It might have been the time when they opened their first few stores on our shores.
It might have been the time when they started rapid expansion into various malls all over the island.
It might also have been the time when on their shelves I discovered a favorite caramel corn snack of mine which I used to buy from the bookshop in the polytechnic where I studied, and which, after graduation, I could no longer find.
Let's just say that it has been a decade (at least) since I became a frequent shopper at their store- and as much as their products have increased substantially over the years, so has my individual collection.
There is no way I can do an inventory.
There is no way I can collate the number of receipts accumulated from the store(s) over the years (because, yeah, there's no Excel spreadsheet to track my individual spending).
But suffice it to say that I'm using stuff purchased from Daiso at any one point in time.
The makeup pouch that I carry around every day in my bag comes from Daiso.
The camera pouch that holds my compact camera and the strap attached to it also comes from Daiso.
On the shelf behind me are tote bags that I bought a few years ago and which I haven't used, as well as a bright pink case that now holds little pieces of jewelry and the rest of my makeup.
In the cupboard are several netted bags which at one time I used to store food on-the-go, and to hold travel-sized toiletries when I needed them for use in public bathrooms.
That's not all.
Somewhere in the manicure kit is a Hello Kitty nail clipper which I bought from Daiso a few years ago when I had one of those d*** hangnail thingies and I thought the pink clipper looked pretty.
Outside in the living room are little cat cushions, little plushy cushions, cushion covers (matching colors!) and tablemats that liven up the place.
And right next to me on the desk are notebooks, notepapers, Post-it pads, journals, stickers, markers and labels that form part of my most frequent- and favorite- buys.
It's not just my personal stuff that come from Daiso.
There's also the kitchen.
Three of my coffee mugs come from Daiso.
My water bottles come from Daiso.
And so do some of my lunchboxes, my containers, and my utensils.
Daiso is a place for the single, the couple, as well as for the whole family.
Doesn't matter whether you're young or old, doesn't matter what status in society you hold, what job you have or what personality you are, Daiso is not- and no longer is- a place only for the auntyish.
These days they're starting to have more contemporary, cutesy offerings.
Last year they brought in THREEPY.
And now, with their new stores opening in malls like Bugis Junction and Marina Square, it is apparent that, yeah, the Household Goods store selling stuff at the great price of two dollars and where existing customers always find something new, does bring in plenty of footfall.
Because whether it is you want the manly looking stuff (hey my camera pouch is camo), whether it is you want notebooks with shiny covers in baby pink and baby blue, whether it is you want bottles of ITO EN branded unsweetened bold green tea, or whether it is you want to buy Christmas decorations in early September, well, Daiso it is, for you.