Monroe Chat

Per John Materese "Don't waste your money"

With the high price of gas , and soaring prices in the grocery store, a dollar isn't what it used to be. Unless you visit a dollar store...where lots of items are still priced like its 1975!

But before you go...You may want to know the best things to buy, and not to buy, from your local dollar store.

Why they are so Popular

Slowing economy? Not here. Dollar General...Dollar Tree....Family Dollar....and others are seeing business soar thanks to budget conscious shoppers like Amber Spicer.

Amber, mother of an 11 year old, is doing all her back to school shopping at dollar stores. She says one buck got her "a real scientific calculator. He needs that for 6th grade, and it was much more expensive at other stores."

And when she calculated her purchases, which included the calculator, a protractor, and some notebooks, it came to just $6.

We Find Brand Name Discounts

Amber's great catch comes as no surprise to Rochelle Mason, manager of a Family Dollar store on Colerain Avenue in Mt Healthy. She says people are surprised by the major name brands she sells.

She told me "No, they don't realize we have name brands till they get here."

Family Dollar's aisles are filled with names like Glad, Hefty, Bounty, and Kleenex. In the bathroom aisle we found Tilex and Scrubbing Bubbles for the bath, and Tide and Gain for the laundry.

While these items were not a dollar, we found them substantially less than the supermarket. Liquid Tide was selling for under $6, when most grocery stores sell it in the $8 range.

But Rochelle says the biggest sellers are her house bands, most of which are just one dollar in most cases. She showed me a house brand kitchen broom...at just one dollar.

Top Dollar Store Deals

Consumer Reports Magazine and SmartMoney magazine both say shopping dollar stores is smart....if you know what to buy, and what to avoid.

SmartMoney Magazine's top dollar store buys?

#1: Cleaning supplies. Soaps, detergents, bath cleaners, window cleaners....you can't go wrong with either their discounted name brands or their $1 house brands.

#2: Gift wrap and party supplies...Such as fancy foil wrap for -- you guessed it -- "how much? One dollar." Foil wrap can cost you $5 in many larger stores.

#3: Name brand snacks. Family Dollar sells Lays chips for 25 cents less than the price on the bag....and no, they're not past their sell date. All the food we saw was well within its expiration date, and appeared fresh and safe.

#4. Shampoo and hair care products: I found a bottle of Suave Shampoo, $3 at most stores, for just a dollar. And...

#5: Kitchen accessories...such as mops, brooms, pails, and small storage items.

Joe Corey and Colleen Frye agree: they are furnishing a new apartment with dollar store kitchen items. Colleen says she bought "cups and ice trays, baggies, air fresheners all for a dollar each. We dont need to be stinky!"

But dollar stores occasionally sell stinkers, according to Consumer Reports Magazine, which lists some items to avoid.

What Not to Buy

Consumer Reports suggests you stay away from:

#1. Vitamins, which can be poorly made, with questionable origin.

#2. Electrical cords, especially no name extension cords or Christmas lights, that may not have the UL seal of approval.

#3. Off brand toys: The magazine says they may contain sharp points and lead paint. Look for name brands instead, like Hot Wheels or Disney items.

#4. Vinyl lunchboxes. They may be a great deal....but Consumer Reports says some may still contain lead paint, and it found that some dollar stores end up with older vinyl lunchpails that bigger stores don't want.

Bottom Line

One final caution: Consumer Reports says be wary of look-alike brands at some dollar stores, that look like major brands with a slightly different name. You may be unhappy with the quality.

But if you stick to basic products and especially to name brands....a dollar store is well worth exploring in today's tough economy.