Photo: QueensPost
Oct. 8, 2011 Staff Report
The 99c Treat store (on Queens Blvd b/w 41st and 42nd Sts.) has undergone a makeover.
The store put up a new awning this week. Gone is the 79 cent deal.
Photo: QueensPost
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99 Cent Treat Gets an Upgrade
Does anybody know if they have a phone#?
I stopped shopping there last year because of their lack of respect for customers. The manager accused me of damaging a product that I tried to exchange and made a scene. The employees are rude and use the products and put them back on the shelf for sale. I was alwas afraid that I was goint to get runned over by one of the employees with a hand truck. Very rude.
Krissi,
Sure, the current business owners ought to be concerned, but your earlier statements suggested to me you thought *new* business owners should be concerned about diversity of businesses in a neighborhood. And that’s not really their concern. Their concern is whether or not a neighborhood is viable for the business they are considering opening.
Has one of these places gone under in the past 5 years? For whatever reasons, Sunnyside seems to be able to support a plethora of these businesses.
If a business owner is feeling the squeeze from increased competition, that business owner can think about options. Remember the photo/entertainment place on Queens Blvd? The owner there was smart and moved in to two new businesses: the UPS Store and Nodus.
Cross your toes instead.
Long Time Resident,
I’m not disparaging 99cent stores, I’m disparaging the lack of diversity in stores in Sunnyside. Adn the business owners SHOULD be worried. What happens to one store’s customers when 5 other identical shops open in the same neighborhood?
I’m still crossing my fingers for a shoe shop!!!
Well, I “need” to shop there because I “need” to put the money I save by shopping there in to savings so I won’t have to work until I drop dead.
It’s not really the responsibility of the business owners to care about whether or not there’s a lack of diversity in the businesses of a particular neighborhood. The business owner’s responsibility is to him or herself – can I make money opening this business in this neighborhood. For a lot of neighborhoods with a surplus of thrift stores, I would suspect the answer might be “no.” Apparently, in Sunnyside, the answer is “yes,” since all the 99 cent stores seem to do well (no recent closings at least). Clearly, there’s a large market to be served here
That makes me think the neighborhood isn’t nearly as “twee” as some folks who continually disparage the 99 cent stores might like to believe.
Long Time Resident,
I don’t “need” to go to 99cent stores, but I still do. You can find steals there! That being said I can name 6 of them in this neighborhood off the top of my head. In order for this neighborhood to be thriving, we have to have a little diversity in businesses!
I sometimes wonder if the commenters on this blog who are always disparaging of 99 cent stores realize the reason we have so many of them in this neighborhood is that they serve a need in the community. If someone is in a position where every penny counts (and I’ve been there), these stores serve that person’s needs. Heck, I still frequent them because I can find good deals in there, while avoiding the low quality stuff.
I agree, that sign looks like it cost about 99 cents. As mentioned, nothing in there is 99 cents. If the awning said “Junk Store” it would have been more honest.
Same crap.
They had to change the sign or get accused of false advertising. When was the last time that store sold anything for 79 or 59 cents?
The 99 cents store is becoming anachronistic as the old “five and dime” stores.
I don’t think the new awning makes any difference to the appearance, but the owners have removed that portion of that left portion of the sign with “79 cents Deal.” I doubt if anything in the store now is less than 99 cents, though the stock is becoming increasingly expensive on items for the kitchen such as pots and pans, coffee makers, and waffle machines. They even have pieces of furniture for $100 or more.
Did that awning cost 99cents? 😉
I think the old awning looks better than the new awning!
How much do they sell for 99 cents nowadays?
Well… I guess its better than the old one 🙁