13 Worst Things to Buy at Dollar Stores (Dollar Tree Included)
These discount retailers stock plenty of bargains, but not every product is worth the buck.
As inflation surges, it seems like a dollar gets you less and less. Even dollar stores aren't really "dollar" stores anymore as most items you'll find in them are priced above that now.
But that's just semantics for many of the newest dollar store converts. In a call with investors after Dollar Tree released its third quarter results last December, Chief Executive Mike Creedon said 60% of households that shopped at Dollar Tree last year earn $100,000 or more.
Higher earners are turning to the discount retailer not because they can't afford to pay more but because they're trying to stretch each dollar they earn as far as they can amid rising prices and an uncertain economic outlook.
However, if you find yourself filling your basket with dollar-store buys that you never use because the quality is poor or the brand is unfamiliar, you’re not stretching your dollar but simply wasting your money.
To help you separate legitimate bargains from cheaply-made products that aren't worth your buck, we revisited Dollar Tree stores, where everything sells for around $1.25 or less. We wanted to take a look at what was on the shelves. We were careful to compare the prices and packaging of those items with prices and packaging at other retailers, a key step to successful dollar-store shopping.
One tip right off the bat: Pay attention to sizes and quantities. Manufacturers will often offer special versions of their products as they work to make a profit at the dollar stores' fixed price point. For the consumer, this isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker, but it does make comparisons to offerings at other retailers difficult. You need to keep a close eye on unit cost and even what those units are — items? Ounces? Pounds?
After our investigation, here are 13 of the worst things to buy at dollar stores, either because the price is high or the quality is low — or, in some cases, both.
1. Batteries
Dollar store experts and deals sites have long been warning shoppers about buying batteries at dollar stores, especially carbon-zinc batteries. Carbon-zinc batteries don’t last as long as alkaline batteries, and they can damage devices if they leak.
The $1.25 packets of “heavy duty” batteries we found at Dollar Tree came under the e-Circuit and Panasonic brands and both were stamped with a warning: “Use for low-drain devices,” such as remotes and clock radios.
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2. Wellness products
Wellness products and vitamins can be expensive, but the solution to savings isn't at the dollar store. Of the two brands we could find on Dollar Tree's website, neither had any third-party seals or certifications. Without those, it's hard to guarantee the quality of the supplement or the lack of contaminants.
Non-ingestible wellness products are just fine to buy at dollar stores. Think cotton balls or swabs.
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3. School supplies
Buying school supplies isn't just for an August frenzy. When restocking kiddos (or college students) during the course of the school year, the $1.25-or-less lure is tempting when stocking up on school supplies, but quality appeared low on some of the products we saw and handled at Dollar Tree.
What might seem like a good deal at first could end up leading to extra money spent later when you need to replace broken pens or other supplies. Instead, to save on school supplies, stick to bulk-buying deals at warehouse stores like Costco or Sam's Club.
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4. Other perishable and non-perishable food
Those munchies and cheap eats call your name when you’re shopping at the dollar store, but, again, beware any products you’ll actually put in you. The biggest concern with food is freshness and quality. Check the expiration date to get a sense of how old a product might be. If it's nearing the end date, you might want to pass.
And even if you’ve verified freshness, is that $1.25 price tag really good value? Not always during our price checks. It pays to doublecheck the going rate at nearby stores. In most cases, it’s best to opt for supermarkets instead, which frequently run deals (especially for store loyalty card holders) and also offer trusted store brands that are especially cheap even when they aren’t on sale.
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5. Tools
When it comes to tool time, do-it-yourselfers like me get testy with tools we can’t trust. If a tool failure complicates a repair, the savings on a socket wrench, say, will evaporate quickly. And shopping experts encourage us to steer away from the dollar store’s tools section. The quality of tools sold at dollar stores is low, and the products probably won’t last long.
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6. Toys and costumes
Toys rank high on our experts’ list of things not to buy at dollar stores. For one, you're unlikely to find any name brands on the shelves of these discount retailers. The cheaper options that you do find are likely to be cheaply made and easily broken. The potential for breakage makes cheaper toys a safety hazard, too.
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7. Liquid detergents
With inflation roaring away in the supermarket aisles, it may be tempting to buy frequently used cleaning products at dollar stores. However, you may be wasting money on a weak product.
Liquid detergents (and other cleaning products) typically last up to 18 months when unopened and then need to be used within six months of opening, according to Gain.
If you can't find an expiration date on the bottle at the dollar store, skip it because you have no idea how much shelf life is left in it.
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8. Windshield washer fluid
A gallon of Driver’s Choice windshield washer fluid at Dollar Tree is $1.25. A gallon of V.I.P Super Tech windshield washer fluid at Walmart supermarket was more than twice as much at $3.27. One colored liquid is as good as the next, right?
Not really, and here’s the rub: The jug at Dollar Tree says it isn’t effective in the winter when people living in colder climates need it most! (Not to mention that letting a windshield washer system freeze up could be costly.) The Walmart windshield washer fluid promises it’s good in sub-zero temperatures.
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9. Toilet paper
Hey, we all have to go. Toilet paper is a product not to scrimp on, and you probably won’t enjoy your constitutional with TP from the dollar store. Cheap toilet paper might sound like a bargain at face value. But to get the price point down, the manufacturer is likely either skimping on number of plies or number of fibers.
To compensate for the thinner product, you'll likely end up using more of the roll per bathroom break. So you're not saving as much as you think you are.
And think of your guests, too. You don’t want to be that guy with the sandpaper.
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11. Electrical products and charger cords
Don't have high expectations about electronics from the dollar store. Same as it ever was, you get what you pay for. Unless you're looking for a "disposable" pair of earbuds or power cord that you can take on vacation and not care if you lose, it's not worth it.
You'll get more life and more quality out of reputable tech brands. Instead of going for something cheap at a dollar store, it's better to find savings on electronics by waiting for big sales like Amazon Prime Day or Black Friday.
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12. Wrapping paper
We’ve told you before, around the holidays, that while wrapping paper seems inexpensive at dollar stores, you’d be penny-wise and pound-foolish to stock up on it.
You typically get more square footage per penny when you grab a roll at Walmart, Target or almost anywhere else.
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13. Beach towels
If you’re looking for one-and-done beach towels, meaning you’re going to throw them away afterward, $1.25 a towel might seem a bargain. But that would be wasteful. And bear in mind that beach towels from dollar stores are flimsy and won’t do the hard work — drying you off — when push comes to shove.
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