99 Cents Only Stores: Another Leveraged Buyout Casualty? | Retail Archaeology 

It’s nice to see a store like this that sells fruits and vegetables and not just potato chips and candy.

Maybe a bit dated, but I actually kind of like the look of those stores.

It's frustrating sometimes to realize you can buy an office stapler, made oversea with so many components and materials and shipped to your store for 99c. But you buy an orange, grown 300km from home and it will cost you twice the stapler.

Do not tell me you didn't go back to 1992 and film inside a grocery store. No way this exists in 2018, looks fabulous!

I swear 99 cent stores better not die I'm there like weekly

Leveraged buyouts are pure evil. They take so much away. Bon-Ton, Toys'R'Us, NECCO, and so many others are casualties now. People usually love to complain about Walmart and Amazon, but never about the CEOs and their shitty decisions.

If 99¢ stores die, I️m going with them.

This is my favorite dollar store chain. The pet section usually has decent stuff. I have a few of the $3 pet beds laying around that my dog loves. They have some awesome cookies too.

The music, the store's vibe, and your clear narration really gives me nostalgia

A lot of the 99 cent stores here in San Diego are always crowded. Several people in the comments section noticed how slow the lines are and that's true! You have to go early in the morning to avoid that. I still shop there since places like Vons, Albertson, and Ralphs are so, so expensive. I take advantage of the produce and bread at the 99s. They also sell tortillas. I also shop at the Dollar stores but they have less food items. I love the tacky and weird stuff, too. And I have to confess I buy them especially during holidays. I hope the 99s and the Dollar stores never go away. Or poor people like me have to pay high prices for food. And here in San Diego everything here is so damn expensive.

I soo confused why are your 99 Cents Store not crowded. My local 99cents store is soo crowed that sometimes it’s hard to find a parking spot. Also, the fonts on the wall are new! The 99 Cents stores have been renovating/redecorating almost all there stores.

Shout out to the employees working 9 days a week

Don't mean to get sappy, but you brought back some memories for me that I forgot about. As a little girl my Dad would always share his "Kipper Snacks" with me. Pulled at my heart strings since I lost him last year. Give that sweet little girl extra hugs everyday. Nothing like a Daddy hug, they're the best

Leveraged buyouts seem like a bad decision that benefits only a VERY few people. Can't blame the successful companies for the fact everyone else shoots themselves for a short-term profit.

I've been a regular customer at the 99 cent store for most of my life. The location I go to in Gardena, CA is always very busy. The products can be a bit weird, but sometimes you'll find some really surprising deals on snacks. The produce is generally of decent quality as well. Very inconsistent stocking though, sometimes you'll find a good deal on something, and then not see it again for 6 months. One of the biggest things hurting them is the proliferation of other bargain grocers like Grocery Outlet and Aldi, who are taking all the weirdly good deals that 99 cent stores used to have and selling them somewhere between 99 cents and regular retail.

the 99 cent store in Torrance is always quite busy (and the lines move sloooooooooow) it also has a non working payphone.

I'd hate to see these die, they have such a better selection than dollar tree. When I first moved out on my own this place was a haven for health cheap grocery options as well as unhealthy lol. Plus loved the vintage look in them.

When these stores started in Texas, they were 99 cent only stores with every item truly being 99 cents. Then they said they had to raise prices and made them 99.9 cents. Then they added groceries that were not 99 cents and finally added odds and ends that cost more. They'd get some cool little toys at good prices, most recently getting some of the Lego dimensions items on closeout. They tend to build in lower income areas here in San Antonio.

I’m sad they are closing. My parents shopped there when I was a kid and have fond memories of browsing the school supplies section because I was a nerd that liked going to school and browsing the snacks section. We kinda stopped going after they started raising prices.

They need to open in the South, trust me, They would do extremely well in North and South Carolina.

When I would work at McD's I would shop at the dollar tree a lot to save money.

I've worked for PetSmart for 6 years, and our 2015 leveraged buyout of Chewy.com, following our 2014 private sale, has left the company in dire straights. They have slashed our hours, implemented countless new metrics and analytics to encourage us to do more with much less, implementing programs to fast track customer assistance to get back to tasking, and are bleeding money at a store level due to having to price match Chewy. We're talking $4 profit margin items being sold for $12 less. Since the company is headquartered in Arizona, perhaps you can look into it for a future video. Check out this article from 3 days ago: www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-25/yielding-21-in-bond-market-the-no-1-retail-lbo-is-in-trouble

Shasta! Yay! The grocery part reminds me of the locally own groceries in the area that have a lot of those secondary brands as well as many ethnic foods and brands. Looks like this store has a lot of other cool stuff - too bad it is destined for closure... :(

The only chain 99 cent store we had in NYC was McCrory's which we shopped regularly at- all other 99 cent stores that are still around are mom and pop places. But it too fell victim to leverage buyouts. McCrory's was owned by Meshulam Riklis, a vulture capitalist and ex-husband of Pia Zadora, bought up a number of chains that included Lerner's who had a rep of driving successful brand names into the ground while cashing out. In '86 McCrory now owned by Samsonite swotted up the remaining Kresge and Jupiter stores from Kmart- 76 of them- because Riklis screwed them from their investments with him attempting to recoup losses. McCrory's had 1,300 stores operating, but in the early 90s it declared bankruptcy and a bunch closed. It was still around when I was in HS but the quality was in the shitter and the store itself looked like crap. By the beginning of the 2000s it was gone and not too long after CVS took up the space. These leveraged buyouts are being done deliberately and Amazon (for all of its fucked up practices) is taking too much of the rap. It's obvious that these kinds of buyouts are the ultimate Wall Street get rich quick scams since business (especially American) plans quarterly and doesn't look to the distant future because trends are born and die in minutes and everybody is trying to outsmart the market.

I live less than five minutes from my nearest 99Cents Store and I love to dig up the unique licensed treasures from there, as well some interesting pop picks like a “attempt” of a window bag!

It’s nice that it’s open 9 days a week...

I’d love to see an updated 2023 video of them, they’re working on rebranding themselves as “The 99 Store” and have a bunch of different prices now, with most things starting at $1.29 since Dollar Tree raised their prices.

Re-watching this episode in 2024 after hearing the new about all these stores closing. RIP, 99 Cents only store. 😢

Can you please do another video on the 99 cents store? They’re closing & I have a lot of fond memories there. I’d love to see it.

First video I thought of when I heard the news. RIP 99 Cent Store.

RIP 99 Cents Store 1982 - 2024 😢

Heck, yeah for Shasta! I haven't seen that stuff in forever, either. I really loved their Strawberry Kiwi. I wonder if these stores weren't originally grocery stores. I mean, it could be possible as an old grocery store that used be around here was converted into a Big Lots, but the inside is still easily identifiable as a grocery store from the late 80s/early 90s.

This is a really cool place! I hope it stays open. ☹️

I just don't understand why you'd allow a leveraged buyout to happen if you truly love the business you've created.

The 99 cents store near my house is always Busy as heck, & I often go there to get some things.

This store brings back so many memories! My mom absolutely adored this place! She would always take me here (we had one down the street) after school and she would let me pick out a bunch of snacks! It breaks my heart that this store is going under. It has such a special place in my childhood! Great vid as always 👏👏💖

I was born in 1982, and this makes me feel nostalgic for Red Food, where my mom used to grocery shop. Before it was bought out by BiLo and then Food City.

Omg I miss going to the 99 cent only store when I lived in California they where very busy. Went there to do my basic grocery shopping and to buy my holiday items and the toys for kids . Miss that store the state I live in now doesn't have them.

Love the shot at 7:15...dreamy consumerist wasteland

I was obsessed with Hot Wheels as a kid.

Ah yes, the rare payphone in the wild. Rare around the world no less.

In my opinion, you were at underperforming 99 Cent Stores. The two I frequent (12 st and Indian School and 12th and Northern) are packed all the time. Granted the Indian School location is in one of the food deserts you mentioned. Every time I go to .$.99 Store, it's possible to find a true bargains--i.e. full sized name brand grocery items for a buck. And I can hear my mother in my head asking 'Did you check the expiration date?' Once you go to Dollar Tree--you've been to a Dollar Tree. Didn't Nordstroms have something to do with their start up?

"Pretty banged up" he says about the payphone, to me that is like pristine. The one payphone I've seen in the past however many years during my time going to college in Philly had the phone ripped off the cord and etc. Looks like it got smashed and never repaired, or removed for that matter. Also wow, inside the store looks like a time capsule that someone just kept maintained all these years. It's a rather nice and well kept store, and wooo Shasta! The economy brand soda we all love.

I wonder if stores like 99 cents only buy up leftover items from other stores like target and Walmart after their initial sale period and are left on the shelf after not selling on the clearance racks. I suspect this is where they get their older toys and other things and then they knock the price way down and it sells well at a store that appeals to bargain and low income shoppers.

They dont have those here in Michigan, but when I went to LA I loved those stores they even sell clothes. I wish we had them here in Michigan..but dollar tree is pretty nice.

Hehehe such a cute last shot of the kiddo in shades!

these videos are great time peaces keep the history allive about these stores

Cool vid man! I see your cute lil assistant helping with the QA of those toys!

That aisle of canned stuff... “Prem” hahaha

I loved this video... because of your video when to the 99 cent store today and I stocked up. I saw what you were talking about a food desert. I actually saw families who did have a car bought there groceries their.

Leverage buyout sounds like buying a business with a credit card.

David Gold first came up with the idea as a means to liquidate slow selling wines at his liquor store. "Whenever I'd put wine or cheese on sale for $1.02 or 98 cents, it never sold out," Gold said in 2001 interview with The Los Angeles Times. "When I put a 99 cent sign on anything, it was gone in no time. I realized it was a magic number."[3] After prompting from a friend, he then created a full store of these bargains. To get publicity, he sold televisions for only 99 cents on the first day, then had family members calling TV stations to ask about the commotion caused by the lines. The practice continues today as a brand new 99 Cents Only Store will sell a high priced item for 99 cents to the first nine customers in line on opening day, and other limited prices for the next 90 new opening day customers. Despite its image, the company operates a basic information technology operation with a computer system ordering stockers in the distribution center and point of sale registers tracking purchases at every store.[4] The Texas distribution center is a former Albertsons facility bought when that company exited the Houston market.

Blame the easy money policies of the Fed over the last decade for all of the LBOs ultimately crushing these companies.

Love your videos 👌🏽

I can't get over how well stocked the store is,and neat.

Another casualty of leverage buyouts. RIP 99 cents Only Stores.

It looks like a fun place to shop; I like the colorful decor. In terms of selection it reminds me of a Dollar Tree or Aldi's.

Just like Sears, they know it’s going to fail, they are just pulling out whatever cash they can.

I remember going to the 99c store when I was 13 with my family. The store had just opened and we were pumped. I remember it was super packed. I always had a soft spot for the store ever since. I've only been back a small number of times though.

The second has the “Ashens Food Stuffs” section.

I remember these! They were a lifesaver when I was in college.

Nice big and clean stores with a huge selection. Wish we had them here in the south.

My dad's a long haul truck driver and he would frequently shop at 99 cent stores for food. Good place for canned foods and other long shelf life items.

Here in LA the 99 is the where I go when I'm on a budget. Never disappoints.

the 99 cents store is closing all of it's stores according to the news today.

Never heard of this store before but good video as always.

The footage of the second store you visited has a Napoleon Dynamite feel to it. And it's funny that you mentioned Captain Crunch because that's exactly what I was eating at the time when you mentioned it.

99c only is the bomb. Better than dollar tree/general

Did u hear the 99cent stores are closing. All 347 locations

I enjoy shopping at the 99 Cents Only Store. I read something a while back that they were in debt, didn’t realize that the situation was so dire. You can get some really good deals there. I will be very disappointed if they end up closing.

I learn a lot from watching your videos. Thank you so much! How long does it take for you to research any particular chain of stores? Your presentation is very detailed. God bless!

I can vouch that the gardening stuff does work. Just Arizona summer weather...oy. Interesting stuff about the 99 cent store food. I did some research about food from the 99 cent. I know for one thing, the milk from the 99 cent stores in the Phoenix area comes from the same dairy producer as big grocery chains. In our case, Shamrock Farms. I managed to run into one of the quality control heads at the 99 cent store in Scottsdale. She told me "same cow, same process, different label and packaging, that's all." Produce and soda for Phoenix 99 cent store comes from the same source as Albertson's and Safeway.

I live as close to the border as you can get in California and the 99c store closest to me is always packed. The one you went to was extremely large and spacious compared to my local store. My store has tall shelves but extremely narrow aisles, meaning you can't squeeze by people during the rush. Even the parking lot is awfully packed. I have fond memories of going to 99c to buy school supplies whenever I needed them during high school. The problem with this specific store is that there's a sort of hostile homeless clan living in the gas stations around the area and they can really bother the customers or anyone just walking by.

I see you bought the Capt. Crunch blueberry pancake cereal...that has to be one of the best Capt. Crunch flavors ever!!!

I KNEW I knew that song, Dan Mason is so good man!

I remember when the 2nd store you went to first opened as an Albertsons in like 1993, it was abandoned for like 12 years, they split the store in 2 and put in the 99 and a fresh and easy which is now a Smart and Final.

one of my favorite 99 cent stores - love their purple baskets!

The doorman to the limo plays the Lawyer CEO on Better Call Saul

I would not be surprised of dollar tree copies this style of store in the near future with a small fresh grocery section and more items costing more than a dollar.

Re Captain Crunch--large retailers sometimes get brand name manufacturers to custom make various sizes and even customized name brand items specifically for their stores. Walmart is famous for getting name-brands to make special Walmart only items under the manufacturer name (and those products are usually lacking the manufacturers usual quality to meet Walmarts price point).

Fred's was a regional variety chain similar to the 99 Cents Only Store, but based in the Southeast. It unfortunately went defunct in October 2019, but not due to a leveraged buyout. Fred's also had a pharmacy in most of its stores, and part of Fred's decline was attributed to the aborted merger between Walgreens and Rite Aid, of which Fred's would have practically doubled its then-store count.

Shasta brings back memories for me. I was 5 in 1974 and we went out to see fireworks at the fountain in Fountain Hills, AZ. It was new then and was the world's tallest artificial fountain (don't know if it still is). We kids got to drink lots of Shasta from a cooler that the parents brought along.

My last name is Herring and I was personally offended when you commented that the herring filets were gross! Haha!

I love kipper snacks 😨 They're smoked herring. For some strange reason, alot of the diffrent brands are made in Germany. Guessing it's more popular over there but I've managed to find a couple new england brands 😅

Good video! Thanks!

Reminds me of an Ollie's Bargain Outlet with the advert on the walls.

The 99 cent grocery in Tucson Arizona is banging! I shop there at least once a week.

When they 1st open they use to be just 99 cents only items everything in the store was only 99 cents but changed that a few years ago and added produce they didn't have fresh produce when they 1st opened

I finally moved to a town with one of these right down the street! They are truly my favorite dollar store. I have a dollar tree across the street but I’d much rather walk down to the 99¢ store

I have found interesting and sometimes, amazing items in 99 cents only stores... I hope they continue on!

I'm not surprised the Hot Wheels Fiat 500X didn't sell, the real one didn't. Those not-necessarily-"desirable" real cars were my favorites as a kid, I still have the Dodge Omni 024 and Chevy Citation X-11 somewhere.

Looks like the first store is the one on bell rd and cave creek location in north Phoenix i remember the kids rides I lived down the street from there in 2003 to 2018 I love going to the 99 cent store you find the some good stuff sometimes. I hope it never go dead because it helps so many people get by.

Looks like the world's largest collection of Shasta flavors!

I absolutely love the 99 cent only store! It's my absolutely fav

Those small ( < 10oz.) Cap'n Crunch boxes at 10:41 have been a staple at U$1 sections of stores for years. In Puerto Rico (even with the added shipping costs) are available in the U$1 products section at Walgreens pharmacies islandwide, along with shampoos, cleaning products and other grocery stuff, like Bull's Eye Everyday BBQ sauce (made w/HFCS, not used in their other more expensive sauces, to sell at U$1 for the regular 18oz. bottle).

It'll be a tragic day in California when 99c stores go. A lot of lower income people, including myself, get their food and home supplies from there. Living in Southern Orange County, with my exorbitant rent, I can rarely afford to go to say Ralphs or Albertsons, so I opt for the 99c store. It's been keeping me alive just fine, and I never have had an issue with the quality of product from there. The 99c store in San Clemente, Orange County, is always VERY busy.

Man, this seems so much nicer than Dollar Tree, and has so much more inventory too.

I wish that we had this store in Louisiana. We have a lot of Dollar Trees, with grocery and refrigerated sections. But, the sizes and vast selection doesn't usually compare to this. I would visit the 99¢ Only store, nearly, everyday.

The product they sell reminds me of what you usually find at a Family Dollar, Dollar Tree, Dollar General and Big Lots

I knew a member of the Gold family when plans were underway to take 99 Cents Only Stores "public." Their business model - like Dollar Tree, etc. - is to sell at least $10 worth of stuff to EVERYONE who comes through the door. It's quantity over quality, for sure, but still amazing how people "can't" live without that cheap plastic cutting board, or gumball dispenser, for that matter.