Shopping: Beware of Hidden Dollar Store Dangers

The dollar store concept is actually a great one. It is a good way to save money; they sell everything from cleaning supplies to decorative accents for the home. Dollar stores are where many low income families purchase some of their groceries. But buyer beware, when it comes to dollar stores all it not what it seems.

Recently, Colgate found out that toothpaste made with dangerous chemicals baring its name was being sold at dollar stores across the country. Surprisingly, bad toothpaste is not the only problem plaguing these bargain stores. I saw a news story on Syracuse's channel 9 WSYR News that exposed the hidden dangers of shopping at dollar stores.

One alarming find made in the report was that of pizza crust being sold two years past the expiration date. The owner of "Dollarwise" here in Syracuse, New York refused to go on camera but she did state that the pizza crust with the 2 year expiration date was delivered only a few weeks ago.

At "99 Cent City", they sold national brands that we would instantly recognize but the catch is the fine prints on the labels are not in English. A spokesperson for Cadbury-Adams, the makers of "Halls" had this to say to WSYR in response to their products being sold at dollar stores:

"Some Halls products from our affiliate in Brazil have been illegally imported into the United States."

What role does the government play in protecting their consumers?

According to Don Mays, a Senior Director at Consumer Reports- our government agencies simply do not have the capabilities to police every product coming into our country, reports WSYR-TV.

"Government agencies are not property staffed or funded property in order to prevent unsafe products from crossing our borders. The staff of the government watchdog agencies responsible for product safety here - the staff has either dwindled over recent years or remained stagnant, meanwhile the number of experts are increased exponentially so we need to have more staff of our government agencies to prevent this stuff from coming across."

3 Things to Look For When Shopping At a Dollar Store

1. Check expiration dates on all food and other products you ingest

2. When buying anything electric, check for to see if it has UL safety verification label on the package or cord

3. Look for misspellings on the labels and packaging.

Personally, I have shopped at dollar bargain stores. But now with this information I will take special precaution when purchasing items.

RESOURCE:

Dollar Store Dangers. On WSYR 9 [Web]. Syracuse: Retrieved 2007/18/07, from http://www.9wsyr.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=793e70a9-76ae-40ec-9540-0e4b9e272487