Originally Posted By Mary Poppins Are they a great destination for shopping or are they hopelessly cheap. Me, I like them for a change but only buy paper items and food. I like it when the store is "everything under a buck" because I know the price of everything. In the other stores, the prices start to creep up.
Originally Posted By gottaluvdavillains one of our dollar stores either just closed or will be within the next week or so...maybe because even with the name the dollar store - everything was $1.25...
Originally Posted By x Pirate_Princess x I can find some great stuff there. I will walk up and down the aisles and put anything I think I may need in my cart. Then, when I get to the front, I've put $30 worth of stuff in there! Party supplies, travel supplies, kitchen supplies, storage supplies...I love it!!!
Originally Posted By x Pirate_Princess x We just got 2 new Dollar Trees. I have one about 7 miles, and they opened one next to Walmart and a brand new one by the mall. I love them!!!
Originally Posted By Mary Poppins I love the surprise finds, like Hershey chocolate bars for $.50 and other one-of-a-kind items. x Pirate Princess x it is amazing how fast the prices add up. But for stationery, they can't be beat.
Originally Posted By x Pirate_Princess x yes, gotta love the Stationary... lots of Disney stuff, too, at Dollar Tree. I buy the girls their little "surprises" when we're out.
Originally Posted By poohbear14 I like the 99 cent stores. They're more conveniently located around me. They have pretty good produce at times too. I've found great storage containers and a really nice strainer. And you can't beat a 99 cent bread knife. Good for cutting tomatoes, watermelon, squash and other things besides bread. Also they get some odd ball candies that are interesting to try too. One year around Christmastime they had Mint Kit Kats.
Originally Posted By 999HAUNTS I am a Dollar Tree-aholic. I go during lunch just to get ideas for gift baskets. You can really put a nice one together if you look hard enough. Lots of candle items and room fresheners, stickers, bows, whatever. It's pretty easy to put a basket together for a house warming gift, too, with all of the kitchen gadgets that they have there. They also have Disney color books and wordsearches. Those, along with the Disney crayons/markers make great Easter basket stuffers.
Originally Posted By 999HAUNTS Oh, and they also have a decent scrapbooking section. You can get a whole pack of 12 x 12 papers for a buck. Stickers too!
Originally Posted By fkurucz I have an acquaintance who opened her own dollar store. One thing that I noticed is that her food items are sometimes from unusual places. Her breakfast cereals (off brand of course) were made in Eqypt.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip Ewww... Dollar Stores make Wal-Mart seem like Nordstrom's. Went to one once, that was enough.
Originally Posted By nevadarebel I love the dollar store for wrapping stuff, gift bags, tissue paper, cards. I too get stuff for gift baskets that I make. I don't do the food stuff but the rest is great. My mom has taken my kids shopping at Christmas every year for the last 11 years at the dollar store. She gives them each $20 and they buy for everyone in the family. Great gifts that are inexpesive. It isn't about what they buy, it is about why they buy.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan In the other stores, the prices start to creep up.<< I always joke that I could go broke saving money at the dollar store. Everything is only a buck so I start loading up ridiculous things I don't really need. "Oh look, a flashlight! It's only a buck! And dish soap, we can never have too much dish soap. And lookit! Christmas decor for only a buck!" And so it goes. Half my time there involves coming to my senses before I apprach the checkout counter and putting back 3/4 of the impulse buys I tossed into the basket. I never buy food in them. It always seems to be some never heard of brand, and the cans are covered in dust. I picked up a loaf of bread once and the bottom of it was covered in bright green mold. No thanks. They're fun stores. But if only they could do something to get rid of that hideous, plastic-y smell every one of those stores is filled with.
Originally Posted By JohnS1 I like the inexpensive food items from other parts of the country - sometimes very good food very cheap. I hate that everything else but the food is made in China however, and I don't buy that stuff. Hey Toonie - when you gonna read my online novel? (-;
Originally Posted By x Pirate_Princess x I love Dollar Tree for food...but only brands I've heard... Dollar Trees have the Malt O Meal cereals-in-a-bag, and it's the same that I can find at Walmart..where they are almost $3 a bag. Also, things like canisters of Fritos and Candy for the holidays are great!
Originally Posted By DVC_dad <<< if only they could do something to get rid of that hideous, plastic-y smell every one of those stores is filled with.>>> You must be joking! Don't you know what that smell is? Ths is the smell of China. Yep, all the poison and illegal chemicals used in the plastic "toys" and trinkets. Man, I thought EVERYONE knew what THAT was. I take my kids in there every now and then. It's a lot of fun and cheaper than *cough* *cough* Walmart. But I don't let them buy anything that they could ingest. I mean if that store is selling it for a dollar, it probably cost the store 5 ¢
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan Hey Toonie - when you gonna read my online novel? (-;<< I sat down to begin the other night and then got called away. I need to get back to it!
Originally Posted By DVC_dad Hey Toony, If you ever have a chance I'd like to discuss something with you outside of LP. Can you drop me an email sometime if you're comfortable doing so? It's in my profile.
