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For someone who does not shop there you sure know their routine.
Did I read wrong or did you? It seemed to me the routine she was describing was from the grocery store she does shop at not the Dollar General she said she did not shop at.
I have never shopped at dollar stores, but lately they are sprouting up like weeds around me. Which is kind of bizarre, because businesses have been closing up and leaving this area for the last 30 years at least. We have lots of vacant storefronts. All the gas stations except one are closed. The local grocery stores are a complete joke. Except for the modern checkout stands, they look like they haven't been remodeled since the 1960s.
But in the middle of this economic disaster, Dollar General decided to tear down a bunch of vacant buildings and build a brand new store. Having heard people talk so much about dollar stores I decided to stop by this new Dollar General, to check it out for the first time. It was my first time ever in a dollar store. I had a coupon for $5 which I thought I could use for something, but I couldn't use it. The prices were are a complete joke. Nothing I could see was even close to $1. They should call it a $5 store, because that is about the cheapest items they have. I'm not sure how this store compares to other Dollar General stores, but if this is the best they have to offer, the chain is doomed. The only thing this Dollar General could compete with around here would be the local 7-Eleven store, and they are failing at that. As I drove into the store, I wasn't even sure it was open, because there were so few cars in the parking lot. The Dollar General had two employees and one customer, other than me. The 7-Eleven store next door had five or six customers in the store at that same time.
This got me thinking and wondering why these dollar stores are such a big deal. Do you shop at dollar stores and why? Are your dollar stores different than the one I described above? I'm curious to know.
That's where I mainly shop. We moved to a fairly rural area and the closest grocery store is about the size of a Jiffy. Because of that, our local Dollar Generals carry a lot of groceries and cold items so I get a lot of things there. I think they have really good deals. For more shopping I can go to some of the surrounding larger cities, but I'm not much of a shopper except out of necessity and mainly shop for food.
My SIL loves Dollar Stores because she can take her grandkids there and get them a lot of little toys and games for not much money, but I try to avoid Made in China so that's out for me.
I don't have to watch my spending, but I do. I find there are actually a number of good buys at the Dollar Tree near me that are not made in China - I try to avoid such items, too, though it's getting harder and harder, isn't it? For example, I live by myself and got tired of staining my nice cloth placemats , so I save those now for when company is eating at my house and bought some pretty vinyl, wipe-clean ones at Dollar Tree that were labeled as being made in the USA. (Shocking, I know!) There were even matching stone coasters, so I bought a few of those, too.
I also buy a lot of things like rubbing alcohol, Yardley soaps, sugar-free cough drops, and other items there. I stay away from the obvious junky stuff, but there are good bargains to be found.
I read an article on one of the business websites I frequent earlier this year that quite a few dollar-type store shoppers earn over $75K a year. I'm retired, so that isn't me anymore, but the idea that only low-income people shop there is untrue.
I don't consider Dollar General or Family Dollar a dollar store.
Dollar Tree is the best dollar store I buy a lot of my non food items there such as freezer bags, foil, dog treats, napkins, soap, hand soap. Sometimes I just go every month or other month and stock up on what I need. Sometimes they have some really good items, if you see them stock up because it may be a close out that they won't get again.
The bad-old-days when one tiny tube of Superglue was $3.99.
Now, thanks to Dollar-Tree and similar, 2 good sized tubes for a buck, BAM, take that.
DollarTree has a four-pack of "single use" tubes. Since the normal size tube usually dries up/clogs up after a use or two, I think this is a better deal.
Dollar Tree has some great deals...was just there today. Bought some plastic charger plates in faux bronze to use as drip trays under plants I just bought inside for the winter.
Got some kitchen sponges, a couple of small notebooks to use for grocery list-making.
And the best deal was a cute LED light with three settings for over the stove as my hood light is defunct...now I can see the food I'm burning..lol.
And DT is my go-to store for gift wrap, bags and boxes...
DollarTree has a four-pack of "single use" tubes. Since the normal size tube usually dries up/clogs up after a use or two, I think this is a better deal.
YESH, I hate the metal-tubes of superglue......I go with the plastic-bottles, seem much neater.
I love Dollar Tree. I call it my "happy store". Besides getting fun decorative stuff (esp. for holidays) for $1, there is some stuff I will only buy there because it is the cheapest. Bleach and baby aspirin come to mind. The Dollar General stores around here tend to be dark dumps, even when they are brand-new. Family Dollar and Dollar Tree are owned by the same company. I get cat food at Family Dollar, but not much else.
And the laundry spray degreaser “It’s Awesome!” It really is. I like the smaller bottle because we go through spray bottles in our business.
Dollar tree cards are now Hallmark cards.
__________________ Solly says — Be nice!
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Solly says — Be nice!
