99 Cent Only Store

Travis, the assistant store manager at the 99 cent only store in San Clemente, CA, is TOPS in customer service. He personable, hard working, responsive and knowledgeable about new products and deleted items. Keep up the good work Travis… you are so amazing it wouldn’t surprise me if 99 cent only Stores top brass recognized and rewarded you for the difference you have made in the San Clemente Store. It’ll be a sad day for us regular shoppers when we learn one day you have been plucked from our midst to be an area manager or the guy who trains employees to be passionate about their work.
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Wow, I couldn’t believe the prices!
I never shop at 99-​cent stores because I figure they must be full of junk, but I found myself here this weekend because I needed a break from driving and was looking for Starbucks.
I’m glad I stopped! For the price of a grande peppermint mocha, I could buy five household items I needed that normally are $ 2 – 3 each.
I bought: a soft body wash sponge (I usually buy at Target and feel ripped off), an ombré hair extension (same brand I bought at Ulta that cost me $ 10 previously), a mini jar of generic peanut butter, a small package of flour (great for a single woman who does NOT need the standard 5-​pounders at the big box grocery stores), Christmas wrapping paper roll, Disney coloring books for the kids in my life, bag of jumbo cotton balls (always overpriced at Target too).
The best finds I saw:
–great selection of spices for only $ 1 each including the ones you need for holiday roasting. I despise paying $ 5 – 6 for Rosemary or thyme when I know that spice prices are marked up ten times (seriously look it up)
–lady speed stick and other Gillette brand deodorants. Awesome not to have to pay the usual $ 4
–packs of hair ties and barrettes. Again, these are usually $ 3 – 5
–the cheap wine that usually sells for $ 4 – 5 at grocery stores is $ 2.99 here
–limited edition Star Wars spaghettiOs cans. May the forks be with you (try aisle 7)
You will also find overstock items that clearly were once rejects in normal store inventories:
–Larry the Cable Guy just-​add-​water brand biscuits, fish batter and beer bread
–fur hair extensions and headbands by the same brand i mentioned earlier
–an extensive selection of oils stating they are olive oil but are actually oil mixtures that you would probably never wanna cook with
This location couldn’t be better. Right in the s-​curve of I-​5 freeway in san Clemente where traffic always jams up, it was the perfect spot for a respite.

Great value. Exceptional service from great staff. All workers are helpful and nice. Always willing to help you find something you need.

This 99 cent is must stop everytime I am here from la for the weekend. It is huge and they have everything. Parking is easy and people are super friendly!

Love coming here to get bird seeds and stuff for my dog. But I always end up getting more stuff! Love this store and how well it’s organized.

+Yay! They have a restroom!

I haven’t been here since I moved from San Clemente but I was recently in the area and have seen some nice big changes! This place is huge and has a lot of good stuff. The place is very clean and organized, and sells everything from gel pens to milk. One time, they had bags of bird seed for sale but I never saw them again after that. I always get scented candles here, which are cheap and work just fine.
The last time I was here, they even had Michael’s brand for scrap booking paper. I don’t do scrap books mainly because I think it’s a ridiculously expensive hobby but in case I got into it, I bought a couple packs. What? It’s 2 bucks.
The Halloween décor aisles are impressive. This stuff could easily be sold at party stores with 50% to 70% off markup. They even sell Halloween costumes for the kids here and if you’re like me who’s short and skinny, you can probably fit in some of the larger sizes just fine. Or you know, not dress up at all because you’re too old now.
I always end up buying way more than I plan because I always find little gems here and there that are «only 99 cents so why not». A long, long time ago back when I was a broke college student, I’d go to the 99 cent store and fill up my pantry and fridge with water bottles, tea, salad (yes, they sell em here), chocolate milk, and a lot of snacks that are mostly junk food. But I survived just fine. Thanks for getting me through that stage in my life, 99 Cent Only Store.

The employees here are very friendly and polite. Since the remodel the store is very clean and carries even more name brand items. Great selections on many items pets, car cleaning supplies, Halloween, grocery, party supplies, and more! This is my go to place for items in need or just to browse.

The only reason why I docked a star is because I noticed some dairy products that were expired and some cheeses had visible mold. Shortly after walking by again I noticed someone starting to clean the area out.
I needed help putting some water cases in my trunk, and what made my day was that the cashier called someone to help, I was her last customer and the person she called didn’t show up but she said she would help me out. She went out of her way even though she had to go to help me so I didn’t have to wait. That is amazing customer service! I lost my receipt so I didn’t catch her name, but thanks for the great service and for making my day!

This is a great store, they have so much for sooo cheap!
In addition, the staff is AWESOME. I first went there to buy pregnancy tests and the cashier girl told me which was the better kind! It’s hard to find that kind of lady-​bro-​ness these days, especially in California!
I now buy all kinds of stuff here; baking supplies, saran wrap, they have everything.

Can you say DISCRIMINATION? I have accepted the fact that there is one rude person working here, that has an issue with blonde women. First occurence, I overlooked it. SECOND time… I just HAD to speak up. Mind you, I am 50. so not a hot blonde. Lol. Nonetheless, Masa did it to me AGAIN! TWICE on seperate occasions, she has opened a register and pulled a MAN behind me out of line to help him. Huh? Are you kidding me? I will not be shopping here EVER again. I finally left my stuff and left the store after seeing the man behind me leave and more people behind him. She discriminates and it is SO wrong :-(

Only reason I took 1 star off was because this place can get sooo busy and checking out seems to take forever Ive always wondered «can’t they see they need to open all the registers they can?» maybe it’s not their fault since 99% off the people that shop at this location are elderly people. Nothing against elderly people but when you’re in a rush to be in & out of there it probably won’t happen. Parking seems a bit of a hassle as well when busy.
This is my favorite place to shop for party supplies! They have everything here it seems. I don’t know about buying «fresh» produce here but I do buy frozen foods. They literally have everything they have at the main stores for way cheaper. People always forget about this store but they shouldn’t because they’d be saving so much money! Employees are great too. They’re helpful and nice.

Do not, under any circumstances, buy produce here. I bought an avocado; took it home to eat it the same day and it was rotten to the core.
Also bought a miniature watermelon, which was complete mush and inedible.
99 cents is not «cheap» if you’re just throwing money away!

I love this store. 99 Cent Only Stores are located in many places. However, the San Clemente store is by far my favorite. The store is always well stocked, it’s easy to find things and the employees are super peppy and friendly. I am able to purchase some of the same products (including fresh fruits, vegis and frozen goods) as at the «normal» grocery store. But, for a FRACTION of the price. I try to shop the 99 Cent Only Store before I go anywhere else. Kudos to the 99 in San Clemente.

great deals even though check out can be a drag

I go to this store before the regular grocery store. I am usually able to cross quite a few items off my grocery list by finding it here and save so much money doing so. The staff is usually super friendly. A few that have been there for years always ask how I am and we have some small talk while they ring up my items.
It is always clean and organized. So happy with the fresh produce section now. I’m a loyal customer. In fact, heading over there today to do some shopping.

Bargain shopping is awesome. I love the 99 cents only stores, I think they have a bigger, better selection than the dollar tree. I always stop by this location on that way two and from San Diego to LA. They usually very clean and organized, less crowded, and have fresher produce than other 99 cents only store. Look carefully because some products are older than others but over all I love their fruits and veggies, snacks, and cheap school supplies. If you look closely, there’s a lot of neat stuff like quick dry nail polish (which is usually $ 4) and scrap-​booking material (which is usually $ 3-​$ 4). I always buy sharpie markers, highlighters, dish soap, hand sanitizer, candy, gummy bears… you name it, they have it! Love this place! I stop here on almost every trip to LA. Stop by sometime, you might be surprised with what you find!

This is hands down the most vast dollar store I’ve ever been to. As you will see below, this store carries EVERYTHING, including oddities like you’ll see below.
We were on a quest to purchase ~ 30 nutcrackers (don’t ask). After trying 2 Big Lots & a Tuesday Morning, we didn’t come up w/​much. I remember seeing this place along the 5 freeway coming from SD one day. & decided to make this place our last resort: if they don’t have it, we’re gonna’ hafta’ try doing something else.
The place is huge. Clean. Well-​organized. Despite the size, the kitchen utensils were easily visible on the back wall.
& who knew, they had nutcrackers GALORE. So we took our 30 & barely made a dent on the rack it was hanging from.
On the way out, had a brief glance @ the aisles around. Personal care, food, great cheap toys, more. If ever I lose my job, I will make the trip down here for the essentials.
& the cashier was quite efficient, friendly, & patient. He tolerated us very well when we last minute decided to purchase a couple more @ the register.
After a «Happy nutcracking,» salutation, mission accomplished, called it a day!

Seriously! This place is amazing! I had a friend to had to convince me to come here and when I did, it forever changed my life.
I seem to get so many essentials here and it is always WAY cheaper than anywhere else. Sometimes the products look suspect, but usually pretty good stuff. I get produce here: Tomatoes, apples, italian squash, yellow squash, green-​red-​yellow bell peppers, carrots, celery, cilantro, spinach, mushrooms, mangos, avocados, cauliflower, broccolli, the list goes on and on and on. I get also get canned food, pasta, salsa, spices… I mean… almost everything.
It is a rare find and so close to home! yay!

****************Reasons I love the 99 Cent Store************************
BIG bottles of Coke Zero for a buck. Seriously… I love it.
Sudoku books for a buck. Yup… nerd alert 101.
Crossword puzzle books for a buck. Yup, I’m a dork.
Bag of banana chips to make a girl extreamly happy for a buck. I think I’m going to gain 5 pounds this weekend.
Two cute ordimants for Christmas… a buck each. Who can resist a Snowman?!
Two gel pens for a buck… you know, so I can do those crossword puzzles and sudoku books.
BIG bad of Cheetos for a buck. Another reason why I’m going to gain 5 pounds this weekend.
Yay for the 99 Cent Store making me fat and happy while I’m at work this weekend. Can’t beat paying about 10 bucks for happiness.
**********************Reasons I dislike the 99 Cent Store***************
I bought a bag of peppers and tomatos here for the salad I was making for the clients at work. I figured I’m going *cheap* and save the company some money. When I got home and cut the vegies open… there were LIVE bugs inside. Yes, I said LIVE!!! I screamed and ran outta the kitchen… clients came rushing in to see if I was ok. Haha.
99 Cent Store is awesome for everything BUT fresh produce. Stear clear of that section and you’ll be good! :)