How to Find the Real Bargains While Shopping at Dollar Stores

I take great pride in being the cheapest person I have ever known. If it is not on sale, or from a discount store - don't waste my time. However, price isn't the only thing to take into consideration when looking for a real bargain; quality and quantity are also major indicators of whether you're thinking like a bargain-hunting pro, or are just an average cheap-a-holic.

Dollar stores are great places to find great bargains, but they can also be wallet emptying come-ons. There are several national and regional choices in the U.S. that are a variation of the dollar store theme: .99 Cents only, Dollar Tree, Dollar Mart - and of course - The Dollar Store. I have extensive experience at all of these chains, but primarily hop between my two current favorites: .99 cent and Dollar Tree. What I have found is that the majority of these stores carry a lot of the same types of things, the unifying thread being that no one item costs more than either .99 cents or one dollar. Sounds great, right? You don't even have to stop and think about how much you're spending, since nothing is more than a dollar! Guess again.

Even if your store is selling everything for only one dollar, you obviously need to make a profit to stay in business. This works in a couple different ways. The first one I will go over has to do with impulse buying. Any shopper of merit understands the concept of the impulse buy; it's dangling in front of you at the checkout counter, and is so cheap, so you grab it and throw it in the cart. Or, it's the toy aisle that you have to go through in order to get little Johnny to the restroom in time. This is a big problem with a dollar store; you have sometimes as much as 10,000 square feet of impulse buy central. Since it is way too easy to succumb to buy everything because "it's so cheap", here are a couple impulse rules to follow:

Make a list ahead of time - Pick out the items you know you need, and stick to the items and quantity. If you are still new to dollar stores and not sure what they carry, make a sample list and refine it as you go.

Don't go that often - Only go when you are low on several items. That way you will buy the essentials and leave the impulse items behind. It's a lot easier to overspend in five and ten dollar increments and justify it. But if you are spending twenty, fifty or a hundred dollars at a time - you will be more likely to just stick to what you actually need.

The real way dollar stores suck your wallet dry is by offering trial sizes of brand items and smaller sizes in general of regular off-brand items. Sometimes when you are buying separate items - a can of tuna for example - the one dollar is more than you would actually pay at a regular market! Other items to watch out for are cereals, dry soups and box mixes and other snack products. Also - a roll of a few flimsy paper towels for a dollar does not compare to a brand one for two dollars that lasts four times as long. Other items to watch out for:

Toilet Paper - check how many sheets and whether it is one ply or two. Opt for the highest content, but also compare with your regular market.

Bottled Drinks and Sodas - Make sure the single and six-packs are really that great a deal when compared with larger case sizes and sales at regular markets.

Toys and anything battery-operated - I have never seen such garbage as the junky toy offerings and battery operated push lights, flashlights, personal fans, etc. offered at these places - for only a dollar! The toys in a fast-food kid's meal work better - just don't waste your money.

My favorite dollar items are gourmet foodstuffs (capers, crushed garlic, sauces and dressings), party goods and paper cups and plates, batteries, plastic storage containers, canned foods (check quantities), crackers, cookies, sandwich bags and other wrappings, juice, and limited items - sometimes they have a great deal on a brand item for a brief time. Final word of advice - watch out for food that has gone past the stale date! Those are big offenders at these kinds of places. With a little experience, you too can be an expert dollar store shopper, and finally be able to save up for that yacht you've always wanted! Well, at least maybe a fun night on the town once in awhile.