Daiso Store Opens in Sydney

moocher on 18/10/2011 - 09:33
Last edited 18/10/2011 - 13:50

Went to Daiso Abbotsford in Melbourne yesterday while on holiday, only to find out after buying about 30 items, that Daiso Sydney just opened last Friday, and is supposed to be the largest Daiso in the southern hemisphere!

So, were there any OzBargainers in the queue on Thursday preview night at the Mandarin Centre?? Please share your experiences here, how big the store was, what $2.80 goodies you got!

http://www.insideretailing.com.au/IR/IRNews/Daiso-hits-Sydne…

[EDIT] For those wondering what Daiso is, here is the official website.

http://www.daiso-sangyo.co.jp/english/index.html

For some reason the Sydney store has a different website from the Melb stores:
http://www.daiso-japan.com.au/

It is a famous Japanese chain that sells a range of products (household, stationery, food, kitchen, toys etc) for 105 yen each. In Australia, the products are sold at $2.80 per item (yes, it's no where as good a bargain as in Japan). However, the quality of the products are much, much better than your average $2 shop. A must visit for those who like Japanese crockery (tea cups, bowls, plates etc).

General Discussion

Related Stores

Daiso Australia
Daiso Australia

Comments

  • giantbike on 18/10/2011 - 10:25

    Just wonder if parking is an issue with Mandarin Centre? Last time I went the facility was horrible there. Has it improved since?

    • moocher on 18/10/2011 - 10:29

      I usually just park in Westfield carpark as there is a pedestrian bridge that leads straight to the Mandarin Centre. If it's still the same as it used to be, it should be 3 hours free.

  • YadaYadaYada on 18/10/2011 - 12:22

    I went on Sunday and there was still a queue to get in :( but it only stretched about 10-15m. It was really disappointing that there were no Japanese food and drinks available, as advertised on all the pamplets they were handing out!

    The parking wasn't too bad. I found spots easily on upper B3 and that was around midday on Sunday. It's free parking if you buy anything from the centre.

    • moocher on 18/10/2011 - 12:26

      @YadaYadaYada - Wow there was still a queue on Sunday? Hmm I might wait a while before going there then.

      The Daiso in Melb did have food, I wonder why the Sydney store didn't. Sorry to hear that.

      Did you manage to buy anything in the end?

      • YadaYadaYada on 18/10/2011 - 12:48
        +1

        Yeah there was a queue. I think I waited around 15 minutes or so to get in. Here is a picture from Sunday: http://i51.tinypic.com/fo2dmg.jpg

        That's what I thought as well! I'd been to the Melbourne store before and I stocked up on loads and loads of lollies! Well I asked some staff and they had told me that they were currently not selling food and beverages but would at some unknown time in the future.

        Well my friend bought something but I didn't. I will definitely be coming back though when they start selling food.

        • moocher on 18/10/2011 - 13:51

          My goodness that's still quite a queue. It looks like it's on the ground floor, from your photo.

        • YadaYadaYada on 18/10/2011 - 14:16

          Daiso is currently one level only. I think it is on the ground floor.

          The queue isn't even the worst part! When you finally get into the store, it is so packed that it is a torturous shopping experience to walk through all the aisles :( There were way too many people in the store already and don't get a shopping trolley whatever you do if it's still that packed- get a basket. The trolleys only make navigating the store even worse :(

        • moocher on 18/10/2011 - 14:18

          @YadaYadaYada - the crowding sounds quite bad. Thanks for the information, I think it's best to visit after the excitement has died down a bit. No point going if you can't even see the products easily…

        • YadaYadaYada on 18/10/2011 - 14:30

          You can see the products but you are constantly having to hear the words 'excuse me' and have to squish past people :( But yes it is a good idea to go when the initial excitement dies down…

  • issh on 18/10/2011 - 12:36

    what do they sell?

    Is it like crazy clarks(or other novelty discount store)

    • YadaYadaYada on 18/10/2011 - 12:41
      +3

      It's a 100yen store from Japan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100-yen_shop. They sell everythign - homeware, beauty products, crockery, toys, electronics, food etc etc. all for $2.80. It does include a lot of novelty stuff. Like you could get a banana box or a banana slicer which I found pretty amusing.

      I loved the 100yen stores in Japan. I bought so much stuff when I went last year!! Pity there's like a 200% markup here :(

      • moocher on 18/10/2011 - 13:57

        LOVED the shops in Japan, I spent WAY too much time in the Daiso shop in Harajuku….

        • altomic on 22/10/2011 - 22:52

          i used to go to the 8 level daiso in funibashi. it was awesome. 8 floors of hyaku yen goodness.

        • YadaYadaYada on 22/10/2011 - 22:56

          I was pretty bad when I went to Japan. I had a field day shopping at Daiso several times, especially on my last day there, so much that I almost didn't have enough money to get to the airport! I stopped myself just in time luckily, but unfortunately that left very little for lunch :( Oh well…

          Heh, ghere was a day when I got back to the hostel and the receptionist couldn't believe that I'd bought 3 bags worth of stuff from the 100yen store!

        • illusionarybreeze on 22/10/2011 - 23:47

          What did you buy there?

        • altomic on 23/10/2011 - 16:04
          +1

          I use to go there once a week.

          just to look. and buy random japanese stuff

          but you could buy so much. clothes, cutlery, computer cables, food, thongs, cases, sunglasses, hats, kitchen ware, bathroom stuff, stationery, etc.

          and it was reasonable quality pretty much all of the time. i.e. it wasn't shitty packaging, or past used by dates, etc.

          100yen shop, 99 yen shop and 88yen shop all stocked reasonable stuff.

          it's the place to go to fill your apartment when you're only going to Japan for a few years and you don't want to spend big.

          that aside. I've seen 100yen shop mugs selling in the made in japan shop for $12 each.

          totally the JapBargain place to shop in Japan. (well probably 88 yen shop first)

        • YadaYadaYada on 24/10/2011 - 17:38

          There were 99 and 88 yen shops? Where were they and what did they look like? Do they have the same stuff as 100 yen stores? I haven't heard of them til now!

        • altomic on 24/10/2011 - 20:45

          i used to go to the 88 yen shop near shimosenakayama station in ichikawa-shi.

          99yen shops are called shop99.

          they had a more basic range. not the variation of 100yen shops -as in multiple "brands" of the same type of item. for example you only had the choice of one type of tinned pineapple. but they sold the same sort of stuff.

          I did Japan really cheap when I lived there.

          I lived near a dozen or so high rise apartments. hard rubbish collection every 2 weeks. soooo awesome.

        • moocher on 25/10/2011 - 09:39

          I did Japan really cheap when I lived there.

          I'm envious! :) I wonder how many items you bought in total from the 88/99/100 yen shops. drool

        • altomic on 28/10/2011 - 22:42
          +1

          favourite 100yen product-

          http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v112/altomic/DSCF0004.jpg

        • YadaYadaYada on 29/10/2011 - 08:48

          What is that???

        • altomic on 29/10/2011 - 13:03

          it's a sausage/bratwurst thing.

          made by a company called Homobishi or something that unfortunately shortens its name to Homo.

  • kasumi on 20/10/2011 - 19:26

    I went on Monday. No queues but stuff was still being unpacked. No Food items as yet so huge disappointment (should have looked at this thread before i went).

    I hate Mandarin Centre carpark, but apparently, if you spend $ at any shop, you get 3 hours free (just ask them for the barcode ticket so you can scan it at the pay station)

    I stocked up so much when we were in Melb!

    Daiso cost only 105 yen (inc tax) Sigh Wish i was back in Japan now

  • cwongtech on 21/10/2011 - 17:36
    +1

    Daiso in sydney has official distributor rights from daiso japan, the daiso in melb isnt affiliated with daiso japan. Hence why that ome has its own seperate website.

  • ranmalynx on 28/10/2011 - 12:21

    Went there last Wednesday night. No queues, no stress. Good thing that the shop closes at 10PM everyday. My wife kept asking the staff if it was really $2.80 per item :D I wish they would stock up on Japanese food soon.

  • moocher on 28/10/2011 - 15:16
    +1

    Just went there around lunch time - it certainly wasn't quiet for a weekday but could still have a good look around. There is certainly a lot of stuff in there, but the crockery was plain compared to the nice designs in Daiso Abbotsford (Melb), so I am relieved that I bought what I did in Melb. Even though the store was large, I found that the same products were being displayed in a repeated fashion (e.g. same product on multiple column or multiple rows). There still aren't any food items, but lots of girly cosmetics and skincare items, and plastic containers for food and for organising your cupboards/drawers. There were lots of little useful gadgets and tools that aren't that common, such as air cushions for knee high boots and boxes to display your collector's figurines.

    I didn't like the trolleys because they just got in the way of shoppers even when the store wasn't too busy, like today. Maybe the aisles aren't big enough for trolleys. There certainly wasn't enough room to have them side-by-side for trolleys going in opposite directions to pass easily in some aisles.

    Overall, worth a visit unless you're just after Japanese crockery. Much nicer products than the average discount/two dollar store.

  • shortgum on 28/10/2011 - 19:23

    the doorperson will not let you in if you are drinking. he refuse my entry becoz I have a boostjuice with me

    staff members most are chinese. no japanese ppl work there

  • punter1 on 28/10/2011 - 22:20

    what are the best buy there?

    • moocher on 31/10/2011 - 08:55

      Everything is $2.80, and there is a good range of things that usually cost more. For example, stationery items such as folders with 40 clear sleeves, good quality scissors; homewares such as crockery, food containers of all shapes and sizes, seat cushions with Japanese motifs etc.

  • superforever on 17/07/2012 - 12:44

    Just realize they opened in Sydney and went there last week.

    All imported from Japan, although some made in China but the quality is very good a lot better than $2 shop.

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