whole case of yogurt for 99 cents. They said it was an overstock from a local grocery store, and the expiration date was still a few days away. Two weeks ago, I found some sliced deli turkey that I paid $ 4.50 at Von’s, and here it was 99 cents.
3. Produce selection; They have a wider selection of produce than many 99 cents only stores, and they have a larger refrigerated area.
4. Some of the workers and some of the customers sometimes have a sense of humor. This isn’t the only time I’ve had some fun, funny exchanges with people here, though sometimes everyone is into their own world This store reflects the wide array of people and incomes that shop at this store.
The one negative thing about this store are the homeless people in the parking lot sometimes.
As I write this, I am enjoying my one of my 2.5 pound bunch of bananas. I just sprayed some my mango scented air freshener after cooking my breakfast sausage with two of the half dozen eggs — all for 99 cents And I spray imitation Davidoff Cool Water cologne — more like a spritzer — onto a napkin to wipe off my face. And no, this one is not unisex — it’s for men only.

Wow there’s a 99cent store in «Newport Mesa»!!!
I’ve always like the 99cent store.. .u can buy things super cheap!
I usually go here 4 the little things.. .
I love how this store is the most organized 99cent store I’ve been 2.
everything this neatly arranged and clean.
I felt calm and happy when I left this store.
The only down fall is parking sucks and the employees aren’t very good @ customer service.

Today (Sunday), I left the 99 Cents Only Store feeling 99% content. The 1% feeling of discontent arises from the discount store’s misleading namesake. Since when did the 99 Cents Only Store become the Dollar Store? I purchased three items and had to pay $ 3.00. The 99 Cents Only Store should consider renaming their store the 99 Cents And More Store.
Modifications to their price tags aside, the 99 Cents Only Store is still effing cheap. Where else can you get a bag of lemons, Toblerone and batteries for under a dollar each?