I went holiday shopping at Five Below with a $50 budget and now understand why the store is expanding rapidly

Five Below was founded in Pennsylvania in 2002 by David Schlessinger and Tom Vellios, the team behind the now-defunct toy-store chain Zany Brainy.

The idea of the chain is that almost everything costs between $1 and $5, with some exceptions that cost up to $25.

There are five Five Below locations in Manhattan.

Walking up to this store, I was surprised to see how small it appeared to be — the ones I had previously been to were the size of a small Target, at the very least.

The ground floor was filled with random assorted items, like Funk Pops, various toys, a picked-over selection of Christmas ornaments, and more.

I didn’t really have a set plan before coming to Five Below, but I didn’t want to spend more than $50 on holiday gifts for my friends and family (or myself). I was interested to see what I could get within that budget.

I appreciated the wheeled baskets. You had the option to carry them like a normal shopping basket or drag them around like a little wagon, which is what I chose to do.

It also wasn’t as crowded as I was expecting.

According to Five Below’s website, every store is separated into eight sections: Style, Room, Sports, Tech, Create, Party, Candy, and New & Now, in addition to the Five Beyond shop.

Five Beyond is where most of the items that are sold for more than $5 are located, with some exceptions scattered throughout that are priced at $5.55 or $5.95, for example.

Notice that none of these items go above $25. At this store, the selection included a putting mat, a foosball table, Beyblades, wall art that doubles as a wireless speaker, a pogo stick, and an arcade-style basketball hoop.

They were, of course, $5.

They came in different variants, including salted caramel, Belgian chocolate, milk chocolate, and double chocolate.

There was a huge selection of mugs to choose from, but since the “H” was the first thing I saw, I knew it was fate.

This display said the mug was $5.55, but it ended up costing $3.50. I’m not sure why the display price was lower, but it was a pleasant surprise when checking my receipt.

These aren’t official Squishmallows, though Five Below does sell official licensed Squishmallow merch (more on that later), but these were remarkably similar, and cheaper at $5.55.

Some Five Below fans were upset when the price of these

There aren’t really novels at Five Below though — it’s mostly coloring or activity books, alongside some cookbooks.

These were all $5.

This corner of the store had weights, yoga mats, jump rope, resistance bands, massagers, and more, all for less than $6.

The weights were priced at $5.95, which made them the most “expensive” items I saw outside the Beyond section.

I was expecting to see generic, non-licensed artwork instead of posters for things like “Mario,” “Stranger Things,” various animes, and more.

Anyone looking for small presents for a candy junkie should make their way to the closest Five Below.

This is where I saw the most kids running around in the store.

In fact, I didn’t spot any Kwanzaa decor, and I only saw a menorah when I was back on the escalator going up and it was too late for me to snap a photo.

But for those who celebrate Christmas, there was a decent selection of ornaments, wrapping paper, trees, tinsel, and more.

In this photo alone, there are phone grips, dozens of different wall-chargers (including a “Shrek” trio I was very tempted to buy), night lights, silicon sleeves for Roku remotes, and keychains.

I couldn’t believe the selection.

I also noticed another display telling me to “let go and have fun” — I later learned this is one of Five Below’s slogans.

Plastic bags were banned in New York State in 2020, so most places will offer you the option to purchase reusable bags, if you don’t bring your own.

I wasn’t sure how much I was planning on buying, so I decided to just buy this bag, as it all fit in there.

Starting clockwise from the mirror ball, here’s what I got:

A $5 disco ball

A $3.50 mug

Five pairs of “Powerpuff Girls” socks for $5

A $3 hot-chocolate bomb

A $4 suncatcher

A $5 Squishmallow Tsunameez keychain

A $5 “Harry Potter” Tsunameez keychain

A three-pack of rhinestone engine button decals for $5.55 (the most expensive item)

A $5 mystery Pusheen pin

You could definitely do all your holiday shopping at Five Below, between the candy, room accessories, and more. In addition to the sections I visited, there were sections for makeup, cosmetics, and clothing, although they were more crowded so I didn’t check them out.

In my experience, Five Below is a real one-stop shop, especially for kids, teens, and tweens. After visiting, I could see why the store has expanded in recent years.

It remains to be seen how well my purchases hold up, although I do have lower expectations for a store that prides itself on selling items for less than $5. When I’m buying something for $3, can I really expect to last long? But who knows, maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised.

One thing I do know: Anyone looking for last-minute cheap stocking stuffers should head to Five Below immediately.