Best and Worst Dollar Store Bargains

Almost every mall now has a “dollar store” or similar discount store whether it is a large chain like Dollar Giant or the Great Canadian Dollar Store or something quirkier like the Mini-Price store at Colwood Corners.
The value you get for your dollar varies, however. After a couple of decades of discount shopping, here’s my pick for the best and worst products you can find in a typical discount store.

 
Best:

1. Party Supplies -- if you’re going the disposable route, you can’t beat dollar stores for party hats, paper plates, and plastic table covers.
2. Cards and Giftwrap --  if Hallmark isn’t called for, look here; think office birthdays, children’s celebrations, and very simple thank you and sympathy cards.
3. Kitchenware -- to outfit a kitchen, you can’t go too far wrong in the kitchen aisle with two exceptions: avoid moving parts (can openers, garlic presses, pepper grinders) and plastic containers (see below). Great for spatulas, coffee mugs, cutting boards, dish cloths.
4. Office Supplies -- as long as you know your prices (Staples can often beat dollar store prices, especially around School Supply season), you can get a fair number of deals here.
5. Craft Supplies -- one of my favourite aisles in Dollar Giant is the craft aisle. From scrapbooking to beading to foam-craft and colouring, dollar store craft supplies are great for kids and can be fun for adults too.

Worst:

1. Batteries -- the alkaline batteries most discount stores carry will get you maybe half an hour of use in a radio or camera, nowhere near what you’ll get from name-brand alkaline or rechargeable batteries.
2. Plastic Containers -- if you are lucky enough to find a container that doesn't leak, you might get a single use out of it. Once you try to wash most of them, even by hand, you risk warping or cracking the lids. This goes double for travel mugs.
3. Food -- aside from gum and candy bars, the food found here is suspicious, at best. Many of the brands are not those you find elsewhere; those that are familiar are often marked up, higher than you’d pay at most grocers.
4. Hardware -- I can’t tell you how often I’ve tried cutting corners by grabbing a pack of screws or a spare screwdriver at a discount store. Saw blades aren’t sharp enough; nails lack points, and bungee cords spring apart under tension.
5. Health Care -- from plastic bandages that don’t stick to disposable razors that shred your skin and hair dye that burns your scalp, almost nothing in the health care aisle is a true bargain. To my horror (though I’ve never seen these locally) I discovered that three-packs of off-brand condoms are supplied wholesale to dollar stores.