99 Cent Price Tags Attract Early-Morning Customers to Foothill Ranch Store's Opening

Shoppers were lined up around the new 99 Cents Only store in Foothill Ranch, waiting for their chance to  for 99 cents during the store's grand opening celebration.

For John Caseer of Mission Viejo, who got in line before 4 a.m., deals like a 99-cent scooter were hard to pass up.

“I got here at 3:45, but about 20 people were here before me,” Caseer said. “I bought a scooter, and I picked up a lot of extra stuff here,” he added, pointing at the goods in his cart.

While most lined up looking for deals, a handful of shoppers, such as Peggy Wolfe of Lake Forest, were just curious to see the new store.

“I was nearby, running errands and I thought I’d stop in and see the new store,” she said.  "It’s fun to see people getting 99-cent TVs and iPods."

Although there's a 99 Cents Only store a few miles down the road on El Toro Road and Rockfield Boulevard, company president Jeff Gold said that the new store is in a more convenient location for customers in Foothill Ranch and neighboring cities.

“A big part of our store is not only having a good selection of merchandise and great prices, but also as being a convenient place to shop,” Gold said, adding that a frozen food and produce section in the store allows customers to do a vast majority of their shopping there.

“In the 23 minutes that we’ve been open so far, we’ve been very happy and welcomed into the community, Gold said.  “As always when you’re going in a new location, you work with the neighborhood groups as well as the city, and we’re happy and lucky to be a part of the community, and we look forward to not only being a business member, but also being a true member, contributing to the community for many years."

Deals on items are going , with items normally between $5 and $10 being marked with 99-cent price tags.