Do you buy Dollar store food/meats? Do you consider them safe, if not why?

[Lilacs4Me]

It's not so much the source of the food that I question - as long it is a brand I recognize - it's the handling of the food once it gets to the store that make me hesitate.

My company (a consumer goods manufacturing company) sells products to the dollar channel (Dollar General, Family Dollar, Dollar Tree, etc) There is no difference in the products we sell to Family Dollar than what we sell to Walmart, or Target, or Amazon. It's the same Widget A that came from the exact same machine/processing method as Widget A going to a non-dollar store.

We do not manufacture food products, however I did briefly work for a company that did, and we did sell to dollar stores. The product we sent them was the exact same product we sent to the Krogers and Publix's of the world, maybe just packaged in smaller qty so it would be a lower price point.

I have no idea if other companies sell 2nd rate products to dollar stores or not, but in my two experiences we did not.

However: I have been in a dollar store or two in my life, and some of them are super sketchy. THAT is what would make me not trust the food - how the employees handle it from shipment receipt to point of sale.

 

[Libbysmom2000]

My mom loves the dollar store so I take her every month or so. I have bought packaged food there. Mostly it's snack stuff. Sometimes it's just to try something and if we hate it there isn't any real loss. Sometimes it's stuff we like that isn't healthy so the smaller packaging helps with overindulgence.

I haven't ever bought meat or fresh food there but I'm very fussy about that.

 

[dyna]

LOVE the dollar tree it does help that mine is super clean. I go there to buy food snack foods an seasonings, spices and I do find them much cheaper than Wmart an Publix most of the time. same size container or sometimes even bigger.

The bay leaves I bought at dollar tree was packaged much better. Better than any I ever bought anywhere else sealed in a plastic bag inside the box an smelled much fresher than any bay leaves I bought in the past.
Name brand Cool Whip 8oz container is 1.00 every day at the dollar tree.

On occasion have bought garlic toast from freezer section same amount of same size as from other stores but 1.00
The buns I've bought at dollar tree is usually better than the ones from Walmart an publix too.

I have hit some deals on food at dollar tree from time to time. 2 in 1 box of hamburger helper in our fav flavor 1.00 would have been at least twice that at other stores.

Taco bell refried beans the big can not the small for a dollar.

When I find those deals usually buy all they got and I'm sure others do the same thing. the deals like those are rare.

 

[barkley]

I also wouldn't buy those cheap plastic cups that probably leach all kinds of chemicals into your drink.

check out the manufacturer on those and compare them to who is listed on the similar much higher priced versions at other stores-often the identical manufacturer. the $1 food storage containers at our local dollar store are all betty crocker brand-identical container/packaging sold on amazon and brick and mortar stores for as much as $4 each.

I'd never buy off-brand, non-US-made painkillers or cold medicine

how about the brand name mini packs? for $1 i can get a box of 3 or 4 packets of individual wrapped adult doses of advil, aleve, allegra, benadryl and many other brand name meds that vending machines and hotels charge $3 or $4 for one dose on. we've gone to grabbing these for travel since tsa wants all meds in their original marked containers (p.i.t.a. when like me you buy the stuff in the big **** costco bottles).

 

[BrianL]

I do not buy food from these stores, though I do not consider it unsafe, just low quality. If it were unsafe, there would be a lot of reports of sickness caused by it. Many people do buy food items there after all.

 

[SteveH]

Not in my lifetime. I grew up in the 70s and times were tough. We often bought from the scratch and dent place, and we'd buy the mystery cans (labels fell off) where you had no idea if it was Green Beans, Yellow Beans, Carrots, Peaches, Pears or something else. But I have no desire to buy any food products from the Dollar Store, I can't even remember the last time I went in a Dollar store. But buying meat? No way, quality matters and there is no way a Dollar Store can convince me that they sell quality.

 

[bigbabyblues]

I don't, but I know people who do. Dollar General stores have been popping up in a few areas around here, mostly in areas that are 20-25 miles from town, and those stores carry some groceries.

 

[wishesuponastar]

Not in my lifetime. I grew up in the 70s and times were tough. We often bought from the scratch and dent place, and we'd buy the mystery cans (labels fell off) where you had no idea if it was Green Beans, Yellow Beans, Carrots, Peaches, Pears or something else. But I have no desire to buy any food products from the Dollar Store, I can't even remember the last time I went in a Dollar store. But buying meat? No way, quality matters and there is no way a Dollar Store can convince me that they sell quality.

I agree, Dollar store meat probably is not quality so thanks but no thanks.

 

[sjrec]

I bought a couple things for breakfast for our last trip to Disney-Jif to Go and a resealable bag of Honey Nut Cheerios. I checked the expiration date and they were fine. We don’t keep chips in the house, so if I want a bag for picnics or to take to the beach, they carry a nice size bag of Utz chips (that’s a name brand here). Also Whales by Stauffer (another name brand) which is their version of Goldfish. I’ve bought those packages of rice by Knorr’s for food drives. I looked in the cooler today and saw they had Oikos and Dannon yogurt and Frigo string cheese. I’d grab those in a pinch instead of fast food if I needed a quick lunch. I wouldn’t buy anything that wasn’t a name brand-and as others have mentioned, you probably can get canned goods cheaper at the grocery store.

 

[ronandannette]

I've never purchased frozen foods there but certainly candy, snacks, and seasonings. Generally stick to gift bags, poster boards and envelopes, and the occasional holiday item.

The Dollar Tree offers a (sometimes) cheaper alternative to the grocery store for those on restrictive budgets. I don't think it's fair to judge those who purchase food there are we are unaware of each shoppers circumstances.

What are you talking about? Nobody's judging anyone - we're all just saying whether or not we buy food at dollar stores.

 

[Floridaman999]

What are you talking about? Nobody's judging anyone - we're all just saying whether or not we buy food at dollar stores.

I wondered the same thing. I haven't seen any judging at all.

 

[SpringBreak]

I grocery shop at our Dollar Store about once a month. Things I buy: 28 oz cans of tomatoes (the ones at our Dollar Store are in a BPA-free can), large cans of refried beans, jarred roasted red peppers, canned/bagged nuts and dried fruit for kid's snacks, frozen fillets of wild-caught salmon (comes out to $4/pound), spices, squeeze mayo for our RV, clear packing tape, Brand-name toothpaste, some cleaning products, greeting cards, wrapping paper/gift bags, anything else that looks like a good deal.

I have not experienced problems with expired products. The biggest issue for me is that many of the products seems to have more MSG, artificial ingredients than the comparable products at the grocery store. That's why the list of things I buy is pretty limited and I always check labels.

Even after shopping there for years, I'm always amazed by how much I can buy for so little.

The store I really love is the 99 Cent store. We don't have one in town, but whenever we travel to Phoenix in our RV, I always stop there. I buy tons and bring it home. That store has a lot of Organic products. I bought a huge bag of fresh green and orange peppers for 99 cents. Giant bags of organic Garden of Good Eatin corn chips for 99 cents. A huge variety pack of Quaker flavored rice cakes for 99 cents. Now that is a great store. I wish we had one closer.

 

[barbaraann]

I shop at the Dollar Tree about once a month. I can/do save a lot of money by doing so. The can goods are cheaper, and I have never had any problem with anything I have purchased. The can potatoes, beans, Manwich, are so much cheaper than the regular grocery store. I like the fact that the items such as cereal, are just right for one person. The frosted wheat squares are yummy. I love the dried fruit, and the Pea snacks. Just right for one person, as well. The Banquet entre's are good, but a bit salty, so I have stopped purchasing those. I buy juice, and other drinks. I do not buy their meat, because my neighborhood has a Cermak's store that has excellent fresh meat, and I save money there on meat. What's not to like about the Dollar store? I wish it was closer to my house. My grandson's girlfriend and I make an outing of it, and come back with two shopping carts full.

 

[barkley]

The can potatoes, beans, Manwich, are so much cheaper than the regular grocery store

that's the stuff i DON'T buy at the dollar store because i can get it so MUCH cheaper at the grocery store. manwich i can catch on sale for 89 cents pretty regularly and canned beans fairly frequently for 79 a can but at least a few times a year for 50 each (then i stock up).

 

[barbaraann]

Lots of can stuff is only 79 cents at our dollar store, and especially the can potatoes, which for some reason are so overpriced at our grocery stores. I make roasted potatoes out of them. I only cook small portions, and these are perfect.

 

[Ellie008]

I haven't noticed any great deals on food at our dollar store. With a family to feed it seems silly to buy such small packages, so I haven't paid a whole lot of attention to the grocery items though. I do buy the kids the knock off lunchables there once in a while. Never had a problem with those. And I buy candy there. Frustratingly enough, the flossers the kids use are cheaper per unit from the dollar store in small packages than they are from WalMart in the 300+ count package. So I buy lots of small packs of flossers and cringe about it.

 

[barbaraann]

The Dollar Store is a good place to shop for a single person, or a person who only cooks for one or two people. The Health isle has cheaper baby aspirin that my doctor has me take. The bandaids and stuff are cheaper, and first aid cream is the same stuff that Walgreens and CVS are selling for two, or three times the price. The Bleach is definitely cheaper. Even cheaper than Target.

 

[Boardwalk Jedi]

I yelled at my husband for getting dog food there, so....No I do not buy meat there.

 

[MrsPete]

No, I don't buy any food at the dollar store. Three reasons:

- I always check expiration dates.
- Canned food tends to cost less than $1/can at the grocery store, especially when it's on sale.
- Fresh foods or meats? No, I haven't seen them at the dollar store -- not that I've 'specially looked.

Important note: Most foods don't have an actual "expiration date" or a "use by" date. Instead, they say "best if used by". I personally consider that an expiration date, but the law doesn't. It's not illegal to sell foods that have passed their "best if used by" date. A few foods -- baby formula, for example -- do have firm "expiration dates", and it is illegal to sell them past their dates. Buyer beware.

 

[barkley]

No, I don't buy any food at the dollar store. Three reasons:

- I always check expiration dates.

don't the products at your dollar store have expiration dates you could check same as any other store?