I remember going to different dollar stores in the States back in the day during the 1990s and as recently as 2018. They sucked back then and suck more today, but dollar or two-dollar stores in Asia are way better. It reminds me of the Japanese branch of two-dollar stores called Daiso. Daiso has a lot of great memories for me because I used to go shopping with my son and sometimes his friends when he was little and would tell him he could buy ANYTHING he wanted. He felt like Willy Wonka in the Chocolate Factory as he would rush around looking for cool toys to buy begging for his shopping limit to increase from two to three items. I always remember my mom complaining about how broke she was and why Ninja Turtles were a waste of money so when my kids were small I wanted to spoil them and have fun shopping with them.
China is right next door to Laos and they have recently completed a high-speed train route that goes through Laos connecting China to Thailand. This makes travel in the country a dream compared to the nightmare 24-hour bus rides, but it also means a lot of cheap crap can flow in from China making shops like this new 10,000 kip for everything possible. 10,000 kip is worth about $0.60 USD so things really are cheap at this shop, but I was surprised at the quality of some of the stuff. I bought some rings that are actually good quality and made of stainless steel and a couple of pairs of sunglasses that have managed to survive for over a month which is rare for me.
I don't know what BSB is, but the Lao name reads: WanJiaYuFin which sounds like Chinese written in Laos, but I'm not sure. Maybe these are popular in China, but it's the first I've seen of it here in Laos. Luang Prabang is a UNESCO World Heritage Site so most corporations and brands are forbidden to operate in town so the local economy can reflect what things traditionally looked like so I'm not sure how companies like this get past the rules.
I'm not the only person who's happy buying unnecessary stuff here. I see both kids and adults with smiles on their faces every time I come shopping here. Thanks for checking out this new shop in Luang Prabang with me. Have a wonderful day!
