Buying groceries at Dollar Tree

[jspoole]

Do you save money by buying your groceries at Dollar Tree? I saw a couple today in there and they were talking like the whole cart of food was there groceries for the week. Is the food in there cheaper than say Aldi's? I never thought of buying my weeks groceries from the dollar tree. And do they sell meats, vegs and fruits?

 

[rock_doctor]

Their cheaper on some canned items like "lunchmeat" (generic Spam) and so on. But do shop around in most cases Aldi is cheaper but if you have a Bottom Dollar locally also give them a look. They are cheaper on bread, frozen potatoes and have a great selection of diet soda. Make sure you check dates when buying at the dollar store. Most of the time it is ok but sometimes the dates can drift w/o anybody noticing. I can't remember any of the dollar stores i have been to having fresh anything but they usually (if they have freezers) have frozen meats, vegies and so on. Bottom Dollar is awesome with fresh vegies and fruit...

 

[maggiew]

I've heard that their food can be out of date/expired and not up to US standards? (e.g. lead in toothpaste from China).

I don't grocery shop there, so can't say I have checked personally.

Maggie

 

[msmama]

I happened to be looking at the food section there the other day (left empty handed) but most of the stuff seemed to come in smaller quantities than at the grocery store.

For instance, boxed cake mixes (which I was looking at) only made an 8x8 cake. And cookie mix pouches only made 12 cookies.

So while you may save money, you're not getting as much either (especially when you can get under $1 cake mixes on sale at the regular grocery store).

 

[SCDisneyMom]

Most of the food at the Dollar Tree closest to my house is usually expired/out of date. I don't know if that's the case for all of their stores, but I would definitely check the expiration dates on their grocery items before purchasing.

 

[Mellie2162]

Ive usually seen the same as above posters with expired/smaller food. We have a local Dollar General and they have a grocery side now with coolers for dairy products. Their canned goods, etc are way cheaper than the grocery store, however, if the item is on sale at the store its cheaper than Dollar General so you just have to watch what you buy. I will only buy my cleaning supplies there because they are way cheaper than the food store. And they take manufacturer coupons as well.

 

[Marionnette]

We have a friend who used to deliver and stock shelves at the grocery stores for Keebler. He told us that the dollar store groceries (at least the Keebler stuff) is the same stuff that he removed from the big grocery stores because they are "outdated".

Now, this doesn't mean that the food is bad. It is older, less fresh. But not expired. So, make sure that you check those dates. And where the product was manufactured. As one PP mentioned, there was a problem with toothpaste from China that was sold in dollar stores not too long ago.

 

[timmac]

It's worth pointing out that "expiration dates" that are used on prepackaged food items are often not all that important. Much less fresh may have an impact on taste (usually minor), but doesn't imply anything about food safety.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

We like the frozen pretzels, DH loves the chocolate milk, the chocolate ice cream bars are pretty good too.

 

[TriniandBre]

I've bought snacks from there but that's about it as far as food goes. I agree with checking the expiration dates on the other stuff and comparing to see if the can good prices are cheaper.

 

[DisMN]

I've never run into expired foods or medical/personal items at any Dollar Tree store I've been to. I worked in one for a couple of years and if.....IF we found outdated items they were promptly put in the garbage.
I think buying grocery items there is fine but like a previous poster said you often do get less in a package. For many people that's fine. Personally there are times I'd rather pay a teeny bit more and get less of something because the larger quantity can go to waste.

 

[gracie1]

SOme things are cheaper. Like chips, etc. The only thing I don't like is at my dollar tree the portions are much smaller than at my grocery store.
But I do like to buy candy, chips and sometimes soda if they have the name brand there!

 

[Yoshi]

I buy the name brand food at Dollar Tree and a local independent dollar store. I always check the date. At the independent store last week I bought some candy (Haribo gummi bears and gummi fruit) that doesn't expire until May 2012.

 

[ShootingStarMom2]

We usually only buy a few treats from Dollar Tree like pretzels with cheese dippers and animal cookies. Their shortbread cookies are actually pretty good too. I was very surprised at how good the garlic bread was! It was light and crispy versus those loaf breads that are mushy and saturated. It also made good pizza bread.

 

[mommyoftwinfants]

The refrigerated packages of cookie dough are pretty good. I cringed when I saw my sister purchase them but I tried one and they are better than the Name brand.

 

[happygirl]

Our Dollar Tree doesn't have a freezer section As with the other groceries just check the dates

 

[spima3]

We have a low cost grocery store near us, and they are significantly cheaper there than at the Dollar Tree.

The only things I buy at the dollar store are usually cards, gift wrap, party supplies etc. I have purchased some candy, but that's usually because one of the kids went with me.

 

[Glenn]

I enjoy the frozen section at my local Dollar tree. The name brands they carry are much cheaper that the large grocer. Double stuffed potatoes $1 f(!.49 at large store), Luggies Italian ice (4 pack) $1. small refrigerated pack or Armor pepperoni $1. I havent found any outdated stuff at the store I go to. Just like any grocery check the dates. All dollars are not selling stuff youd dump.

 

[pixiewings71]

As others have said, these items can be outdated, sometimes by quite a long time. I actually know this from personal experience but have to be vague. I'm not lying, I just can't disclose this without serious repurcussions. I rarely buy food items from our dollar stores, it's just not worth the risk IMO. I always check the expiration dates, place of manufacture and I also make the information stamped on the packages cannot be removed or changed. Just be very careful shopping for food at the dollar stores.

 

[Maddie2]

Just a word of caution on buying from the freezer cases at Dollar Stores. I recently bought a few things at a nearby Dollar Tree and regretted it. The frozen strawberries were from China, the swiss cheese was processed and disgusting and the onion rings were horrid. There may be some good things in the freezer case there, but I sure didn't find them. Next time, I'll have to take the time to read the labels more carefully.