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Dollar Store Deals and Duds

Posted 10:00AM 06/12/12 Savings Experiment, Shopping |
Savings Experiment: Vitamins
Do you shop at dollar stores?
Never28498 (10.5%)
Yes, often.130894 (48.3%)
Only a few times a year.111681 (41.2%)
Did you find our video on dollar stores helpful?
Yes, it's a great idea14858 (40.7%)
Yes, useful and entertaining13470 (36.9%)
No8146 (22.3%)

Dollar stores are great places for cheap, one-stop shopping, but with so many items available, how do you know which products are deals and which ones are duds? Here are some rules of thumb to keep in mind to ensure you're getting the best deal possible.

It's easy to get excited about all of the low-priced goods at a dollar store, but you should shop with purpose in order to avoid impulse buys. With that said, party supplies are some of the best things you can purchase at a dollar store. They're reusable and cost much less than they do at big party store chains.

Drawing paper and notebook paper are two more great buys, and cleaning supplies are usually made of the same ingredients as higher-priced products, so you're good to go with those, too.

Dollar StoreOn the other hand, you should avoid purchasing children's toys, food and cheap electrical cords at dollar stores. Unfortunately, many of the toys found at these establishments are manufactured under dangerous processes and can contain lead. Food products often come from unregulated countries, which may not have the same quality standards as name brands. Electrical cords may seem like a bargain, but have frequently been found to be unsafe for home use. If you do decided to purchase cords at a dollar store, make sure they're UL rated.

Keep these tips in mind the next time you hit your local 99-cent store and you'll be cashing in on savings that count.

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Mr. Slickshit

Any feedback on dollar-store condoms...?

May 07 2013 at 8:23 PM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply
Annika

I don't buy party goods at the dollar store because the plates are thin and flimsy and don't hold up. I used to buy gift bags there, but last time I picked some up they smelled like gasoline or something chemical. I buy things like sidewalk chalk and coloring books, seasonal decor, glasses and other houseware.

May 07 2013 at 6:38 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
NANCAN

Best buy are greeting cards ... the selection is good, not great, but $1.00 certainly beats $4.99. I also think that the cleaning products are pretty good (toilet bowl cleaner, glass cleaner and liquid handsoap, but not dish detergent). Unless you're using coupons in a regular grocery store, these items can eat up cash, and let's face it, you flush most of it down the drain. My dollar store carries US brand name and made foods and I regularly buy several items including canned soup, canned beans, soy sauce and pickles. Plus, they recently added the entire "Goody" line of hair brushes, combs, etc. There are some iffy foods I pass by like jam, sauces, weird named canned items.

May 07 2013 at 1:55 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
Jim

Finishing reply to Teresa - Sorry I got cut off.
My reply was to state that although you could save 1/4 to 1/2 the price of batteries, my experience has been thaat they can be very stale dated and I've gone through a set of batteries in my camera in as little as one day as opposed to a few weeks or even a month or longer by paying the higher price for fresh ones.

Jim

May 07 2013 at 11:34 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
Linda

I have boiught paper products there. I wouldn't buy anything edible there. You don't know what China puts in it.
They put something in dog food that made sick or killed people's pets a couple of years ago. I don't trust them.

May 07 2013 at 9:21 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
filiadoro3

Where can I find a decnt dish sponge, that doesn't disintegrate after 10 days???

May 07 2013 at 8:33 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
c.mertz

Never buy caviar at a dollar store.

May 07 2013 at 8:22 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Art&Arleen

Buying "the same brand" of bread or other food does NOT guarantee it was made in the US. It just means that with no patent laws in China, they freely, albeit illegally, duplicate logos and sell food that simply fools the foolish American public.

May 07 2013 at 6:15 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
aljean68

made in usa thats only way to go

December 14 2012 at 5:02 PM Report abuse +2 rate up rate down Reply
ENGLISH

YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL IN BUYING FOOD ITEMS TO CHECK WHERE IT COMES FROM.

December 14 2012 at 3:09 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply

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