Wage Increase Deceptive, Say Feds

Another Snow, Another Day Off In W-b Area

Sunday, January 16, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: MONEY QUICK WORDS: WHAT CAN YOU GET FOR
A BUCK 





What can you still get for a buck? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 mart and Wal-Mart may have muscled Woolworth's off Main Street here. But as
of yet, it's not a clean winNot all of Wyoming Valley's former five-and-dime
store shoppers are taking their dollars straight to the mighty discounters. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Instead, they're flocking to about a half-dozen local "$1-and-under"
stores, where every item sells for the same very low price. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It's magic the way the number (99-cents) brings them in," says Bob
Bakunas, owner of The Everything 99 cent Store Inc., with 17 locations in
Pennsylvania and New York. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "There's value here for little money," says Harriet Artley of Bloomsburg,
shopping this week at Everything's $1 at the Wyoming Valley Mall. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 (The company that owns Everything's $1, Value Merchants of Milwaukee, filed
for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month and decided to close 44 of its
500 stores including the Wilkes-Barre mall location. Until the doors shut at
the end of January, everything costs just 60 cents there!) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 I decided to check out the $1-or-less shopping scene on Thursday. Armed
with considerable interest, but some admitted pre-conceived notions ("They've
got to charge more than a $1 for some things." and "There's not much anyone
could possibly want for a buck."), I visited four of Wyoming Valley's $1 and
99-cent stores. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 I discovered: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Plenty of shoppers who love the places but miss Woolworth's, Newberry's and
McCrory's (or at least their memories of the good old five-and-dime shopping
days). &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Paula Yozwiak, of Larksville, found a "wonderful buy" -- decorations for
her daughter Karlene's sixth birthday party for only 60 cents -- at the
Everything's $1 store in the Wyoming Valley Mall. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But still, Yozwiak says, "I'm going to miss Woolworth's. I went there as a
girl." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 You really do pay only 99 cents or $1, PLUS TAX, for everything in the
stores. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "There are no catches," each store manager promised me. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In fact, many items sell two-for or three-for, or even six-for 99 cents. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We look for exceptional close-out buys and turn the merchandise as fast as
we can," says Bakunas, explaining how he tries to "make a buck" in a "very
competitive industry." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Profit margins, Bakunas says, are often as low as 1 percent of sales -- far
below that of many traditional retailers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A wide, wide variety of merchandise is available -- health, beauty, auto,
craft and cleaning supplies, plastics, toys, makeup, snacks, greeting cards
and much more. Store managers say they aim to have something for everyone. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "There's no place where brides can do better," says Lorraine DeHoff, store
manager at the East End Center's The Everthing 99 cents Store. "They can't get
a ceramic dish with almonds (for bridal showers) anywhere else for less." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "And teacher's presents, I'll bet we sold more teacher's Christmas gifts
than anywhere else in the Valley," she says. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 I wrapped up my research with a few must-haves of my own, all for under $1:
A bottle of Louisiana hot sauce, two Happy Birthday banners, five scouring
sponges, an extra-long telephone cord and two pairs of tennis socks. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And when I got home, a 14-year-old shopping expert told me the best reason
I'd heard all day to shop at a 99-cent store: "When there's nothing to do and
you don't have much money, you can go and get some press-on nails. That's
fun." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Times Leader Business Editor Claire Schechter is now the proud owner of
some swell bargains. Her column appears Sunday.

What Can You Still Get For A Buck? Mart And Wal-mart May Have Muscled Woolworth's Off Main Street Here. But As Of Yet, It's Not A Clean Win.