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I shopped for holiday decor at Five Below and Dollar Tree. Both impressed me, but only one is catering to Gen Z.

more decor at dollar tree
More decorations at Dollar Tree.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

  • I shopped at Five Below and Dollar Tree for holiday decorations.
  • I was pleased with both chains' offerings.
  • Dollar Tree's items are more traditional, while Five Below's decor is for younger shoppers.

Five Below and Dollar Tree are both discount stores with locations across the country, and both are experiencing rapid growth.

At Dollar Tree, most things cost around $1.25, with some exceptions. According to a quarterly earnings report, the chain opened 249 locations and generated $785.6 million in the third quarter of 2024 alone.

Five Below is similar, but instead of focusing on the $1.25 price point, almost everything in the store is $5.55 and below (again, with some exceptions in the Five Beyond section). And according to its quarterly earnings call, Five Below is also on a similarly positive trajectory, opening 82 new stores and earning $843.7 million last quarter, a 14.6% increase from last year.

I decided to pit these two discount giants against each other for the holiday season by comparing their offerings for holiday decorations.

Here's what I thought about each store.

My first stop was a Five Below location on Long Island, New York.
exterior of five below
This Five Below is located in Westbury.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

I visited this location in October to check out its Halloween offerings and was pleased with the selection.

So I decided to return in December and see what was in stock for the most wonderful time of the year.

Before I stepped inside, the Christmas spirit was on display. There were oversize ornaments and tinsel-covered candy canes for $5 each.
oversized ornaments and candy canes outside of five beelow
These bins were located outside the front door.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Do I know what these are for, exactly? No, but I liked them. I could see these working in a dorm room or in a home with young kids.

In the entryway, I saw these gingerbread homes, as well as villages and trains, for $5 each.
gingerbread structures at five below
There was a house, a village, and a train.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

They seemed like a perfect holiday activity for children.

For $5, you hopefully won't get too annoyed if the kids make the ugliest and most structurally unsound gingerbread home โ€ฆ which wouldn't necessarily be the case with a more expensive kit, like one selling at Williams Sonoma for $35.

The wrapping paper section ranged from $1 to $5.
wrapping paper selection at five below
There were large boxes of wrapping paper.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Wrapping paper adds up! A few rolls at $1 apiece is a bargain.

The more expensive ones were either licensed characters from properties like "Super Mario" and "Star Wars" or thicker paper than the $1 ones.

There were wheelbarrows filled with holiday lights and socks.
socks and lights at five below
There were other basics in the rear wheelbarrows.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

I already have so many Christmas string lights, but in a pinch, these $4 lights would be great.

A bin filled with tinsel is for anyone who needs a bit of sparkle in their tree or home.
tinsel at five below
The tinsel was located behind the wrapping paper.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Five Below offered different colored tinsel, including white, gold, hot pink, and red.

The holiday section had a huge table filled with hot-chocolate bombs, candy, and regular chocolate.
mugs, chocolate, candy and wreaths at five below
This was a small part of the store's candy offerings.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

I bought one of those hot-chocolate bombs as a stocking stuffer last year, and the gift was a big hit.

The decor was split into three sections. This was "glitter decor."
glitter decor at five below
"Glitter decor" just meant anything glittery.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

This is where it became clearer who Five Below's holiday-decor audience is: children and teenage girlsย โ€” or really, any teen who loves sparkles.

According to the brand's website, its target demographic is "tweens, teens and beyond." As early as 2015, Business Insider warned that Five Below should have other discount retailers concerned regarding teens' preferences.

In the store I visited, there were glittery reindeer, sparkling ornaments, twinkling earrings, fairy string lights, a white glitter-encrusted tree-topper, and sparkling fake mistletoe, ranging from $3 to $5. If I were in college, I would've done a clean sweep for my dorm or apartment.

Next to it was "disco decor."
disco decor at five below
"Disco decor" including disco-ball ornaments and light-up trees.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

As you can see, "disco decor" really means disco ball ornaments and those plastic light-up trees on the top shelf. I purchased one for $3.

Overall, vintage decor that leans into nostalgia seems to be back, between '70s disco balls, metallic tinsel, and light-up trees.

There were also "Lilo & Stitch" and "Nightmare Before Christmas" stockings in this display, although I'm not sure what's disco about them.

Finally, there was "glam decor," which, to be honest, I didn't really understand.
glam decor at five below
It was less clear what was meant by "glam decor."

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

There's nothing here that's particularly "glam." The mini upside-down trees are cool, but I wouldn't call them glam.

While in this section, I noted that stockings were half-off and now priced at $2, but I don't need any more stockings.

There were lots of $1 ornaments.
small ornaments for $1 at five below
These ornaments were cheap.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

These mini-ornaments were cute. There were classic orbs, disco balls, crowns, plushies, rainbows, watermelon slices, and even metallic hamburgers.

Again, these items seem best for young kids or teens.

When I visited this store for Halloween, this section was all pumpkins. It's now all Christmas tree and peppermint mocha candles.
holiday candles at five below
The candles were well-organized.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

I grabbed one of the green Christmas tree candles with a detachable top for $3.

Another section offered festive headbands and a red nose for anyone wanting to channel their inner Rudolph.
miscellaneous decor at five below
This was located right before check-out.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Any holiday gathering or ugly sweater party would be made better with these.

Besides decorations, there were also general holiday goodies, like holiday pillows and blankets.
holiday pillows and blankets in five below
These looked cozy.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

They all felt very soft to the touch.

And rows of pajamas and slippers for a cold night.
holiday pajamas at five below
The pajamas had trees, snowmen, and โ€ฆ croissants?

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

I considered snagging a pair of the green reindeer slippers.

Not even pets were left out. This sweater was also the first piece of Hanukkah memorabilia I spotted at this location.
pet sweaters and toys at five below
There were plenty of toys for both cats and dogs.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

I was so taken in by all the Christmas decor that I, a Jewish person, had almost forgotten about Hanukkah entirely โ€” though, in my defense, Hanukkah doesn't even start until Christmas at sundown this year.

I was fond of these sock advent calendars.
12 days of socks advent calendar at five below
There was a choice of sock advent calendars.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

I usually associate advent calendars with chocolate, though I know many others exist.

It should be noted that I visited the store on the first day of December, and these were all still available โ€” though they are only 12 days, so if you secure one at any point before December 14, you can join the fun.

I didn't buy this one, but I might go back for it.
inside the sock advent calendar at five below
Inside the advent calendar.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

I was particularly fond of the llama socks.

There were also classic chocolate advent calendars.
candy advent calendars at five below
More classic advent calendars.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

In addition to the Reese's calendar, there was a Hello Kitty calendar and a Marvel Comics calendar.

Before I left, I checked out the lone Hanukkah display.
hanukkah display at five below
This was the only Hanukkah stand in the store.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

There was special Hanukkah wrapping paper, banners, menorah decorations and headbands, gift bags, and candles.

Five Below did not respond to a request for comment regarding its Hanukkah options.

I bought three rolls of wrapping paper, a light-up Christmas tree, and a candle for $14.50.
five below tree
My light-up tree.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

This added a touch of non-green or -red to my apartment.

There is a Dollar Tree around 2 miles from the Five Below I visited.
dollar tree on long island
The exterior of Dollar Tree.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Christmas decorations and holiday gift items were being advertised on the windows.

Just as I had at Five Below, I first saw oversized candy canes for $5.
candy canes at dollar tree
These were similar to the ones available at Five Below.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Even though Dollar Tree is known as a "dollar store," some items cost more than that, like these $5 candy canes.

One of the other few items I found over $1.25 was this $3 wrapping paper.
dollar tree wrapping paper
The $3 wrapping paper.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Perhaps it was more expensive because it's reversible.

The ornament selection was overwhelming.
ornaments at dollar tree
There were rows of ornaments.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

These ornaments were priced at $1.25 each.

If I were to compare the ornament selection at the two stores, I'd say the Dollar Tree ornaments were more classically Christmas. They were all red, white, or green and were of traditional winter things like snowmen, reindeer, snowflakes, or elves.

At Five Below, they seemed a bit more random.

There were also cute DIY ornaments for $1.25.
DIY ornaments at dollar tree
Dollar Tree sold plastic orbs that you could decorate however you wished.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

This seems like a fun craft for kids.

I noticed immediately that the toys and ornaments in this store represented diversity more than in any other store I've been to.
diverse ornaments at dollar tree
The ballerinas came in a variety of skin tones.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Representation in toys and ornaments hasn't always been the best โ€” Barbie is perhaps the most notable exception, and even that took decades, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that the ballerina ornaments weren't all white.

There were even non-white elf plushies.
christmas decor and elf plushies
The elves were diverse.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

There weren't any human plushies I could spot at Five Below, just animals or characters, so this was nice to see.

The decor selection was wide, if not a bit basic.
dollar tree christmas decor
A selection of the decorations offered.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

To me, it seems like Dollar Tree is the place to go if you're stocking up on holiday staples or prefer to keep your decorations on the simple side.

I did like the huge fake flowers display, but I don't have anywhere to put these in my apartment.
fake flowers at dollar tree
These might not look huge, but they are.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Maybe if I had a stoop, a yard, or a balcony to perch these on, I would've grabbed a bouquet.

While walking around, I thought this aesthetic was perfect for someone who loves a classic Christmas look.
more decor at dollar tree
More decorations at Dollar Tree.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Again, basically everything was red, white, green, or gold โ€” and there's nothing wrong with that! But if you're a teenager, this might not be your vibe.

There was a huge aisle of just different colored tinsel.
tinsel aisle at dollar tree
This tinsel aisle was impressive.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

The tinsel aisle at Dollar Tree put the tinsel bin at Five Below to shame, but I don't need this much as someone who doesn't have a ton of space to decorate.

I have too many cups as it is, but I was tempted by an ornament cup โ€” for just $1.25, I still might go back and get it.
cups and mugs at dollar tree
There were multiple festive-themed cups.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Imagine how satisfying it would be to drink mulled wine or a hot peppermint mocha from an ornament-shaped mug.

There were shelves upon shelves of chocolate and candy.
dollar tree candy
The candy selection was large.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

This was similar to the candy and chocolate available at Five Below.

I was particularly fond of the holiday-themed Mike and Ikes and the Fun Dip.
holiday candy at dollar tree
The candy was seasonally appropriate.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

I liked that the Fun Dip looked like a little book.

I was less than impressed with the candle selection.
candles at dollar tree
There was no organization.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

While this might not be as chaotic as the candle selection at Home Goods, I certainly preferred Five Below's organization to this haphazard shelf. Barely any of them were wintery or seasonal.

I felt the same about the Hanukkah display โ€” it was just this lonely stand of greeting cards.
hanukkah display at dollar tree
I was less than impressed.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Even though Five Below also had just one display, at least it had things other than greeting cards.

Dollar Tree Inc. did not respond to a request for comment regarding its Hanukkah selection.

I didn't buy anything at Dollar Tree since I already had equivalents of what they were selling, but I would recommend it to people looking to stock up on the basics.
gift tags and elf plushies at dollar tree
More of the selection at Dollar Tree.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

I'd go to Dollar Tree if I had a house and yard to decorate. It had all the holiday staples and a lot for less than $5.

For example, if I had a huge tree with no ornaments at all, I'd head to Dollar Tree to get all the basic ornaments, the tinsel, and lights.

Five Below, on the other hand, is for someone who wants to add a little sparkle.
ornaments at five below
The ornaments at Five Below were more unique.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

I'm more likely to return to Five Below since my roommate and I already have all the holiday staples like tinsel and basic ball ornaments and don't need any lawn decor. Plus, it's just us, so we don't need any crafts like DIY ornaments or plushies that kids would be into.

Five Below also fits my aesthetic (read: glitter and metallics) more than Dollar Tree did.

I think both stores are a solid option for holiday shopping on a budget โ€” it just depends on what you need.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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