What I have learned from Dollar Stores

I love shopping at dollar stores. Everything is a dollar or under. No need to check price tags or ask how much something is. It’s really easy to go crazy in them though. I have been known to come out with 13 rolls of double sided tape or other random items that they sell. They always seem to have that hard to find candy like Now and Laters or Ring Pops. Throughout my many years of dollar store shopping I have learned some things I thought I would share with you all.

1. Just because it is a dollar doesn’t mean you have to buy it just to buy it. I have stopped doing that now. I used to find things I thought I would want and then never ended up using like picture frames.

2. Everything looks so much cooler in the dollar store. I think it is the lighting but once you purchase something and get it home or out in the sun it loses it’s wow appeal and you realize that wasn’t as cool as you thought.

3. You can find some really cute stuff sometimes at the dollar store. When Noah was born or heck I might have been pregnant with him I went to the dollar store and bought a package of plastic squeaky whales. They are some of Noah’s favorite toys. I have many pictures of him when he was a baby chewing on them. I wish I would of bought more.

4. The merchandise is always changing and varies from location to location. If you go and look for something and find it, it might be a good idea to get it while it’s there.

5. Just because it claims to be a dollar store, that might not be the case at all. There are stores out there that say they are dollar stores like Deals but not everything is a dollar. I classify stores like Deals, Dollar General and Family Dollar as discount stores. So, be careful when you go in to a store that claims to be a dollar store. It’s better to get clarification and know what you are getting in to. I didn’t do that the first time I went in to Deals and I looked like an idiot. So, I am saving you my disgrace.

6. This is the most important one of all. All dollar stores smell the same. They have their own Dollar Store odor. It is as if it is pumped in through the vents like an air freshener. It stinks. It doesn’t matter how old the store is, it can be the store’s grand opening and it still smells that way. It doesn’t matter if they are a Dollar Tree, a Dollar palace or a Mom and Pop locally owned Dollar store. It doesn’t matter where it is, even in other states dollar stores stink. Even the ones in malls. I have no idea why that is. It’s weird. I could be blindfolded and have on ear muffs and I would still know if I were in a dollar store.

I hope my post about what I have learned from Dollar stores will help you on the next trip you take to one. I think I will start wearing nose plugs because the smell gives me a headache. I remember my old best friend and I would go to the dollar store all the time and before we went in we would take a big breath of fresh air. If you have any other dollar store tips I would love to hear them so leave me a comment!