Cute Crush — Local services in Frisco

I have shopped at Cute Crush for 2 years now, and I have a couple things to say about this business and why I have rated it 3 out of 5 stars.

THE MERCHANDISE: Cute Crush offers really cute stationary, anime and kpop collectibles, plushies and gift-worthy items for any of your loved ones or even yourself! I will say that their journals can be on the pricier end, ranging from $1.99-$25 a pop, but I mainly shop their smaller and cheaper journals for my school needs. I can’t say much on the anime and kpop collectibles, as I have not purchased anything on that end. I believe these journals may be more expensive than your typical journal due to the uniqueness of the covers and binding. I found no issues with the quality of their merchandise.

THE STAFF: I have personally felt profiled by the staff, and could tell that one of the staff members was watching my every movement, and even followed me around for quite some time, without asking me if I needed any help, which is unlike typical retail etiquette. Said staff member was quick to tell me to not try on the jewelry, even though I was simply holding the article of jewelry close to my face. I can understand the necessity to make sure products are sanitized for future customers but I believe this was overkill for two reasons: (1) I was going to buy said article of jewelry regardless, and (2) The staff member never asked me if I needed help, which I perceived as profiling. Because of this, I had to dock points off of my rating.

THE PRICE: One thing to take note when shopping at Cute Crush is that the merchandise is different from what you may find at a Walmart or Target. The merchandise has a Japanese-inspired feel, and whether you may find it to be authentically Japanese or not, one can’t deny the cuteness in the craftsmanship. The merchandise is on the pricier end, but as expected, for Japanese-inspired craft. Plushies can range anywhere from $8.50 for a keychain plush the size of one’s palm, to $50+ for a body-sized plush. Journals can range anywhere from $1.99 for a thinner paperback notebook, to $25 for a thicker hardback composition book. Writing utensils are paid by the pen/pencil, and gift-worthy items can be anywhere between $2 for a small keychain to $20+ for a mug. Price depends on what you are looking for and the quality of the item.

I was unable to take pictures of the merchandise inside the store, because it is store policy to not photograph any of their...

Did the shop owners change within the past year or so..? Even the replies to reviews changed from proper grammar/professionalism to unprofessionally written responses. I even wondered if the shop owners changed while there a few days ago due to the change of inventory. There used to be lots of Korean merchandise (besides the obvious abundance of Kpop stuff in the back) like Kakao Friends, stickers, journals, love letters, stationary etc.. now all those things are 99% Japanese. The store also changed gears in the fact that they sell tons of anime stuff, which wasn't really what they sold when they first opened. If that's what you're looking for though, they have a lot to choose from! When they first opened I used to buy a lot of stuff, but have visited a couple times recently and never buy anything anymore. Of course, like many other stores in Frisco, the items are priced a bit higher than if you went to similar stores in Carrollton and Lewisville. (Lewisville has a really good one inside Zion...

A lot of the stuff is straight off of WISH and Aliexpress... that's one of the reasons why they ask you to not take pictures. Most of the anime figures are not authentic, and all of the lanyards they have are $1 on the forsaken (mentioned above sites). The rilakkuma stuff they sell you, you can acquire for a fraction of the price at Daiso (for example the face masks they ask for $9.99 and at Daiso they are all $5... or the journals they have for $3.99... $1.50 at Daiso...). The KPOP hoodies aren't legit either. The enamel pins are all from the same sites. They are all stolen art (with a quick search you could find the original pin artist). The KPOP photocards are also from the forsaken sites (I looked them up and BOOM) It makes you question the authenticity of the other things. Aside from all of that the shop itself is pretty kawaii and severely overpriced. The girl at the front desk was very nice. Also, good luck with parking spots on...