the frugal shopper’s downtown la
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Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we all had enough money to buy whatever we wanted? The realities of adult life (high gas prices, mortgages, car payments, insurance payments, tuition, mouths to feed, etc.) have probably got you thinking, “How can I stretch my not-so-mighty dollar a little farther?”
Well, frugal shoppers, this post is for you! (With the economic climate the way it is, I’m assuming that’s 99.9% of you.) Downtown does have a few options for penny-pinching shopping when it comes to fresh produce, household items and kitchenwares. You may already be familiar with these discount stores, but if not then read on!
Household items on the cheap
Fortunately Downtown has its very own Big Lots. Located in the basement level of the St. Vincent Jewelry Center at 7th and Broadway, this location is not the sprawling Walmart-esque behemoth you may be accustomed to seeing. However, a friend a mine recently discovered two Big Lots near Culver City closed so having this one in our neighborhood seems a blessing.
Yes, Big Lots has some crappy crap but they also have many of the name-brand items found at Ralph’s or Rite Aid. Northern toilet paper, Colgate toothpaste, Tilex cleaners, Rockstar energy drinks, Philip’s blank CDs/DVDs and more can be found at Big Lots at steep discounts. Indeed, many good deals are waiting for you here.
Comparing prices on a few items at Ralph’s, Rite Aid and Big Lots has convinced me I’ve been getting ripped off all these years.
- Xtra detergent (78 fl oz)- Big Lots $3.00; Rite Aid $3.49
- Swanson’s organic vegetable broth (32 fl oz)- Big Lots $1; Ralph’s $3.69
- Pantene Pro V shampoo- Big Lots $3.50; Ralph’s $4.99
- Propel Invigorating Water- Big Lots $5.00 (15-pack); Ralph’s ($10 for 10 on sale)
- Glad tall kitchen bags (tie handle)- Big Lots $9.00 (130 count); Rite Aid $8.59 (80 count)
The only item where Ralph’s was actually cheaper than Big Lots was a 24-pack of Crystal Geyser water ($2.99 vs $4.00). Shopping at Big Lots will save you a few cents or a few dollars per item, but it adds up! It might even add up to that pair of Prada shoes you’ve been eyeing.
The drawback to shopping at Big Lots is the shorter hours and lack of parking. There also tends to be long lines so plan to be there a while. As the saying goes, time is money.
Big Lots
309 W 7th Street (at Broadway)
213-891-1217
Monday-Saturday 9:00am to 9:00pm
Sunday 10:00am to 6:00pm
Savings are probably even more dramatic at the 99 Cent Store as one angelenic reader commented. I wasn’t able to find a 99 Cent Store in Downtown proper but there are a few in the outskirts.
99 Cent Store locations
Open seven days a week 8:00am to 9:00pm
- Pico and Union
1516 W Pico Blvd - Washington and Maple
422 E Washington Blvd - Wilshire and Alvarado (by the MacArthur Park Metro station)
650 S Alvarado St
Fresh produce — ripe vs. green; cheap vs. overpriced
Food isn’t cheap- especially fresh, flavorful produce- so the untimely demise of the Downtown Certified Farmer’s Market was rather unfortunate. Thankfully, we have other farmers markets Downtown and Grand Central Market. It is true the produce at Grand Central needs to be eaten quickly. Tomatoes I bought got moldy the next day. That’s ripe!
Grand Central Market only stays open until 6:00pm. The hours are short compared to Ralph’s (2:00am) but at least it’s a farmer’s market accessible every day of the week. Many angelenic readers (and writers) sing praises to Grand Central when it comes to the savings, variety and quality.
I investigated pricing between Ralph’s and Grand Central Market and discovered the prices at Grand Central are as luscious as the fruit and veggies.
- Roma tomatoes- GCM $0.33/lb; Ralph’s $2.49/lb
- Yellow nectarines- GCM $0.33/lb; Ralph’s $0.99/lb
- Red bell peppers- GCM $0.99/lb; Ralph’s $2.99/lb
- Cauliflower- GCM $1.00/head; Ralph’s $2.99/head
Several angelenic readers pointed out the meat and seafood at Grand Central Market is not very fresh. This is true- over half of the meat selection looked dull and uh, nasty. The rib eye steak had beautiful color, so I bought a thick slab for $8.50, but it was incredibly bland. So disappointing.
It may be worthwhile spending a little extra at Ralph’s for meat and seafood. The service people behind the counter are helpful and knowledgable, and they seem genuinely interested in getting to know the likes and dislikes of their customers. I have found the meat at Ralph’s to be consistently good quality.
Validated parking is available Grand Central and there are also lots and metered parking nearby.
If you don’t mind a Spartan shopping environment with concrete floors and bagging your own groceries steep savings can also be had at Food4Less in MacArthur Park. Ironically, Food4Less and Ralph’s are owned by the same parent company, Kroger’s.
Grand Central Market (cash only)
317 S Broadway (at 4th)
213-624-2378
Open 9:00am to 6:00pm, seven days a week
Food4Less
1700 W 6th Street (at Union)
Open 6:00am to midnight, seven days a week
Discount table and kitchen wares in the Arts District/Little Tokyo
You know that strip of Los Angeles Street selling auto parts, sunglasses, perfume and various odds and ends? I thought it would be a ghost town on the weekends, but last Saturday afternoon every metered parking spot was filled and the bustle on the street was more intense than Broadway.
The Dish Factory on 3rd and Los Angeles overflows with heavy restaurant-grade pots and pans, service ware, dinner ware, kitchen gadgets, industrial grade blenders, stoves… you name it. You can find affordable retro diner style coffee mugs, plates and bowls as well as high-end fine dining style table ware, and everything in between.
Sturdy small and medium stock pots are priced $20-$40. The large stock pots can cost over $100 but are large enough to cook soup for an army. Medium sized non-stick frying pans are also in a similar price range. Pots and pans at The Dish Factory are more durable than anything you’d find at IKEA and comparable in price.
The Dish Factory
310 S Los Angeles Street
213-687-9500
If you like your dishes to have a little more flair just hop on over to Mitsuwa Plaza’s ceramics shop Utsuwa No Yakata . Sale and discount items can be found displayed both inside and outside their shop on the ground level.
These beautiful rectangular sushi plates are only $6 each. While not everything at Utsuwa is on sale, you will find good deals on a variety of bowls, plates, teapots, teacups, sake sets and more. Some of the ceramics are very elaborately decorated while some are quite plain, but all flawlessly made. Owning a set of Utusawa’s dinnerware is sure to impress your dinner guests.
Utsuwa No Yakata in Mitsuwa Plaza
333 S Alameda Street #114
213-621-2071
For discounts on home goods, stationary supplies, toys, etc, Yuki Discount Store and Tokyo Japanese Outlet are worth mentioning. You can browse their aisles for hours until you keel over from option paralysis.
Yuki Discount Store is located in Mitsuwa Plaza across the hall from the aforementioned ceramics store. Their pricing scheme is fairly straightforward — most items are 4 for $5. They sell everything from chopsticks to plastic organizer containers to origami paper. You could probably do much of your Christmas shopping here.
The store is small so aisles are tight and mechandise is stuffed in every last available crevice.
Yuki Discount Store (cash only)
333 S Alameda Street #101
213-625-1220
Open 10:00am to 7:00pm, seven days a week
Tokyo Japanese Outlet, located in Little Tokyo Village, is one of several chain stores. This store is more spacious and organized than Yuki Discount. As a result it may feel like they have less merchandise. Don’t let that fool you! They have grooming accessories, sewing supplies, incense and cute sushi-shaped erasers along with the usual selection of kitchen and cleaning tools, toys, ceramics and omlette pans.
Tokyo Japanese Outlet ($10 credit card minimum)
114 Japanese Village Plaza Mall
213-626-2761
Sunday-Thursday 10:00am to 10:00pm
Friday & Saturday 10:00am to 11:00pm
So my fellow frugal shoppers, I hope this information helps fatten your wallet a little. Sure it takes some effort to shop inexpensively but it makes for an interesting challenge and is an adventure in itself. Here’s to American capitalism!
20 comments
Wow, well done Ira!
there is a parking structure attached to the grand central market. the vendors validate, too. there’s also a 99cent-ish place in the basement.
there are also some good deals to be found in chinatown.
Oh damn, I didn’t know Grand Central had a lot and I’ve never been to the basement! I guess it’s because I’ve never noticed cars pulling into the structre and vendors have never asked if I need validation. I’ll modify the text so it’s more accurate. Thanks, Jim!
I have not even explored the shopping scene in Chinatown or the fashion district- there are even more deals there for sure!
There’s a 99 cent store on 830 S . Hill St….I’ve only walked past it, never actually been inside. The one Mr. Winstead mentioned in the basement of Grand Central is ok….kinda hit & miss.
I’m glad Jim pointed that out. I was like, “huh?” when I read there was no parking. I’d also point out the parking structure at Grand Central is a beauty. Imagine that! Definitely check out the view from the roof, too!
LA Lola- I found that 830 S. Hill address for 99 Cent store on Google but when I walked by it looked like a parking structure. Do you think it closed? This location isn’t listed on the 99 Cent Store website and left me scratching my head in confusion. I wish we one that close!
Nice post! No matter what economic situation you are in it’s important to pick up the habit of not paying more than you have to.
Great article.
The Tokyo Japanese Outlet is a favorite of my mother’s. It is like one-stop Hello Kitty heaven for her with amazing prices. Their incense selection is very good too. Erica gets lost easily there among their jammed packed shelves. Not a place I’d want to work at after an earthquake! I spend my time wondering if collecting any of the variety of Japanese toys is something I want to pursue. I do believe one day I will get one of those two helicopters for our loft. Maybe Santa will bring it.
Clothes are one I didn’t see mentioned above but there are gems among the Fashion District for even the most elitist tastes. Broadway stores consistently price better than their mall counterparts for Sketchers and a ton of other brand name garments. Socks, underwear and tee-shirts are always available at rock bottom prices. There are several military surplus type stores that offer inexpensive gear and outdoor clothes of all kinds. There is even a ski wear place or two on Los Angeles street.
Downtown prices really confirm to me the retail mark-up is so high that clothes in resellers like Ross, let alone “sale” clothes in department stores, still generate a profit for retailers in higher rent areas.
But also beware of counterfeit goods, I recall reading they have been tied to funding terrorist activities. So, food for thought on how our own obsession with superficial status symbols is being used to finance an extremist terrorist war against that very society.
In short, if you are confident you can identify a well made garment, regardless of the inside label, Downtown is it for any income level.
Hmmm…I know I walk past it all the time. It’s along a row of stores, up some stairs by a shoe store and a menswear/leather goods store, somewhere in the vicinity of the Orpheum. Definitely not a parking structure…
I originally thought it was on Broadway, but when i looked it up, yahoo yellow pages lists Hill street too which is why i put that address. But now that I think of it, it probably is on Broadway.
Or maybe I’m hallucinating?
Now that the Rite Aid at 7th and Los Angeles is closing next month — with nothing planned to replace it, btw — these are good alternatives.
Near the Dish Factory off of 3rd St., there is a sunglass place (don’t remember the name) that’s about 1.5 blocks south on Los Angeles from the intersection of 3rd and LA. I was there about two weeks ago after randomly buying a Broadway rear view mirror for my car (for $15) and they wholesale all different types of high end eyewear. From Prada to Oakleys, Ray-Bans and Dior, these sunglasses are cheaper than any retail store out there. I bought a pair of polorized Spy sunglasses that retail for $149.99 (per the Spy website) for $99. Go check it out. They were pretty friendly and you should be able to find something you like with their large selection. Hope this helps. Love this website (since I found it a few weeks ago)
great post, thanks!
fantastic post! I love seeing stuff like this on Angelenic. It’s practical advice and I didn’t know about the dish place in Little Tokyo.. I go to the Mitsuwa grocery there sometimes but never stepped in many of the other shops there.
thank you! =)
Great post - I appreciate you taking the time to share your experiences.
99 Cent store is on Broadway. It’s not a “99 Cents Only Store,” it is an independent 99 Cent store. I almost bought some DVDs there but the guy was charging 2 bucks instead of 99 cents. Sounds like nitpicking I know, but believe me, they are only worth 99 cents.
The store in the basement of Grand Central Market has only been there for a couple of years. I have found some goofy stuff in there including some weird baseball caps and yes, those dollar DVDs again. Found some super obscure ones. I make sure to hit it up every so often but it isn’t a regular stop.
there’s a 99 cent store on sunset in silver lake/echo park………. has anyone tried the fresh and easy in highland park/eagle rock, I hear they pass on great savings.
I went to the fresh and easy last week for the first time. There was a strange smell and it isn’t fancy, but I thought they had really good prices and everything I’ve used so far was pretty good. They even list Ralph’s or other stores’ prices next to theirs for comparison. Of course theirs are always lower.
They also had $5 coupons for purchases of $20 and up. I think they only have self-check out, but there were employees walking around to help people, so it wasn’t a problem. I don’t think I’ll drive there all the time, but it is definitely a good (and cheaper) option.
That is the best Big Lots in the chain. When they have door-buster items listed in their circular, and other Big Lots sell out the item within minutes of opening, the downtown Big Lots will still have the item in stock the next day.
Likewise, when Big Lots aquires a bunch of stuff from a drugstore and begins selling it off at 50% off the sticker price, then 60% off etc., other Big Lots are well picked over by the time it hits 90% off. Not downtown. I got HP brand photo paper, HP brand iron-on decals that you print on, and I don’t even remember what else, all for 90% off of the price sticker from Ekhart Drugs.
FYI some of the better deals on name brand stuff occur when the manufacturer makes a name change or when the size of the product changes. Electrosol dishwasher tablets are changing their name to Finish. Expect to see Electrosol show up at both of these stores at prices less than what the new product will sell for at Ralphs. And when its gone…its gone.
Yes, before you know it, it’s gone…just like Keyser Soze.