8-K

                      SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                            WASHINGTON, D.C.  20549

                               _________________

                                   FORM 8-K

                                CURRENT REPORT
                      PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF
                      THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934




        Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):  July 9, 1996


                             99 CENTS ONLY STORES
            (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


        California               1-11735               95-2411605
(State or other jurisdiction   (Commission            (IRS Employer
     of incorporation)         File Number)         Identification No.)


                        4000 East Union Pacific Avenue
                     City of Commerce, California 90023  
                   (Address of principal executive offices)

                                (213) LUCKY-99
                        (Registrant's telephone number)


ITEM 5.  OTHER EVENTS

     Reference is made to the press release of Registrant, issued on July 9,
1996, which contains information meeting the requirements of this Item 5, and
which is incorporated herein by this reference.  A copy of this press release
is attached to this Form 8-K as Exhibit "A."

                                  SIGNATURES


     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.


July 12, 1996                      99 Cents Only Stores



                                   By:  /s/ Eric Schiffer                     
                                        --------------------------------------
                                        Eric Schiffer
                                        Senior Vice President of 
                                        Operations and Administration

EX-99

                      Copyright 1996 Business Wire, Inc.
                                 Business Wire

                             July 9, 1996, Tuesday

DISTRIBUTION: Business Editors

LENGTH: 912 words

HEADLINE: 99 Cents Only Stores reports sales increase of 19% for the second


quarter ending June 30, 1996; the company's largest store is scheduled to open
on July 25, 1996

DATELINE: CITY OF COMMERCE, Calif.

BODY:
     July 9, 1996--99 Cents Only Stores (NYSE:NDN) reported sales of $43.2
million for the quarter ended June 30, 1996.

     This represents an increase of $6.9 million, or 19.0%, over sales of $
36.3 million during the same period last year.  Year-to-date sales increased
$15.6 million, or 22.3%, from $69.9 million to $85.5 million for the six months
ended June 30, 1996. For the year 1995, sales were $152.8 million.

     For the second quarter of 1996, sales in comparable 99 Cents Only Stores
increased 0.35% over the same period last year. Comparable store sales
increased 1.38%, if the company excludes one store that remained open after a
larger newer store was opened in the same city, Garden Grove, Calif.

     The company plans to open its largest store, a 26,000 square-foot
location, in Anaheim, Calif., on Thursday, July 25, 1996. The company plans to
open an additional four to five stores during the remainder of the year. Signed
leases to date include new locations in El Monte, Calif., and Santa Ana,
Calif., and a relocation to a larger site in Lincoln Heights, Calif.

     Also, the company recently entered into a purchase and sale agreement to
buy a new store location in Fullerton, Calif. This will be the first company-
owned store location. After this cash purchase, the company will still have
more than $30 million in cash and no long-term debt.

     The company is a leading deep-discount retailer of primarily name brand,
consumable general merchandise, at the 99 cent price point. 99 Cents Only
Stores operates 38 retail stores, all in Southern California and a wholesale
division under the name of Bargain Wholesale.

CONTACT: 99 Cents Only Stores, City of Commerce
                    Eric Schiffer, 213/980-8145

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

LOAD-DATE: July 10, 1996


                                   EXHIBIT A