Daiso Japan (Daly City, CA): 100¥ or $1.50 finds, give or take
Posted in daily on Apr 2nd, 2007
Daiso Japan (”Japan’s #1 Livingware Supplier”) just off the Serramonte Blvd. exit of 280 South: new exploratory ground for all the housewares, gift items and cooking gadgets you never thought you needed. Sunday was my first visit to this discount store neatly filled to the brim with all manner of small goods intended for the Japanese consumer. Daiso has a truly extensive selection of paper and plastic packaging for the gift-baker in you, including paper cupcake/muffin liners of all patterns and diameters (see unremarkable camera-phone quality photo, top right), cello bags with twist ties, nicely-designed cardboard boxes for loaf-sized breads and cakes.
The trouble with stores that sell small products at small prices like this is 1) you invariably come away with more than you ever intended purchasing (see strawberry-shaped cat igloo, below) and 2) your life, really isn’t so much vastly improved for having these new items (but perhaps the cat’s is). Some have argued that cheaply-priced small goods are mere crap all around; I disagree–Japanese $1.50 crap is so much better! There is something happy about the bustle of an Asian budget-priced knick-knack store that beats a forlorn American BigLots! or Dollar Tree any day.
Some of the things I took home with me:
Left to right: strawberry shaped cat igloo for Biscuit ($7.00), lucky cat rice bowls in pink & brown ($1.50/per), fish ‘n cat cookie cutters ($1.50/set).