In General
How To Avoid DollarStore Duds
First published in The Toronto Star
Sept. 8, 2011
(Updated May 18, 2023)
I’ve been shopping at dollar stores since they first appeared and found some great buys over the years. among them brand name personal care items like Lady Speed Stick deodorant and Dove body wash and even electronic gear like phone charging cords from Dollarama that work great. I’ve also had my share of dollar store duds.
When something is priced at $5 or less it can be hard to tell if it’s a great deal or a regret waiting to happen. Here are some tips to help you decide if that dollar store purchase you’re considering is a good buy or not.
Food Findings
The dollar stores are full of foods from foreign parts and there are differing opinions as to whether or not this food is a healthy option. The short answer is, some is and some isn’t. I tend to avoid anything like the noodle cups that are chock full of salt. Things like off-brand jam or peanut butter may taste fine, but the jars are small. You’ll get more bang for your buck buying things like that elsewhere.
In the end, what food you buy from dollar stores will come down to personal taste and/or preference. However, with more and more brand name items being added, there are more food choices than ever before.
The breads and rolls at Dollarama have always come from bakeries in Canada and were very good quality. I once served off-brand dinner rolls from the dollar store to unsuspecting dinner guests and heard comments about how good they were. These days, I can buy my favourite multi-grain bread at Dollarama for a few cents cheaper than at other stores. They also stock hot dog and hamburger buns made by Wonder® bread.
It’s always worth checking out the food choices at your local dollar store before spending extra on the exact same size at a grocery store.
I’ve never had stale food from a dollar store but mistakes do happen so it’s always a good idea to check the best before date on things like bread, cookies and other packaged foods.
Weighty Matters
There are some things you can judge the quality of by weight. Rather than drinking glasses that look thin and feel light in your hand, choose glasses that look and feel solid. A glass with a weighted base is a sure sign that the manufacturer hasn’t skimped on quality.
Judge dollar store tools in much the same way. Look for hammers, screwdrivers and pliers that are made of metal and feel substantial. I bought the tools and tool box pictured above years ago to keep in my car’s trunk “just in case.” I also have a small hammer with a metal handle from the dollar store that I bought around the same time as the other tools. It’s been used frequently around the house and has stood the test of time.
Be Touchy-Feely
I don’t buy the thin hand towels at the dollar store. When you hold them up to the light you can see through the weave; not a good recommendation for absorbency. Dollarama does, however sell hand towels that have a department store thickness and softness to them.
Get Closure
The zipper on a tapestry cushion cover I once brought home would only open half way, making it impossible to use. That turned out to be a fluke because, when I tested the zipper on a similar cushion cover in the store later, it worked fine. Just make sure the zippers on things like cosmetic bags and pencil cases function as they should before you buy.
Whether you’re buying a jar with a screw-on lid or a plastic storage container, you should test to see that the lids come off and go on easily. One time, there were some small glass bowls that came with lids at the dollar store. When I tried to put one of the plastic lids on a bowl, it proved to be impossible.
You’ll want to be sure that any storage container you’re buying has a good seal and is easy to use.
Fool Me Once…
A set of two tea towels and two dish cloths that were folded together in a neat little square and tied up with a piece of fabric ribbon cost $2. When I got it home and unfolded the pieces, I was dismayed to find that they were considerably smaller than the other tea towels and dish cloths sold at the dollar store. I have been wary of such packaging ever since.
You get four
pieces but sizes were skimped on.
Some ear phones I once bought were attractively packaged in a window box and came in a variety of fun colours for $1.25 but, as I wanted them for listening to music, I was disappointed by the sound quality. Fancy packaging does not necessarily mean a quality product.
Give Me a Sign
Electrical products that haven’t been tested by an independent source like Underwriter Laboratories (UL) or Canadian Standards Association (CSA) could prove to be fire hazards. Look for either of these certification marks on the packaging before buying things like electrical cords and light bulbs.
Learn From Experience
The dollar store plastic wrap I bought only cost $1.25 but it was so thin that it tore coming off of the roll, leaving me with less wrap than I needed. Trying to find where the tear began on the roll proved so frustrating that I finally just threw it out. Some things are just worth paying more for at Walmart or a grocery store.
Dollarama has since added brand name plastic wrap.
It’s better to buy a
name brand plastic wrap to ensure good quality.
Cotton swabs are cotton swabs, right? Unfortunately, that’s not the case. The ones I bought came in a package of 400 for a buck but when I tried to use them, the stick folded in half under pressure and the cotton on the tips was thin and tended to come off of the stick.
These cotton swabs
should be used for crafts only.
Sometimes you can only judge the quality of something by trying it. If it doesn’t meet your expectations the first time, it’s unlikely that it will perform any better the next.
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