Buck and Near

Listen up, Buck and Near (or Buck’n’Near or however you’re spelling it)!
You really need to better understand your target market: moviegoers who are trying to sneak snacks into the nearby Empire 8. To that end, you really need to beef up and expand your selection. One tiny little aisle that is small and cramped? This. Will. Not. Do.
Other than that, it’s fairly typical dollar store type stuff. Nothing too exciting. Staff are mostly efficient and it’s pretty clean.
The display table full of impulse purchases is a nice touch.

To me, the only advantage of Buck and Near is its location. It is right in the heart of downtown Halifax. Apart from that, it is a pretty poor dollar store compared to Dollarama. First of all, many items are quite expensive. In fact there are only very few items at Buck and Near that only cost a dollar. Also, I find the quality of the items worse than at Dollarama. I’ve bought things from Buck and Near a couple of times but, as already mentioned, that was really only due to its location. Otherwise I don’t think it’s a good dollar store.

This is certainly one of the better dollar store outlets around. I’ve made it through my share of variations, and the Buck and Near comes out on top.
Large and in charge, the place is clean and tidy. Big points for that, as the dollar store experience can easily get stale and loose its appeal if its presence appears unruly. They have a pretty lengthened selection of packaged foods, snacks and spices here, which I’ve been reluctant to try. Something about discounted packaged eats makes me wonder. (Although its packed with so many preservatives that this doesn’t even make a difference)
I come here for the cleaning supplies, hair clips, and random house hold necessities. Garbage bags, cleaner, batteries, party décor– you know, that sort of thing. Its really the way to go, as prices have the obvious drop down from drug/​grocery stores, and its truly worth the trip.
And with the central location in the lower level of Park Lane Mall, the Buck and Near is certainly part of my monthly pick-​up rotation.

My last visit to the Park Lane Buck and Near involved the procurement of a dozen balloons. I succeeded in my endeavor and was happily provided with top-​notch customer service. I called ahead to make sure that I would be able to get balloons of the helium variety and the man on the phone was quite nice. I requested that they have them ready for me (since I was on a time-​crunch) and he sweetly obliged, even thought customarily you pay before they dish out the helium.
This shop has tons of odd stuff. From discount undies to dryer balls, and greeting cards to party supplies. The prices are super low (hence the apt store name) and you can find some sweet random things that you had no idea you even wanted in the first place.
It’s centrally located on the lowest level of Park Lane mall, and they have a pretty good holiday decoration selection if you just so happen to need some cupid cutouts or glittery paper. As far as cheapy stores go, this one has got it made in the shade.

It still gets three stars, because it is «A-​OK», but the service here can be really shoddy. I recently waited in line while a woman finished up a personal call without acknowledging me at all, then hung up and started a new call. Seriously? After she had dialed she called someone over to help me, but the damage had been done. Not enough to make me never return (I mean the stuff costs next to nothing, people) but still…

First of all, can I just take a second to comment on the name of this place? Buck and Near. It’s like buccaneer, which would explain the tiny ‘d’ on the sign. I just think it’s witty and clever.
Well, the last time I was in this store was right after Christmas, so there was a good chunk of products missing from the shelves. In fact, I think practically half the store was gone after the rush. The good thing about that is they are still selling Christmas stuff for almost nothing. You can stock up on next year’s supply.
Most of the stuff in this store is pretty scattered. If you’re looking for something in particular and don’t see it where you would expect it, keep looking around because chances are it’s around the corner. I had a little bit of trouble locating a few things, but that actually gave me the chance to find other random things I needed.
Everyone knows dollar store items aren’t necessarily of the greatest quality. But, they’re cheap and definitely fulfill their purpose for a bit. Keep an open mind when shopping the dollar store because you might just find something useful that you didn’t even realize you needed. Or, you’ll just find a nice shoe rack for under $ 3.

Full disclosure, I hate dollar stores. They are full of tacky junk that is poorly made and over priced (yes, even at a dollar). That being said, after a recent trip to the lower level of Park Lane, I have a special distaste for A Buck Or Two.
The staff at this store seem to hate their jobs with a particular passion, and who could blame them? That doesn’t give them the right to be as unhelpful as they are, but they obviously do not care about their store and it shows.
A Buck Or Two is poorly laid out and there is very little rhyme or reason to the aisles, everything is very messy and from what I can tell they seem to be selling a number of half full, used Tim Horton’s coffee cups. This problem stems from the previous note about the workers not caring about their jobs or store.
I’m too cheap to be cheap, but this doesn’t mean I have never fallen prey to this place, Halloween make up can be cheap, my parents once found a decent set of knockoff kitchen utensils and they occasionally have some decent candy for sale, but as a general rule I think that if you’re frequenting A Buck Or Two you might as well be frequenting your neighbors trash can. The deals will no doubt be better.