Daiso - Japanese Household Goods — Local services in Vancouver

Yesterday, a friend and I made a day of having lunch and then heading to the new Daiso location in Hazel Dell. This location is tucked into the back corner of a strip mall that's in a corner block of strip malls. When we first arrived, we had a bit of a hard time finding it because it's tucked in the corner, so you can't really see it from the street.

After we got parked, we discovered that the line was about 45 minutes to an hour long to get in, so it was a good thing that we had lunch before we came! It was opening day, after all, and the store workers were only allowing about 150 people into the store at a time so they could make sure everyone had a good experience. They regularly had someone come out to check on us in line and keep our spirits up.

I'll admit that I've never been to one of these before. I saw the notice about the grand opening in the local news, and I remember hearing about this place from friends in Seattle, but they don't have any online shopping so I had no idea what to expect, other than that they had Japanese goods. As we approached the store in line, I got a bit worried, because all of the items in the corner of the store closest to the parking lot are stuffed animals, but I could see there were other things in the back of the store, and some shoes/slippers as well.

Once we got in, I was really surprised - I think we walked through the entrance at about 3:30PM, so I was expecting the store to be ransacked and out of stock for various items. However, every shelf was stocked. I don't know how it's possible, but I didn't see anything that was out of stock anywhere in the store. Plus, they had a ton of employees wandering the store to make sure that everything was kept in good order. Items weren't out of place or ramshackle/untidy.

The other piece that blew my mind were the prices of things here. Like I said, I didn't know anything about this store when I saw the notice in the news. My friend and I decided to start at the far end of the store (where the stuffed animals were) and work our way back to the entrance. I couldn't figure out the pricing, since things were all listed in Yen. My friend that had been to the locations in Seattle and Japan before pointed to a placard on the shelf that had a conversion table.

"It's a Japanese dollar store, dude."

I don't think any one item in this store is much more than $15!

My friend and I went through the entire store, partially because I'd never been, but also because I think this place will be popular for a while, so we wanted to make the wait in line worth it. Aside from stuffed animals, we found shoes/slippers (including ones that have dusters on the bottom, but sadly the sizing doesn't go above 27cm - I discovered I'm a 30cm), stationery, pens/pencils/erasers, pencil cases, storage boxes and organizers, charging cables for your phone, all kinds of cable and wire organizers and wraps, makeup and cleansers, picture frames, artificial flowers, rain ponchos, gift bags and wrapping paper, storage hooks, gardening tools, plates and dishware, cleaning supplies, snacks and candies, and other little handy gadgets (I bought a bendable...thing that can be formed into a hook or a tablet stand).

Again, the best part of this store is that the items are so affordable. I bought four picture frames, a yakisoba noodle snack, a musubi former, a dish scraper, cable clips, the ...thing that I've turned into a tablet holder, some cleaning brushes, a moisture-proof pill case, a glass container for Q-tips, a squirt bottle for oil in the kitchen, and some gift bags. I spent just a little over $40 with sales tax.

Super excited to come back now that I have an idea of what they sell - I'm excited to look more at their storage and organization products to keep pieces for board games together, and organizing my...

I lovvvvve Daiso! I'm so glad we finally got one in the area. Great value, super cute and functional products. They have everything from stickers to gardening supplies and everything in between, and most things are $1.75 - $5! If there's no price marked on an item, the default is $1.75!

Don't let the inexpensive price fool you, though - Daiso stuff is great quality for the price. (I've had Daiso goods for years.) My favorite sections are Sanrio, beauty supplies, kitchen wares, STORAGE, and snacks!

If you've never been to one, definitely give it a try. You'll probably be pleasantly surprised by the selection and the quality! So many things are cute and fun but functional, like all of the cat-themed kitchen utensils and the Disney laundry wash bags lol. Onigiri molds and wasabi tube holders are fun, too.

Staff is amazing, friendly and quick without making you feel rushed! 💕

Quick list of some of the items they offer : Sanrio, Disney, plushies, travel, kitchen goods, snacks, drinks (incl Pocari Sweat lol), candy, socks and slippers, pet goods, electronic accessories, stationery, stickers, crafts, beauty, storage, garden, party items, cleaning supplies, laundry accessories, toys, and others that...

It’s kinda like dollar general is to America. Daiso is very affordable and has a wide range of selection.

I love the different variety of storage units and plushies but I think they didn’t take the full advantage of what it could’ve been.

So what i mean is, as a person who grew up in Asia and has been to Japan multiple times, I thought they would stock more items that’s more exclusive to Japan. Like gadgets, snacks, accessories or stationary. (Ex: The small section of makeup brand they carry was partially or half LA colors) 😂 Or like plushies are cute, and don’t get me wrong I still love this place, but I could probably get the same plushie at round 1 or the mall.

In the end, I think if you’ve never checked it out you definitely should!! I’m sure you could find hidden gems! At least we were happy with our purchase today but for the future I will secretly wish to see more unique and exclusive items from Japan 😉

Sorry I forgot to take pictures, there were still quite a bit of crowd 😂 Also, good job to the employees for being so nice and cheerful, I bet it has been a stressful weekend for them lol But despite all that the racks were all full and tidy. So VERY...