Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Really, at the Dollar Store?

I love a good bargain as much as the next person.  Dollar stores or pound shops have a little bit of everything, and for the amazing price of a single unit of currency.  There are hit and misses though.  A couple hits from my local Dollar Tree include seasonal potholders, dish towels, and other fun little things to help usher in the change of season, Fiddle Faddle popcorn, and the dry duster cloths with 25 in a package, and great for computer screens. In the UK, we stocked up on bags of Jelly Babies to bring back for our Doctor Who fan friends and family. Greeting cards, wrapping paper, and sandwich baggies while fairly generic, are a steal compared to other stores.

The misses include shampoo-most kinds just seem watered down, and need to use 3-4 times more for same lather.  You can do better at Target for value, not even on sale. Batteries are worthless-providing minutes if that of power to a camera or other device. Toys-hunks of plastic crap that I'm betting would break within minutes of play. Spare your pooch or kitty any tummy trouble, and yourself extra cleanup, and skip the pet food and treats. Trust me.

The weirdest thing though I saw in line tonight, stopping to get some tape and legal pads (fair deal), were pregnancy tests.  Here they were, hanging right in the impulse shop area surrounding the registers. I'm trying to picture why someone would go to a dollar store to buy such a personal and high stakes medical supply.  How would you really trust the results-either way?  Part of me thinks they are there for joke value; buy a few and leave laying out to get people wondering.  Another part of me finds this very sad, and that young girls, or financially strapped women looking for that quick answer, will buy and be left with false results, and make decisions with bad information.  Is it me, but do you think that finding out whether or not you are to become a parent, probably should rank higher in spending than dollar size movie theater candy? 

What weird or misplaced items have you seen in budget shops?  What things do you trust and what would you pass on?  

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2 comments:

  1. Actually, the pregnancy tests are very accurate if you follow the directions on the package. I know of several women suffering from infertility that use them a lot, or just visit any ttc forum and you'll see they are used regularly. Why spend $10 for the same test you can get for a dollar?

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    1. That is good to know that they are accurate, and no disrespect meant to those that have used them. I am happy to learn that women are getting good information. I put anything medical in nature at the dollar store as questionable, so I guess I'll have to shift my beliefs a bit. Thank you for your comments!

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