15 Items TO BUY at Dollar Tree and 10 items NOT TO BUY at Dollar Tree
If you have a Dollar Tree nearby and are looking to get the most bang for your buck, you may be wondering what deals are really great buys and what things you should avoid wasting your money on.
To become a savvy Dollar Tree shopper, be sure to check out this list of things to buy or NOT to buy at your local Dollar Tree – where everything is priced at just $1 each (keep in mind that product inventory can vary greatly from store to store).
15 Items TO BUY at Dollar Tree:
1. Greeting Cards
Why pay $3 or $4 for a single greeting card when you can purchase an American Greetings card for just $1 each at the Dollar Tree (or possibly less if a coupon is available!)?! Consider stocking up on cards for upcoming events while you’re there.
2. Party Supplies
Shop for parties and special occasions at the Dollar Tree! You can snag a huge selection of various party supplies, wrapping paper, gift bags, tableware, and more for just $1 each, which is a huge discount compared to other retail stores that sell items for 4-5x the cost.
If you’re needing to decorate for a party, head to Dollar Tree where you can snag various Helium Balloons for just $1 each. Plus, you can select the empty balloons that you’d like and they’ll even fill them with FREE Helium after checkout so they’re full of air and ready to go!
3. Bread
Select stores offer name-brand packages of bread, bagels, and more for just $1 per loaf that normally sell for $2.50-$3 each at the grocery store. Keep in mind that these items may be nearing their expiration date within a few days or a week, so consider freezing or storing in the refrigerator.
4. Best-Selling Books & Movies
You may be able to find best-selling books (by authors such as Nicholas Sparks or Janet Evanovich) and even Blu-ray movies priced at just $1 each! These books retail sell for over $10-$12 at your local bookstore, so this is a great deal to snag if you’re needing new reading material.
You may even be able to find Blu-ray and DVD movies for just a buck each! Such a crazy price!
Also, a great deal to snag for the kiddos is on coloring books. They have a large selection of coloring books and various activity books – all for just $1! These would make great stocking stuffers and additions to birthday gifts…and a great way to keep the kids entertained in the car, at doctor’s visits, or on-the-go!
5. Reading Glasses
Keep your eyes peeled for prescription strength fashion reading glasses for just $1 per pair, which normally sell for several dollars at other stores. Glasses for a buck?! Seems like a bargain to me!
6. Spices
Planning to cook or bake or just want to refresh your spice collection? You may be able to find select spices or pepper grinders for just $1 each, which is a great deal compared to the expensive prices at the local grocery store. With the holidays quickly approaching, you may be able to head on over to your local Dollar Tree and snag baking spices on the cheap.
7. Hair Accessories
Shopping for a little girl or looking for inexpensive stocking stuffers? You can often find packs of hair clips, hair ties, and hair bows priced at just $1 each!
8. Cosmetics
Keep an eye out for name-brand cosmetics from brands like Maybelline, Milani, Soft Lips, Wet ‘n Wild, and more priced at just a buck! Pair these low prices with manufacturer’s coupons and you may even be able to score Free makeup!
9. Sunscreen
If you’re headed to the beach or pool, stock up on sunscreen for just $1 each at Dollar Tree. You may even be able find smaller bottles of the normally expensive sunscreen brands like Bullfrog (most likely only during seasonal months) for just $1 that sell for much more at the grocery store. And, rumor has it that these bottles work just the same as the normally expensive brands.
10. Pregnancy Tests
Why pay $8-$10 for a pregnancy test when you can find Pregnancy Tests for just $1 each at Dollar Tree!? And, rumor has it that these tests work just the same as other name-brand tests.
11. Cleaning Supplies
Select cleaning supplies found at Dollar Tree appear to work just the same as name-brand products. One product I’ve found that works great is a 2-pack of Quick Erasers pictured above (similar to the more expensive Magic Erasers)… and they’re just $1 per 2-count box!
12. Picture Frames
Decorate your house with picture frames from Dollar Tree! Similar picture frames may cost $5 or more at other stores and look just the same. Before purchasing, be sure to check that the hanging bracket or hook is securely attached.
13. Gardening Items
If you’re planning to do some yardwork, keep an eye out for packets of seeds for just 25¢ each (4 for $1). They also offer bags of mulch, seed starters, gardening tools and more – just $1 each!
14. Drinking Glasses/Mugs
I’ve spotted super cute drinking glasses, travel mugs, and coffee mugs for just $1 each that would also make great gift ideas for teachers or family members. Or, stock up a college dorm room with glassware or dishes for just $1 each.
15. Decorative Baskets
Browse around for decorative or storage baskets for just $1 each that may sell for several dollars at other stores. Also, look for seasonal baskets that would be perfect for making gift baskets or using for home decor!
To see the items NOT to buy at the Dollar Tree, click the link below “Read More / Post Your Comments”
10 Things NOT to Buy at Dollar Tree:
1. Toys
Steer clear of dollar toys as they are often cheap quality and may not meet safety standards.
2. Gum
Gum is often repackaged into smaller packs so you’re not getting as good of a deal as you could get at a grocery store or drugstore during a sale when paired with a coupon.
3. Paper Products
Cheaper is not always the best deal, especially when it comes to household items like toilet paper or paper towels. A four-pack of 1-ply toilet paper for $1 may seem good, but you can often get more for your money at other stores or even when shopping online.
4. Batteries
The battery life may not last as long as name-brand batteries, so you’re better off buying batteries elsewhere or waiting for a sale and using coupons.
5. School supplies
Although you can get smaller packs of pencils or pens for just $1 each, you can get better deals at Office Supplies, Target, or even drugstores during Back to School sales or when paired with coupons.
6. Tools
Don’t buy your tools at the Dollar Tree unless you’re only planning to use them a couple times as the quality is not that great. Consider investing in a more expensive tool set during a sale or around the holiday season.
7. Plastic Food containers
According to a recent study, the quality of these containers are very poor and may not be safe for using with food. Unless you’re planning to use these containers to store cleaning supplies or other non-food items, consider purchasing food containers elsewhere.
8. Soda
If you drink soda, skip past the Soda aisle as you can often get name-brand bottles of soda for much less when paired with a sale at grocery and big-box stores.
9. Pet food
Shop for your furry friends at a pet or grocery store as experts warn about the lack of quality standards with dollar-store pet food.
10. Kitchen Utensils
Although they may offer a variety of miscellaneous kitchen utensils for just $1 each, the quality of these items may not stand up to what you’d find in other retail stores for a few dollars more.
A few money-saving tips:
- Looks can be deceiving! Be sure to compare sizes and prices to what you’d normally pay at your local grocery store after coupons before deciding on purchasing. As you can see above, a 3-count package of size 4 Huggies diapers or a 6-load bottle of Tide Simply Clean & Fresh for $1 each may not end up being the best price per item/ounce.
- At Dollar Tree, you can use manufacturer’s coupons or occasional store coupons for increased savings! Plus, they accept coupons for over a dollar on multiple items as long as the coupon amount does not exceed the combined retail price of the items indicated. Be sure to print the store’s coupon policy and bring it with you while shopping.
- If you have issues using coupons at Dollar Tree, be sure to contact the Dollar Tree customer service by phone at 1-877-530-TREE or via the contact form here to share your positive and negative feedback.
I’ve always used Dollar tree pregnancy tests and they work great. I’ve used them when I was, and when I was not pregnant and they were always accurate.
i can get bread for under $1at many stores where i live Aldi’s =.85 cents Food Lion and Kroger even Walmart have loaf bread under $1. i find that MOST food items cost more at D.T than local grocery stores because the zies is smaller you are tricked . ALSO i disagree about the readers (glasses) they break to easily so better to pay a couple dollars more at Walmart and have them last then pay to replace them too often. only time to get them at D.T is if you are way from home and need them A.S.A.P. for temporary usage as they do not last long. and in the long run if a person coupons makeup and other items in larger sizes can be bought cheaper than the D.T. at CVS & Walgreens, Rite – aide- Walmart – Target to name a few places but non couponers might find D.T a bargain NOw for a lot of things it is .i love DT. but i shop wisely and on a budget so compare and know your prices look at size and volumes.
WHAT? What kind of bread are you getting? Like a 4 pack of whole wheat bread?
The Rye bread is good to toast but for a sandwhich the bread falls apart as you’re eating it.
Actually, if you pick the right batteries, they last just as long as the name-brand ones! It’s usually the consumer’s fault when choosing batteries at the dollar store. You gotta look for the “made for high-drain devices”. I’ve never had to buy batteries anywhere else because I love the ones at the dollar store so much!!
Disagree: you’re painting with too broad a brush on some of these categories like kitchen utensils, tools, food containers, and cleaning supplies. The devil is in the details: SOME of those categories are great buys, and some are horrible.
The little Honey Bears include high fructose corn syrup (a slow killer) and are not pure Honey, read the ingredients. Several of the spices are labeled as the spice but actually include salt and other ingredients you would not be expecting. Most of the popcorn has hydronated oil,- (which is a slow killer) If you are on a strict diet, no or low salt, low sugar: read every label, tell your parents to read the labels.
We aren’t anti vax organic kids.
Tho I shop at Dollar Tree all of the time, you do have to be careful of many of the food items. I ‘d always thought anything that humans eat in the US could not be made in China. Well a lot of the spices that they sell are. Then I bought a jar of Garlic, it was also made in China. The packaged name-brand foods have always been OK, never ever buy PET anything, never buy Gravy Train.
I gave my dog some DT wet dog food and he had diahrea and throwing up for 48 hours! Never again!
DisAgree with the bread you can buy cheap tasteless bread for under a dollar. But you can’t buy the good quality bread for a dollar lot better tasting.you may find some that has a good date buy extra and freeze it.
I’ve found the knock off brand off clean and clear face wash to be absolutely amazing for my super oily skin/ acne prone skin. works better than any other brand and exactly the same as the more expensive name brand.but for only $1.00 can’t beat that price
Dollars tree stores are better than family dollar even though there partnership with them its pretty bad now orices are very high on there products and the rules they have you cant bring some items back after three times bullcrap i have a receipt why not oh the family dollar on 21st in wichita had a cashier scan a pack of smoke that was not what i smoke and then tell me oh my fault but i can not return them so i said well i dont want them she said well you decide to do what you want that pist me off but went on and bought another pack its not fare they make you buy stuff if you dont want it or ask for it im a regular but the problem is jill the store manager wounder why everyone quitting on her shes very disrespectful to her employees and certain customers so its better to go to Wal-Mart and get what i need oh wounder why the dollar bags of liter have not had it in 3mos now no body is going to buy that 5 or 4 dollar cat litter so i wish that family dollar a good year in 2019 cause its going to pits and i dont care
The cards are only 50 cents at Dollar Tree. I like the Lusti detangler and frizz ease a good buy it works great on my hair. If you can find it in stock.
Hi. Even this supposedly good deal on Magic Erasers (Quick Erasers) at the Dollar Tree is a ripoff. Magic or Quick Erasers are simply melamine foam sponges with fancy packaging and a huge markup. Buy them in bulk on e-bay for about 12 cents each, or you can get them even cheaper directly from China on aliexpress for about 5 cents apiece.
Dollar Tree’s tortilla flat bread always tastes like soap.
I read a lot of comments about things you should NOT buy at Dollar Tree and a long time ago, but not presently (or even in this column) I did NOT see that one should not buy OTC drugs, I ignored that before thinking like when you buy grocery store generic brands it was cheaper because you are not paying for advertising costs (though sometimes I wondered I felt that it was not working) but then I saw this article. https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/fda-sends-a-warning-letter-to-dollar-tree-about-its-otc-drugs-111519.html, I have decided not to buy them again.
I used to be real careful of products in shampoos and stuff because I used to sell MLM brand Neways which warned about chemicals in toiletries and I got breast cancer anyway and now would just buy a big cheap bottle brand of shampoo etc. but now reading this I won’t (though I have some hesitation on throwing them out, but medical bills are higher than toiletries so shouldn’t be penny wise and pound foolish.)
Also read this article, it saddens me because I as a frugal person, really want to buy from here (kind of want to boycott Walmart as I feel the family make too much money off the low salaries of their employees) but the old axiom you get what you pay for is so true.
This is another article about them https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/dollar-general-dollar-tree-and-family-dollar-fined-12-million-for-selling-obsolete-and-expired-products-082619.html