Is It Still Worth Shopping at Dollar Tree?

Inventory in dollar stores has always been unpredictable—with, say, pancake syrup in stock one week but not the next—and savvy shoppers know to get what they want while the getting is good. But at least in the case of Dollar Tree, the prices were always consistently one dollar—until now.

With the news of the price hike, the company said Dollar Tree would “materially expand its offerings, introduce new products and sizes, and provide families with more of their daily essentials.” 

But I was hard-pressed to see much “material expansion” during my recent visit. Shrinkage is more like it. Last August, a 15-pack of 7x6-inch sheets of Lysol Disinfecting Wipes sold for $1. Those were gone this time, replaced by "To-Go Travel Size Packs” of Lysol wipes, 15 in all but measuring a measly 3x4 inches for $1.25. CR’s request for comment from Dollar Tree representatives about the downsized wipes went unanswered.

The Lysol Lemon Breeze multi-surface cleaner and Hunt’s Garlic & Herb pasta sauce were still the same size, as were the Betty Crocker fudge brownie mix and Palmolive Ultra dishwashing liquid. Crest baking soda and peroxide toothpaste was actually larger—up to 2.4 ounces from last year’s 2.3 ounces. Last year the Dollar Tree market basket was $7.55 before tax (based on unit prices and hypothetical standardized package sizes). My most recent receipt came to $9.09—a 20 percent increase, very close to the 25 percent across-the-board hike the chain instituted.

It seems that while Dollar Tree has sworn off dollar pricing, Dollar General has embraced it. This March, Dollar General executives informed investors that 20 percent of its merchandise is priced at $1 or less and that they are committed to keeping prices low. The store currently claims to have “over 2,000 name brand items for $1 or less” and even has an aisle devoted to dollar deals.

In August 2021, six of the items on my shopping list were a dollar or less. This time, eight were, including Palmolive dishwashing detergent, Kraft barbecue sauce, and Crest toothpaste. In 2021, the entire Dollar General market basket was $7.65 before tax. My most recent receipt came to $8.17—up 7 percent. 

At the Pathmark supermarket that I last shopped in 2021, prices for Hunt’s pasta sauce, Palmolive dishwashing detergent, and a single-serve cup of Kellogg’s Fruit Loops remained exactly the same. The price of Barilla thin spaghetti, Crest baking soda whitening toothpaste, 35-count Lysol disinfecting wipes, and Kraft barbecue sauce each rose by 10 to 20 cents. 

The most significant increase over last year’s receipts was in the health and personal care aisle, where the price of a 24-count box of 200 milligram Advil tablets rose by more than 50 percent, from 4.99 last August to $7.59. Last year the entire Pathmark supermarket market basket was $11.24 before tax; my most recent receipt came to $12.37—up 10 percent.

The major difficulty with doing a year-over-year store-vs.-store comparison in value retail is the unpredictable availability of items and the varied sizes they come in across stores. So while I had hoped to be able to re-shop my entire list of 14 items from a year ago, this time I was able to find only six items in common at all three stores.  

Last summer, Dollar Tree and Dollar General were neck-and-neck in the race for dollar-store dominance. But now, at least based on my little shopping experiment, Dollar General comes out on top. 

Calculating the unit price of standard sizes of the six items—Hunt’s pasta sauce, Betty Crocker brownie mix, Kraft barbecue sauce, Lysol multi-surface cleaner, Palmolive dishwashing liquid, and Lysol disinfecting wipes—that were consistent at the three stores, I found that Dollar Tree’s prices rose by 20 percent, Dollar General’s by 7 percent, and the supermarket’s by 10 percent. 

So if the question is, "Are dollar stores worth it?" in my book, the answer is yes—depending on the store. 

True, I shopped at only one outpost of two dollar-store chains and one point-of-comparison supermarket, and cannot claim that my limited spot check captures national trends. True, the dollar-store aisles were as cluttered as ever, the lines as long, and the inventory as hit-or-miss. For fresh food and items in big-box-store sizes, you’ll still have to shop elsewhere. And while you may not reliably be able to find everything you require to feed your family or clean your home at a dollar store, when you do find what you need, the savings can be real. 

Today, that matters. As inflation continues its skyward trajectory and I watch my utility costs grow more cringeworthy with each passing billing cycle, I for one am willing to put in a little effort to save a little money. In fact, because inflation is making so many of us poorer by the minute, searching out deals can feel like the financially responsible strategy. The five bricks of Top Ramen I scored for a dollar last week? I like to think of it as both dinner on the table and money in the bank.