Not sure about where you live, but when I go to the dollar store, there is very little in the store that actually only costs a dollar? I go to two main chains of dollar stores, Dollarama which is a Canadian chain and Dollar Tree which is US chain. Dollar Tree, I think things are either $1.50 or $1.75 each. However many, many things are much higher.
In Dollarama, their prices are all over the place. I picked up a 2 package of Command Hooks for $4.25 the other day. A loaf of bread for $2. The name brand cleaning products can be $3+. Now granted it's still generally cheaper than the regular stores, but gone are the days of everything being a dollar.
In Canada the food sold in the dollar stores are all shelf stable foods, whereas in the States, they sell frozen foods also. I do find it interesting how many videos there are out there of people cooking full meals only using food purchased from the dollar stores, like the one below.
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We used to have the 2 dollar shop. But their prices started to go well over the two dollars. They were then rebranded as the reject shop. Now they have been bought out by dollarama so they’re all going to change again
Here in the UK the biggest chain is "poundland" followed by "poundstretchers" . MOST goods are £1, but lately there have been other items [ never seen anything above £5 though] They sell foodstuffs - and sometimes branded goods BUT they are a bit of a con. They do a deal with the manufacturer so what you get is often a slightly smaller package [eg 250gm instead of 300gm] so you think you are getting a bargain, but often the price per kilo is just the same, sometimes more. Often the quality is poor. You get what you pay for!
We are spoilt for choice with supermarkets on the town ring road. I do our weekly grocery shop at Aldi, shopping for basic ingredients to cook healthy meals on a small budget. I can walk across to M&S Food for the best price wholemeal plain flour, or to Sainsbury’s for more varied dried pulses and frozen vegetables.
Poundland, Home Bargains, and B&M seem cheap but sell very little fresh food and a lot of UPF stuff. People buy this stuff to feed a family, but I look at the trolley and see just snacks, with lots of packaging, no nourishment, nothing to make a filling, healthy meal for growing children.
You used to be able to count on Dollar Tree for only a dollar but after tariffs (and maybe even before) they upped it to at least 1.50.
Dollarama prices are ridiculous. I don't bother doing a full grocery haul in there - just things like gum and bodywash are what I grab. Even their loofahs, $1 when really they could offer 2 for 1 - they know folks will continue to shop here!
I find dollar stores are no longer dollar stores for the most part. We rarely buy food at the dollar store because lots of times it's past the best date. I mainly use it for purchasing birthday cards for family members (no longer buy them for friends and instead use the Jackie Lawson e-cards) and craft supplies...mainly stickers for putting on letter envelopes that are heading for our grandkids. The RC sometimes buys ziploc bags there and maybe some glass containers for storage.
I miss the days of being able to take a $10 into Dollar Tree and stock up.
Yeah our £ shops are the same, many things are not £, plus they can sometimes be more expense than elsewhere
Here in the UK we have "poundland" and "poundstretchers".
I've only been in them a couple of times ... you do have to shop with care, the quality is not always the best but I guess you get what you pay for.
Sometimes I think it's better to pay that little bit more, but then we each have to look after our own purses and wallets!
Wherever you shop these days prices are going up - keep your eyes open for bargains - they are around :)
All the best Jan
i've never seen outdated food at our Dollaramas.
Those little cans of pop in a six pack are usually chaper there than the supermarket.
There are some good finds in the candy aisles. What I find interesting is latelely a lot of their own brand food items are from the EU. I don't worry about the quality of those items because their standards are higher than ours.
Napkins are interesting. Seasonal ones from Germany are far cheap there. Gift bags and have a look at the books
I have bought garden ornaments and solar lights at our Dollarama, but not much else. If Harvey is with me he will grab a couple of chocolate bars.
God bless.
Our Dollar Tree charges $1.25 for most things. I do shop there for a few odds and ends, but rarely buy any food products.
Nothing at our Dollar Store for a dollar anymore. Some are 1.25 and most are increasing to 1.50. I haven't been for a while as I can find comparable products for about the same at our Walmart. My son found a price scanner in his dollar store the other day. I suppose they are getting tired of people complaining about the price of items as they are mixing them all in together!
At our local dollar story (called Field's), the manager told us that what's on the shelves is what's sent to them...they don't order anything. I guess it's sort of a repository for what isn't selling elsewhere marked down to sell.
THe last time I went to Dollar Tree here everything was 1.25, but that was a while ago. It might have gone up to 1.50 now.
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