Fact-Checking Five Below Dumpling Costs: Are Stores Secretly Charging More?
By Chloe Bennett
Five Below launched its "Five Beyond" brand extension to stock higher-value goods priced from $5.55 up to $25.00, carving out dedicated perimeter walls and back sections in remodeled stores. While this format allowed the chain to sell tech gadgets, heavier fitness gear, and licensed anime merchandise, it introduced visual overlap in the novelty toy aisles.
Several dumpling-adjacent products do sit within this elevated pricing zone. RMS and competing novelty distributors manufacture jumbo versions, multi-pack dim sum platters containing three or four dumplings, and electronic light-up stress figures that naturally exceed the legacy five-dollar ceiling.
When parents send teenagers into the store with a five-dollar bill, those shoppers sometimes pick up the deluxe three-piece steamer set or the oversized tactile dumpling, only to face an unexpected total of $7.00 or $8.00 at the counter. The standard mystery blind bag has not migrated into the Five Beyond tier; instead, expanded product variations exist alongside it at higher price points.
Chloe Bennett explores the intersection of pop culture, streaming entertainment, digital trends, and contemporary lifestyle. Her weekly commentary reaches thousands of culture enthusiasts.
