http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Cheapskate/26589 After my blog last week about a colleague sharing the joys of 99 cent and dollar stores, I pretty much had to go check one out. So Sunday, I ventured to the 99 Cents Only store on Mount Vernon Avenue. The first thing that struck me? All the slips of paper flying around the parking lot. Seemed like every receipt was flying around. That, and the place was PACKED on Mother's Day. But I was undaunted, and had to see what the store sold for myself. The ground rules (set by me): Buy only brands you recognize. Spend $20 tops. Buy only what you will use in the next week. I spent $5.29, with tax. I bought two bottles of Langers juice, each 99 cents. I bought tissue paper for gift wrapping for 99 cents. I bought a big package of table napkins for 99 cents. And I bought a package of cookies for 99 cents. (Oddly, or not, that's where I broke a rule. I didn't recognize the brand, but I did know the city, Los Alamitos, where they were made!) What will make me go back? Gift wrap and party goods. They had a huge selection of gift bags, mostly for 59 cents, that would cost $3 or $4 in a high-end store. They had tons of bows and wrapping paper and tissue paper. &mdash; Christine Peterson After my blog last week about a colleague sharing the joys of 99 cent and dollar stores, I pretty much had to go check one out. So Sunday, I ventured to the 99 Cents Only store on Mount Vernon Avenue. The first thing that struck me? All the slips of paper flying around the parking lot. Seemed like every receipt was flying around. That, and the place was PACKED on Mother's Day. But I was undaunted, and had to see what the store sold for myself. The ground rules (set by me): Buy only brands you recognize. Spend $20 tops. Buy only what you will use in the next week. I spent $5.29, with tax. I bought two bottles of Langers juice, each 99 cents. I bought tissue paper for gift wrapping for 99 cents. I bought a big package of table napkins for 99 cents. And I bought a package of cookies for 99 cents. (Oddly, or not, that's where I broke a rule. I didn't recognize the brand, but I did know the city, Los Alamitos, where they were made!) What will make me go back? Gift wrap and party goods. They had a huge selection of gift bags, mostly for 59 cents, that would cost $3 or $4 in a high-end store. They had tons of bows and wrapping paper and tissue paper. &mdash; Christine Peterson en-us 35.396509 -118.968682 <p>You have to be careful when buying name brands because some are counterfeit from China.......</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Cheapskate/26589/#c_237546 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Cheapskate/26589/#c_237546 <p>You have to be careful when buying name brands because some are counterfeit from China.......</p> <p>Gube's right...Always look on the packages to find where they were made.&nbsp; You can't beat them for gift wrap, bags and cards.&nbsp; Sandwich bags, trash bags.&nbsp; They really are amazing.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Cheapskate/26589/#c_237550 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Cheapskate/26589/#c_237550 <p>Gube's right...Always look on the packages to find where they were made.&nbsp; You can't beat them for gift wrap, bags and cards.&nbsp; Sandwich bags, trash bags.&nbsp; They really are amazing.</p> <p>Just a couple of months ago a name brand toothpaste from the 99 cent stores where taken off the shelves because of lead....</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Cheapskate/26589/#c_237555 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Cheapskate/26589/#c_237555 <p>Just a couple of months ago a name brand toothpaste from the 99 cent stores where taken off the shelves because of lead....</p> <p>I wouldn't buy ANYTHING that goes into my mouth, at a 99 cent store, regardless of who makes it or where it came from.  Just before Christmas, a 99 cent store or Dollar Tree sold some kind of candy, (I believe it was peanut clusters), made and packaged here in the good ol' USA, that was old.  And the package was full of spider eggs and webs.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Cheapskate/26589/#c_237564 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Cheapskate/26589/#c_237564 <p>I wouldn't buy ANYTHING that goes into my mouth, at a 99 cent store, regardless of who makes it or where it came from.  Just before Christmas, a 99 cent store or Dollar Tree sold some kind of candy, (I believe it was peanut clusters), made and packaged here in the good ol' USA, that was old.  And the package was full of spider eggs and webs.</p> <p>You went to the 99 cent store on Mt. Vernon, on a Sunday? Now you know what it feels like to be in a foreign country. Did they at least have one English speaking cashier to check you out?</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Cheapskate/26589/#c_237572 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Cheapskate/26589/#c_237572 <p>You went to the 99 cent store on Mt. Vernon, on a Sunday? Now you know what it feels like to be in a foreign country. Did they at least have one English speaking cashier to check you out?</p> <p>They all speak English as well.&nbsp; Heavily-accented, to be sure.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Cheapskate/26589/#c_237575 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Cheapskate/26589/#c_237575 <p>They all speak English as well.&nbsp; Heavily-accented, to be sure.</p> <p>Definately watch the expiration dates. And I rarely buy food items, even canned. Just the party goods is all I generally get.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Cheapskate/26589/#c_237585 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Cheapskate/26589/#c_237585 <p>Definately watch the expiration dates. And I rarely buy food items, even canned. Just the party goods is all I generally get.</p> <p>Potatoes, butter, Shasta soda, Hormel tamales, Cambells soup, Spaghettios...all perfectly fine.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Cheapskate/26589/#c_237643 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Cheapskate/26589/#c_237643 <p>Potatoes, butter, Shasta soda, Hormel tamales, Cambells soup, Spaghettios...all perfectly fine.</p> <p>I've never had a reason to worry about food at the 99-cent store. Best time to shop is when it opens (that's almost any store) at 7:45 AM. It's easy to keep track of how much I'm spending while I shop. Just count the items, multiply by a dollar, allow for sales tax. The store saves me money. The color of the help is not a consideration. Money's green, what other color line matters?&nbsp;</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Cheapskate/26589/#c_237736 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Cheapskate/26589/#c_237736 <p>I've never had a reason to worry about food at the 99-cent store. Best time to shop is when it opens (that's almost any store) at 7:45 AM. It's easy to keep track of how much I'm spending while I shop. Just count the items, multiply by a dollar, allow for sales tax. The store saves me money. The color of the help is not a consideration. Money's green, what other color line matters?&nbsp;</p> <p>Don't you guys go ragging on my favorite store. This is where I buy candy -- Baby Ruths, Dots, Three Muskateers, Butterfingers, Junior Mints and more.</p> <p>Plus alkailaine batteries, car deoderants, Extra gum and peanuts.</p> <p>In the world of high prices, this is a blessing. From God. That outrageously expensive dollar store is the work&nbsp; of the devil.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Cheapskate/26589/#c_237749 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Cheapskate/26589/#c_237749 <p>Don't you guys go ragging on my favorite store. This is where I buy candy -- Baby Ruths, Dots, Three Muskateers, Butterfingers, Junior Mints and more.</p> <p>Plus alkailaine batteries, car deoderants, Extra gum and peanuts.</p> <p>In the world of high prices, this is a blessing. From God. That outrageously expensive dollar store is the work&nbsp; of the devil.</p> <p>Sodas and luncheon meats.&nbsp; They can have some very good produce bargains on&nbsp;specialty items&nbsp;but you've got to select carefully.&nbsp; Tender, very thin asparagus when the other stores have those kindergarten-pencil stalks...</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Cheapskate/26589/#c_237777 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Cheapskate/26589/#c_237777 <p>Sodas and luncheon meats.&nbsp; They can have some very good produce bargains on&nbsp;specialty items&nbsp;but you've got to select carefully.&nbsp; Tender, very thin asparagus when the other stores have those kindergarten-pencil stalks...</p>