In 2015, I had discovered Miniso. At that time it was smaller in business with one or two stores in the Beijing Road Pedestrian Street. It was even shady as suspicions arose of Miniso being a fake company with a fake address in Japan as covered by RocketNews24. On the old posts covering Miniso, there were some negative comments as to calling it "shit quality products" and "a knockoff". Even to this day, the Miniso website had not been updated much and still is written in broken English, but what is it that made this now chain store such a huge success in China?
After visiting Miniso again in 2016, it has confirmed some things for me. One is that they create cheap products made of quality. The "shit quality" comments are most likely people who have never been to the place. Having bought many products from Miniso, I can assure you that you are paying two three times more for a similar product in your home country. The second thing this visit has confirmed for me is that Miniso was created for the Chinese market. I am not surprised to see that people are reporting no existence of a Miniso in Japan where the market is over saturated with chain dollar stores like Daiso and Don Quijote. In China you will not see dollar stores like the form of Daiso. The third thing is that even if Miniso was created entirely by a Chinese company masking itself as a Japanese company, they did a pretty damn good job at it. Well technically according to their homepage, it's a joint effort between a Chinese entrepreneur named Ye Guofu and a Japanese co-founder/designer named Miyake Junya.
When you visit the actual store, you start to see that the campaign has changed. A more accurate observation would be Japanese designed and inspired products, but manufactured in China for the Chinese. Most of the products I observed or bought were produced right here in Guangdong province making it locally manufactured. Only a select few products such as skincare were manufactured in Japan. Packaging on products will include Japanese, Chinese, and some English.
Miniso is practically everywhere I go in Guangzhou. It has become so convenient placing itself in the city like a 7-Eleven. A co-worker of mine has reported several in Hong Kong as well. Maybe if I visit again in the future, more Miniso stores will pop up. As to why the store has been so popular, one of the main features is the abundance of useful products tailored to different people. Their shopping categories include beauty and skincare, health, stationary, toys, home accessories, electronics and related accessories, and travel. You can become a member and earn points as you shop by registering your WeChat with them. Each Miniso store however is different. Some stores occupy smaller spaces therefore they will omit certain categories of products that require a lot of space such as plush toys and neck pillows. So far I noticed that the largest one is located in the Beijing Road Pedestrian Street. It occupies two floors and has more selections.
As much as I do like the store, I do want to take precaution. They had teamed up with known companies to do collaborations for different products. During the month I went back, they were collaboration with Disney TsumTsums, Sanrio's Hello Kitty and My Melody, and Rilakkuma. While Miniso sells mostly their brand, they have become to branch out to include other brands such as Nature Republic. I was also lucky to chance upon their sale on Nature Republic face masks, 2 for 10 RMB (1.49 USD). Again, to play's devil's advocate, what if these are knockoffs too? All products have a seal confirming authenticity whether it be Sanrio or another company. They include address and contact information on the product tags.
I'm using myself as an experiment by purchasing Miniso's products and leaving a review here. Some of the products I had bought for my friend as souvenirs were given away so I didn't get to take a picture of it. They were a TsumTsum limited edition candy in a tin can and a Hello Kitty makeup bag. Some products sold in the store are very similar to Muji, but after a bit of research on the web I saw that there were other companies mimicking designs as well. The difference is with material and colors. You can argue that the physical shape of a product can be imitated with the exception that it has already been patented. One of the examples I bring up is Miniso's travel case. It is really similar to Muji's hanging travel case. Online I see that other brands like L.L. Bean had designed their version of hanging travel pouches. The idea shared is that these are zipper pouches containing more than one compartment and have a plastic hook hidden inside. The one I bought cost 10 RMB. It's made of a denim-like material.
My experience with Guangzhou Miniso stores has been very positive. Therefore my review is exclusively for the Guangzhou stores and not for other Chinese provinces or other countries. Staff are oftentimes helpful. The first one I walked into was located in Hengbao Plaza. The guy working there allowed me to connect to a password connected wifi and recommended some products for me that ended up being worthwhile. One of them was the high quality earphones specifically for the Samsung smartphones. I own an LG phone actually so the Samsung bit didn't matter to me. As long as you carry an Android phone, these earphones work fine. The rubber covering over the earbuds made it comfortable to wear. The right earbud has the volume and control button. Soundwise it is like a pair of very good Skullcandy earphones. Miniso also produces other types of headphones like one designed for increased bass or in-ear earbud design. The one shown in the photo is 29 RMB (4.32 USD), the most expensive of the products available at the time.
Also from the electronics department is a USB cable. I got myself a cellphone stand for 10 RMB and it proved to be useful for many things other than propping up a mobile device. You are a 10 RMB well spent. Miniso carries different kinds of mobile device stands including the type that clips onto tables or relies on suction of glass. You will find that they make good gifts for friends and family as they are relatively inexpensive (roughly 15 RMB last I remember).
Sometimes you have to spend a little in order to earn a little. I was in need of an umbrella at the time so I bought their 29 RMB (4.32 USD) umbrella that could block UV rays. I used it for rain and under harsh sun. On the extremely rainy days meaning water reaching your ankles and heavy downpour, it holds up well against wind and water. Under the sun, the protective glossy material used for the umbrella blocked out a lot of heat in 80-90 degree weather. On a scale of satisfaction, I was really satisfied. It was only until a week again I dropped my umbrella at home when putting it away when the tip fell off. I am a bit disappointed that they didn't use a screwed tip for the design which would have made it a more durable product, but it is a fairly minor problem as I ended up using strong adhesive to bond it back.
Other products I purchased were plush toys and skincare related. Toys can always be bootlegged. Some bootlegs can be close to the real deal. Let's see how the Rilakkuma and Kiirotori I got was.
Ok, I guess you pass the preliminary test. Physically speaking, it did look very much like other Rilakkuma plush toys. It had the seal confirming it was from San-X. The material is soft and doesn't feel like the type that would wear off easily. And your price is 39 RMB (5.80 USD). That's a really good deal for a 12 inch plush bear. There were two sizes for both Rilakkuma and Kiirotori. I got the large one for both. Some stores carry Korilakkuma which I remember seeing only one size. The Kiirotori I got was 15 RMB (2.23 USD).
If you are looking for mesh cases in particular, I recommend purchasing their 2-in1 mesh case for 15 RMB (2.23 USD). You get one A4 sized mesh case and one smaller size which I'm guessing is A6 size. I'm not very good at metric sizing as you can see. If you're particular about document cases, see through mesh is probably a suitable material for you.
If you are a gal looking to stock up on her beauty essentials, Miniso carries their line of eyeliners, mascara, powders, and more. They carry makeup pouches and zodiac themed fragrances. You can grab a sample in the store. I'm not the type of guy interested so I skipped this section a lot. However, I did try their pore strips. As I have been a Biore pore strip fan for quite some time, I thought maybe I try something else. The ones I got come in charcoal and aloe. One of them is a plain pore strip and the other says it's specifically for black heads. Perhaps the reason why Biore has been a leading brand is because it sticks to the skin stronger. Miniso's pore strips are not as strong, but they are gentler to the skin. Their ingredients list is not much different from Biore's.
I'll leave it up to you the consumer to decide whether you want to walk into a Miniso. After all, it's your money. I personally felt I spent the right money because it satisfied my needs. Be your own judge to decide if you really need the product and whether or not it's worth spending. If you do happen to fall in love with the store, keep an eye out on monthly promotions. Sometimes if you spend a certain amount, they take a certain percentage off as part of a discount. If they happen to be doing some event, your discount may come in the form of a free product. I got a free ice pillow and a My Melody face mask as a result.
I happen to chance upon a Japanese blog of someone who also went to Miniso like me. This blogger went to one in Shanghai and he describes Miniso as a Chinese dollar store as well. You can read his post here. It's all in Japanese. In case you don't understand, the post basically goes over the question of whether or not the products carried are authentic or not. So Igarashi-san here looks at the Rilakkuma too and sees that it has all the marks of overseen production. He concludes in his post that by producing quality items such as this authentic Rilakkuma plush at a lower price would crush the market on producing counterfeit goods such as a Rilakkuma look-alike. Indeed I agree with his point that if we start buying the real thing, no one will support the fake one. In my next post, I will explore another interesting place so stay tuned!
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The Minisos I visited were the following locations. They are however not only limited to the addresses below.
Beijing Road Pedestrian Street (北京路步行街)
越秀区，北京路
I remember there being two stores located in this shopping district. The address given is for the larger one. Take Line 2 or Line 1 to Gongyuanqian 公园前 and use Exit E Guangda Road 广大路.
Hengbao Plaza (恒宝广场)
133 Baohua Rd, Liwan Qu, Guangzhou Shi, Guangdong Sheng, China, 510140
133号 宝华路，荔湾区，广州市，广东省，中国，51040
This Miniso is located on the ground floor of the building in the Shangxiajiu District. Take line 1 to Changshou Road (长寿路) and use Exit E Hengbao Plaza 恒宝广场.
Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street (上下九步行街)
75 Dishifu Road, Liwan Qu, Guangzhou Shi, Guangdong Sheng, China, 510175
75号，第十甫路，荔湾区，广州市，广东省，中国，510175
This is a district for both shopping and eating. You may also discover miscellaneous things in this district too. The address above is for Miniso, not the district itself.Take Line 1 to Changshou Road (长寿路) and use Exit A Changshou Road 长寿路.
Fashion Tianhe Plaza (时尚天河商业广场)
299 Tianhe Rd, TianHeBei, Tianhe Qu, Guangzhou Shi, Guangdong Sheng, China, 510620
299 天河路，天河北，天河区，广州市，广东省，中国，510620
There is one located in this extremely large underground mall. Take Line 1 to Sports Center (体育中心）and follow through to Exit D3 Tianhe Road (天河路).
Express Train Commercial Plaza 天河直通车商业广场
54 Tiyu W Rd, TianHe ZhongXin, Tianhe Qu, Guangzhou Shi, Guangdong Sheng, China, 510620
54 体育路，天河中心，天河区，广州市，广东省，中国，510620
Another large underground mall with multiple exits connecting to local transit and buildings. Signs have both English and Chinese names of destinations. Take Line 1 to Tiyu West (体育西) and use Exit E Tianhe Sports Center (天河体育中心).
Jiangnan Sunday 江南新地
46 Jiangnan W Rd, Haizhu Qu, Guangzhou Shi, Guangdong Sheng, China, 510240
46号 江南西路，海珠区，广州市，广东省，中国，510240
Take Line 2 to Jiangnan West (江南西).
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