I am always amazed at the things I see people buying at the dollar store. I want to tell them it is cheaper at the grocery store. I will not buy food or toiletries at the buck store. I am leary of any food they sell. I have found many items are past the best before date. I can ALWAYS find better deals on toiletries. I think that many people think if it is a dollar it has to be a good deal. I have found that dollar store items in general lack quality. That is merely my experience however.

I try not to go there unless I'm looking for something in particular. But how can you resist the box of peanut butter goo goo clusters for $1!!!

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AMY

I usually just go there to get b-day cards and cards for other occasions as they are only .50 each.

The other day I went to the dollar store to get a baptism card and this lady in front of me was buying all of her kids school supplies... I wanted to tell her that she could get them a whole lot cheaper at Target or Walmart!

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I don't shop at Dollar General at all, but I do go to Dollar Tree about once a month. I get bones for my dogs, coloring books for my kids (they have really good ones that would be at least $3 @ Target), puzzles (once again, Target and Walmart price $4), gift bags, some seasonal decor, and the occasional odd item that appeals to me for some reason! I also bought sand and pool toys there this summer. I did check prices first, and they were cheaper than Target or Walmart. I have also included things from Dollar Tree as gifts- scrapbooks supplies, popcorn bowls, puzzle books, etc. I have found some decent deals on food items, but you have to know your prices, and pay attention to sizes and exp. dates.

I like Dollar Tree the best of all the $ stores.
Wrapping paper & calendars/calendar books definitely cheaper. Reading glasses are only $1 at $ Tree and $5 at other $ stores. Every few months, I buy 10 - 12 pair to give to the local ministries for the people in their GED programs. They won't last forever but you can put them all over your house & MAY be able to find a pair when you need them. Also keep some in my car for reading at the library and singing at church !

i go to dollarama and i get some good things there...i get jars of marachino cherries( baking) for $1 and the exact same bottle at the grocery store beside it is $2.99...i can get boxes of baking soda cheaper there( name brand) then at the grocery store...and cards are a buck each of course. i go there first before i go to the grocery store.

If you pay attention, you can get good deals, especially at Dollar Trees, which have a lot of name brand stuff for less than other places. Every so often you'll find a great book (in hardback.) I look for items (like shampoo) that the maunufacturer has recently decided to repackage (usually in a smaller package for a higher price.) Dollar Trees get the last of the bigger bottles, so you pay less. They are also cheaper on some craft supplies, like posterboard, and some hair supplies, like metal-free hair elastics. And contrary to the posted article (which was about some other dollar store, not Dollar Tree) paper napkins are cheaper at our local Dollar Trees than anywhere else I've seen. (Cheaper still...cloth napkins. I only get paper for church functions.)
Gail

They are right about being smaller but somethings are good to buy at the dollar store,, we buy most of our cleaning supplies there.

As with all things frugal I think this depends on where you live and what you buy. I'm not sure where the writer of the article is from but her prices certainly aren't right for my area. I agree that if you live near a Costco or Sam's Club you might get better prices than at a Dollar Store. However there is nothing like that where I live and I shop alot at the Dollar General for paper items, snack foods, cleaning products, etc. I buy alot of decorations and treat bag items at Dollar Tree, but not alot of other things.

She states that Walmart sells toothpaste for .68 a tube. My Walmart doesn't sell any brand, even their own off brand for .68. And she says Dollar store sells ziploc sandwich bags in a box of 13? I've never seen a box of 13 sandwich bags anywhere. My DG sells Glad brand 93 for 2.00. That's two cents a bag. I've also never seen Nestle water for 2.95 at my Walmart! Their brand is the cheapest they sell at 3.99 a 24 pack. Her battery prices are way off for my area too. I've researched and DG batteries are definitely the best deal for my area.

I also live 45 minutes from a Walmart and only 10 minutes from Dollar General so they get alot of my business, especially in winter. Our DG takes coupons as well so I can often get great deals on dishwashing liquid, etc. I got dishwasher gel pacs for .25 a box a while back with coupons. MUCH cheaper than I could have gotten them at Walmart.

There are some things I won't buy at DG like toys and bottled water.

I did find Barbies at DG last week for $5. The exact same Barbie was $15 at Walmart.

I mainly go there if I need something really quick. DG is 2 minutes from my house while Walmart is 15.

Now, Dollar Tree is a different story. That's where I buy all of the kids coloring books. 2 years ago my neice wanted puzzles for Christmas and I was able to get her the same ones that Walmart had for $4 for $1 at Dollar Tree.

I look at Dollar Tree first before I go to Walmart. I have a good idea of the cost on the things I buy most often so I know if I'm getting a good deal or not.

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