8 Five Below Problems We Don’t Talk About Enough

You may have Five Below on your list of favorite stores to shop to avoid wasting money only to have cash end up squandered away instead of working for you.

So before you shop at Five Below, here are some problems you need to consider when it comes to the discount retailer.

The store is called Five Below because most items may be around $5 or less, but don’t be fooled into thinking all items are truly that.

In fact, the store’s website even has a section titled “Five Beyond” that has items you can buy for $10 or $15 with some items getting as high as $25. If you don’t watch the price tags, you could be in for a surprise when it’s time to check out.

One reason Five Below is so affordable is that you’re getting low-priced items at the cost of quality.

Over time, you may spend more money repeatedly replacing products that fall apart or break easily due to a lack of quality to survive long-term use.

Self-checkout can be a great option if you want to buy only a few items or want to leave quickly.

But Five Below has removed its self-checkout lanes, so you won’t be able to use this option anymore. You'll have to stand in line and wait regardless of how many items you’re buying.

It’s important to compare prices when you’re shopping if you’re trying to save money. You may find that Five Below doesn’t have the lowest prices on things you need.

Check out dollar stores like Dollar General or Dollar Tree, which may have better discounts on items like party decorations, beauty products, and more.

Five Below used to have some great items on its shelves that you could pick up when they were hard to find at other stores, like Squishmallows.

However, the company hasn’t kept up with swapping in trendier items, leaving the company with financial struggles and making it harder for shoppers to find what they want instead of outdated items on the shelves.

It may be convenient for you to order items from Five Below’s website, but just know you might not get the items you ordered.

The website could be glitchy or you could order things only to have your order canceled if an item actually isn’t in stock or available to ship.

Five Below opened 450 new stores and remodeled more than 750 locations since 2022, but the expansion may have caused the retailer to stop thinking about its core business, leading to lackluster products and a decline in sales.

You may try shopping at Five Below to get things for your home, affordable clothes, or other items you might need, but the store’s target demographic is teens and preteens, making it difficult to find more mature items for your home or office.

Five Below is a great way to save money shopping, but you might want to temper your expectations when shopping at your local store.

It’s also a good idea to comparison shop and see if Five Below even carries the items you want. You may be surprised to find that those products aren’t in stock or that similar things are cheaper elsewhere.