topic Re: the dollar store?? in Community Chat

the dollar store??

qualitygal — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 12:32:17 GMT

have you found any little helps there??? i keep hearing that come up. depends on good vs. not so good. any experiences?

Re: the dollar store??

Patriot3 — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 12:57:50 GMT

I think it depends on what you're looking for. Recently I discovered their greeting cards which are very nice. I cringed everytime I had to buy cards at Hallmark or Am Greetings....so expensive!

Re: the dollar store??

mimomof4 — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 13:02:51 GMT

Not all Dollar Stores are created equal. Dollar General I don't care for at all. I have 2 Dollar Trees near me and they differ quite a bit in what is carried. The one I prefer is a great place to go for Greeting cards, gift bags, a cleaner called something Awesome (it really is awesome), candy, Helium balloons, decor items (I was in there last week and they had really cute fall dishes and bowls). My son needed a pair of socks for a school project - went to the dollar store and found them.

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Group 5 minus 1 — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 13:03:06 GMT

We recently got a coupon for 10% off. We spent $140.00 that day. It is usually a fun trip.

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Baylie — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 13:44:51 GMT

Our Dollar Tree is a great place to buy name brand tissues (I have allergies and use a lot), gift bags, cards and little things for kids. I also buy ziplock bag there if I am not going to use them for food. Just don't know about the brands they carry.

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beckyb1012 — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 14:06:44 GMT

It is the only place I buy cleaning supplies and greeting cards. I do not buy any electronics since I got burned on one string of Christmas lights years ago. Never even came on. I have also found unique items there such as Brachs Chocolate Milk Maids just like their caramel ones. Also on one Valentine's 's season they had Russell Stover Chocolate Chip cookie dough hearts covered in chocolate. Never saw them in any other stores except on line at the R. Stover web site. Not all Dollar Stores are the same some are gross and some are very nice.

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Imaoldhippie — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 14:18:11 GMT

I am a Dollar General fan. I buy my canned products, pastas, cleaning supplies, paper products, greeting cards, trashbags, etc there. I buy their brand Clover Valley. I find it just as good if not better than some name brands. I do buy my laundry and dish washing supplies by the brand, Tide and Dawn and Hefty trash bags. I get my OTC pain pills, vitamins, etc there also.

Re: the dollar store??

queendiva — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 14:31:02 GMT

I agree that not all dollar stores are created equal. I do like both Dollar General and Dollar Tree for different items/ reasons. I buy all my paper products and cleaning supplies at DG as well as CG Clump Crusher mascara for $5.00 when on sale and with a coupon. Also- greeting cards, Mylar helium balloons, gift wrap, bags and bows, office supplies, Tide, toothpaste, sometimes hair care products, name brand pain relievers like Tylenol and Advil.

I needed several silver toned 5x7 picture frames for DDIL's bridal shower to display pics of the happy couple. $1.00 each at Dollar Tree.

Re: the dollar store??

ScrapHappy — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 14:41:35 GMT

@qualitygal wrote:
have you found any little helps there??? i keep hearing that come up. depends on good vs. not so good. any experiences

I shop at Dollar Tree. This past summer I got a complete set of outdoor plates, cups, serving trays, placements, bowls, etc. Paid a fraction of the amount I put out for a set of Temptation ones years ago and got a lot more pieces. I buy all my cards there, some are a $1 and some are just 50 cents. Wrapping paper, bows, sponges for washing dishes, those hard disposable foil trays (making lasagna/ziti), hooks to hang wreaths on the door....the list goes on and on. I agree with other poster, not all dollar stores are the same. The Dollar Tree nearest to me is very nice, clean, well stocked. But across town, it's horrible.

Re: the dollar store??

depglass — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 14:47:15 GMT

Our Dollar Tree is located right by Walmart and they are always mobbed. Go figure, they are doing something right. I never shopped these stores until we bought a cottage near a town with nothing but dollar stores. Dollar Tree and Dollar General are good, Family Dollar is the pits. They just don't stock anything, and I'm talking about two stores.

Re: the dollar store??

RespectLife — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 14:48:19 GMT

I don't want to cause a debate or heated discussion...but just wanted to throw this out there.

My sister is the FDA Compliance Officer for a national Custom Brokerage Firm.

They handle importing and exporting of goods from around the world.

As FDA Officer, she works on a daily basis with FDA laws and regulations and the shipments of goods attempting to cross any border into the US (land, sea or air).

She says 98% of the items HELD/IMPOUNDED are destined for Dollar Store Chains. The FDA will seize and test random loads of goods/foods. The highest % of those refused are for Dollar Stores. Once tested, they are found to contain unacceptable levels of toxins, organisms etc. Sent right back where they came from.

Testing at the borders is randomly done and clearly can't catch all offenses.

She has told me repeatedly to be VERY careful what I buy at Discount Chains. Especially never, ever purchase Spices. They are continually found to contain non-food items such as feces, hairs etc. Believe it or not, there is an ACCEPTABLE level that can be contained, but if it tests over...it is rejected.

Her rule of thumb is :

Never purchase anything you consume or put on your face. Be very careful about everything else.

Cosmetics may have a 'Name' label, but are most often produced in lesser factories than the norm (in foreign countries), where the standards of sanitation are MUCH lower. Kitchen utensils which go into your food are a No for her as well.

I know so many people who love Dollar Stores, but I just wanted to point out some information that I know first hand since my sister deals with it everyday.

Re: the dollar store??

Lipstickdiva — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 15:05:16 GMT

I go to the Dollar Tree for cards and gift bags in particular and I know a lot of people who get balloons for parties. I was there in August and they were just putting out their fall decor. I got some really cute items including some mini pumpkins, a couple of wooden signs and some metal owl yard stakes that I put in a couple of my potted mums.

I don't buy food or beauty items from there ever and I don't buy garbage bags, tin foil, etc. because I find them really low quality. The tin foil ripped as I was trying to wrap something and garbage bags got holes in them.

I don't care for Dollar General at all and I don't even find them to be cheaper then buying in a regular store, especially if I have a coupon.

Re: the dollar store??

qualitygal — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 15:02:21 GMT

@RespectLife, appreciate the info/heads up.

Re: the dollar store??

chrystaltree — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 15:13:43 GMT

It depends on what you want, I love my trips to the dollar stores. I always come out with a bunch of stuff I need but didn't know I needed when went in. It was Fall dish towel/pot holder sets last time. I bought a bunch of them, I'll use them right through Thanksgiving. I also got some other Fall decorator items. I buy a lot of stuff there, with the exception of food items. There are a lot of counterfeit foods around, the packages are almost indistinguishable from name brands.

Re: the dollar store??

homedecor1 — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 15:19:03 GMT

All our Dollar Tree stores are going thru "update & remodeling". The nearest one is big (took over where Tuesday Morning was).

They are always neat & clean. I normally buy cards, trinkets for my gd, themed paper things, etc. -- i never buy any food or health items.

Our Dollar General store in our area on the other hand is always messy & dirty.

I guess it it depends on the manager & staff at the store(s). Same as other stores I go, ie, Macy's is always a mess☹️

I was just there picking up cards for Thanksgiving and they had the nicest display of Christmas dishes/servingware.

My biggest problem with Dollar store is I never spend just a Dollar😉

Re: the dollar store??

viva923 — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 15:18:21 GMT

the dollar stores we have around my town are 2.

dollar tree use to carry many items, but over the years have cut way back on clean supplies. that is where i would purchase my dusting sprays and some other general clean agents which were really good.

the dollar general we have has many items, limited selection of items, but can find good deals on laundry soaps and such, cleaning supplies selection is limited but still good.

just depends on what you are looking for.

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VanSleepy — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 15:19:35 GMT

People are naming Dollar Tree, Dollar General, etc., and I never paid attention what the "name" is of any that I go to. I call them all the dollar store lol. I didn't know they had different names like that!

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CelticCrafter — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 15:27:54 GMT

@RespectLife, if it goes in me or on me I will not buy it from a dollar store.

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SeaMaiden — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 16:10:55 GMT

I buy certain things at the dollar tree store. I have been shopping the dollar tree stores for many years... have not died yet LOL!

Cards, tape, wrapping paper etc... type products...

I buy canned salmon, mackeral and sardines to give my dogs..

. I buy zip lock bags and such...

H2O2 for cleaning..

Last time I was there I found a really good name brand same lipstick sold at CVS that is my FAVORITE LIP STICK NOW. For a dollar... what a deal!

. actually a lot of items that the regular stores carry and charge triple for. I go once every couple of months to stock up... it is fun and I save a lot of money!

Re: the dollar store??

Hooty — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 16:09:33 GMT

I am a fan of the Dollar Tree, we have many in my city, and everything is $1.00! The other so called "dollar" stores are not for me, and sometimes they are over priced, and are always getting robbed, many in my area are out in the middle of nowhere!!!