Daiso - Japanese Household Goods — Attraction in Chandler

I've been to the Daiso store in California. That store sold very nice merchandise and appropriate for the area that they are in. This store is in Chandler, Arizona which is higher middle class. This store sells very low end merchandise, almost dollar store level. Sure, it's from Japan and it's quaint and some of it is slightly clever but it's not nice. In the store in California they sold these very nice mechanical pens and colored pencils that were outstanding. The store in Chandler maybe had two feet of it and none of it was high-end. I wandered around the store looking for something, anything that would resemble the store merchandise that I encountered when I was in California. I believe for a lot of the customers this was their very first introduction to a Daiso store. But for those of us that have encountered the real thing, it was nothing but a cheap disappointment. I understand that the owners of the store probably have a certain level of appropriate merchandise that they can afford and then turn over, but they really should look at the community that the story is situated in. There is this great series on YouTube called made in Japan and a lot of those videos they sold that merchandise in California but not here in Arizona. Is it a fun place to kind of wander around in? If you're a teenager sure absolutely bring your friends. Buy some ridiculous stuff with cats on it and you will be happy. But for adults well we like things that we can use or things that enhance the space that we live in. Like I said there was nothing I wanted to buy here. I actually went next door to the Asian market which was the Walmart with a Costco stuffed into it merchandise. Anything you could ever want that had to do with Asian cuisine you will find at that market. There's a good portion of it. That's actually alive at the time that you can buy it. Don't worry, it's not chickens or pigs. It's all fish.

Good luck out there...

Let me say first off, I'm so happy that Daiso finally made it's way to Arizona. I would frequent the locations when I lived in WA and CA. So when I moved to AZ, it was one store that I was really hoping to make it's way here. And now it is!! A close but small scale substitute store has been the Cutie store near Tempe/Mesa area. I'll probably still go to both as needed.

(Now all that's missing is a Seafood City.😆. If you know, you know. But that's a story for a later time).

Daiso (pronounced similar to the Japanese word "Dais" in Daisuke - DIE-so NOT how Google translation states as DAY-so) is a popular Japanese goodies store that has an array of selection of low priced products. There are only a few items that might range from $10-$15 dollars but otherwise, most items are under $5. You might think of this store as being similar to the popular Five Below stores but it's nothing like it. The products are much better quality AND their Japanese products and foods!

Daiso is a great place for those on a budget, those looking to find unique items, and definitely a great place for college students. But they have something for everyone here, even toys and art kits for children. There are also many types of products from food, storage, stationary, travel, and makeup. Daiso also has gardening, pets, and kitchen items!

Grand opening went pretty smooth and fast and it's seems the team was well organized. I imagine the store will have a line for a few weeks maybe because it might be rather new to a lot of residents here unless you are a transplant from CA, WA or even NV (which houses most U.S. locations).

It's worth the wait! You can't really find the unique Japanese items they tend to carry and it's just overall...

This Daiso location just opened in March 2023. It is a Japanese version of a Family Dollar store. Most items are $1.75 each, unless otherwise noted. The items that cost more might be labeled in Japanese Yen, but there are currency conversion charts all over the store to help you figure out how much an item will cost before you get to the front registers. I actually had to go back a couple of times before I could get in to shop. They were very busy, especially since they opened during Chandler schools' spring break. The aisles are kind of small, especially if you are holding a hand basket or a large purse to shop. I would imagine that it would very difficult to navigate through the aisles in a wheelchair or with a baby stroller. There are lots of little things to look at. There are art supplies, kitchenware, garden gadgets, and generally a lot of stuff that you never knew you needed until you see it. It is a fun place to get inexpensive gifts for Easter baskets, stocking stuffers, a kid's birthday, baby showers, teacher gifts, etc. It is also nice to see stores filling up this shopping center again. They open at...