Flying Tiger

Flying Tiger is a variety-store chain built for small impulse purchases, cheap gifts, party bits, stationery, kitchen odds and ends, and seasonal decorations. By our assessment, its strength is range: you walk in for one thing and end up seeing a lot of little objects that are easy to grab, easy to give away, and often more playful than practical. The honest downside is that the goods are usually disposable in feel, with mixed longevity and a lot of items that are there for a moment rather than for years. In practice the store is about browsing shelves of themed stock, not about a tightly edited specialist selection. It sits closer to a budget design-and-gift shop than to a serious department store, and that is exactly why people use it. It suits shoppers who want quick, low-stakes buys and do not expect heirloom quality, and the checkout is full of things you did not plan to carry out.