Summary
Highlights
The 'home and kitchen' segment leans heavily into pet products for Leo. Five Below offers cute glass straws, while Daiso provides affordable Mickey chopsticks and a chopstick holder. A silicone snuffle mat for Leo from Five Below is a short-lived distraction due to his cleverness. A pink cutting board from Daiso is deemed cute but not real marble. Decorative plant pots from Five Below are a good deal, despite insufficient paint. A disco ball and karaoke mic from Five Below are fun, though the mic has flawed functionality. Leo's preference for a fish over a dinosaur toy highlights the pet-centric nature of this part. The collectibles section firmly establishes Five Below's dominance with a better selection of plushies and blind boxes. Daiso's expensive $15 large plushy is contrasted with a $6 Squishmallow. Five Below's mini Croc bag keychain is praised for its adaptability with Jibbitz, while Daiso's $4.50 onion-shaped keychain is cute but overpriced. Blind box openings confirm Five Below's superior variety and interest with Hello Kitty, Among Us, Disney Squishmallows, and stretchy Stitch figures, while Daiso's $7 'jelly candy' blind boxes disappoint in content and value.
The video concludes by inviting viewers to comment on which haul they prefer: Daiso or Five Below. The host thanks viewers and promotes other 'giant hauls' on the channel.
The video introduces Daiso, a popular Japanese 100-yen store expanding globally, including nearly 200 locations in America. The host explores Daiso's offerings, from snacks and stationery to popular IPs like Sanrio and Disney, with prices ranging from $2.25 to $15. The shopping categories are snacks, beauty, stationery, home gadgets, and blind boxes, with a goal to determine if Daiso is more comparable to Dollar Tree or Five Below.
The host highlights Daiso's extensive organization and stationery items, including heart-shaped hole punches and mini cutters. The toy section, while initially underwhelming, offers unique squishies like an onion and jelly creatures. The store is clean, organized, and frequented by adult regulars. Notable beauty finds include a Laboo headband and adorable scrunchies, while kitchen items featured Mickey chopsticks and a pink cutting board. The snack aisle is abundant with ramen, Pocky sticks, and unique Japanese items like dried seasoned fish bones, leading to an accidental overspending of $126.
The host then visits Dollar Tree, noting its chaotic and disorganized feel, and its true $1.25 price point, making it a less direct comparison to Daiso. An interjection reveals a 'jackpot' Dollar Tree found later, which will be featured in a separate video. Next, Five Below is explored, where most items are $5, but some exceed that price. Five Below's toy and trinket section is superior to Daiso's, offering various blind boxes and Squishmallows, while its beauty section is messy and picked over. The snack selection is focused on candy, but surprisingly, some items like Pocky sticks are cheaper than at Daiso. The host again overspends, reaching $126, equal to the Daiso haul.
The video moves into a direct comparison of purchases, starting with snacks. Daiso's seaweed and salt puffs are 'bomb', while Five Below's Blue Heat Takis taste like regular Takis. Wasabi peas from Daiso are enjoyed, but dried seasoned fish bones are a textural challenge. A direct comparison of Hello Kitty noodles shows Five Below's are significantly cheaper than Daiso's, despite being the exact same product. Taste tests of various drinks, including Daiso's green apple sparkling drink and Five Below's Barbie Cherry Lime Party Punch, reveal preferences. Candies include Five Below's 'pickle roulette' sour straws and Daiso's expensive but tasty gummy chos, and a nostalgic yet unappetizing Popin' Cookin' kit, and $7 Hello Kitty mochi that are just branded packaging.
In the beauty segment, Daiso's Laboo headband and scrunchies are cute, while Five Below's Shrek scrunchie is considered over-priced. A mini makeup washing machine from Five Below is both adorable and functional, albeit not very powerful. A beauty blender comparison shows Five Below offering more value. The host expresses disappointment in Daiso's limited skincare, contrasting with Five Below's 'Lazy Days Golden Hour face oil' (great packaging, strong fragrance) and a 'Clueless' printed sheet mask that smells like yellow Play-Doh. Daiso's glitter gel and jewelry lipstick are pretty but lack strong impact, while an animal-shaped lip balm is cute but lacking in quality. Five Below is declared the winner in beauty, while Daiso wins for functional stationery. A mini desktop vacuum from Five Below surprises with its effectiveness, and a desk lamp is praised for its portability. Daiso's heart-shaped hole punch and mini cutter are practical, and sticky notes are compared, with Five Below offering more variety for less. Sticker comparisons highlight Five Below's 3D shaker and LED light-up stickers as more exciting than Daiso's offerings.