Do you ever shop at discount stores?

debodun

debodun

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Location
way upstate in New York, USA
e.g. Dollar General, Family Dollar or Job Lots (or whatever these correspond to in your locale)?

I used to like (Ocean State) Job Lots, but they carry a lot of comestibles that are not produced in the U.S. Other countries might have different production and health standards. Also, they carry items that are well over the "sell by" date.

FD and DG around here are not well stocked. I don't know what's going on with them, but the local stores have many bare shelf areas. I wanted to know if that's the case in other locales.
 

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Depends in the UK on the area where the shop is situated. A more upmarket area might have better stocked shelves where conversely the more downtrodden an area , the less there is on the shelves and the more dilapidated the store often is... I know it makes little sense but that's how it can be here ...
 
There are so few stores like that in my area but we did have an Ocean State Job Lots and they did have a lot of bargains but not on items I used much so I hardly ever went.
 
I go to a dollar store (a local chain is 99Ā¢ Only) now and then, but it's no longer part of my shopping beaten path unless I need something specific (like a graduation card). During the pandemic many of their prices went up 30% to $1.29 (and up), and their stock position is unreliable.

That said, about a month ago I stopped by one to pick up a couple of things and came across a very nice toilet brush set for $4.99. Am planning a return trip soon to pick up a set for another bathroom.

Aldi is considered a discount grocer and I stop by there most weeks.
 
I shop a dollar store for specific items. None of their foods, especially things like spices. I did buy some Jello Pistachio pudding because the regular stores quit carrying it. Sometimes their food costs more than it would in a grocery store.

Yes, to consignment and thrift stores. Theyā€™re fun.
 
NYT - "The value-store chain Family Dollar was fined $41.7 million, the largest-ever financial criminal penalty in a food safety case, for distributing food, drugs, medical devices and cosmetics from a rat-infested warehouse, the Justice Department said.

On Tuesday, Family Dollar pleaded guilty in federal court in Little Rock, Ark., to one misdemeanor count of holding products in unsanitary conditions, causing them to become adulterated. The $41.675 million penalty is estimated to be the value of the products that were tainted when stored in unsanitary conditions, according to the plea agreement.

The distribution center in West Memphis, Ark., according to court documents, serviced 404 Family Dollar stores in six states: Alabama, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Tennessee.

Family Dollar is a subsidiary of Dollar Tree, a rapidly growing retail giant that operates more than 16,000 stores across the United States and Canada."
 
We don't have any discount stores in my little market town. There's one 10 miles away in the town to the west... and 2, Poundland and Savers.. in another town 8 miles to the south.. and a couple more 10 miles to the east... but you get the pictures, there's none here.. I have to travel to get any ... so generally I don't bother.

The only time I made a specific drive to get the pound shop was during Covid lockdown, and that was to buy Alcohol disinfectant wipes, which were better than any in the supermarkets ...
 
The ones I go to have been pretty good. Sometimes lack of stock can be due to management. Dollar Tree & Family Dollar have some things I can't find or at better prices than some of the bigger stores. Dollar General has good prices on t-shirts for hubby when they have them on sale.

I like Dollar Tree for gift bags/wrapping & cards. They also have decent artificial flowers for crafts.
 

Do you ever shop at discount stores?​


Some
But gotta know yer prices
and look hard at quality

I do grab a few safety glasses and paper products at Dollar Tree

The quality of their safety glasses beat Home Depot and at one third the price
 
It's the dollar 25 store now.

One has to know their prices and quantity. With shrink flation the packaging is the exact same but the content/volume could be different. The dollar 25 store just reduced their pretzels from a 12 oz to a 10 oz bag for example. They shrunk their 14oz Ajax dish detergent down to 13oz. One has to know their prices in this economy

Speaking of discount store the prices on second thrift clothing in particular seems to be inceasing, If one waits for a sale in department or big box store for a few bucks extra they can get new not used stuff.
 
I was shopping at Westfield shopping store in my area. A little stall had liners for Air fryers for $5.00 for 50. I bought them and thought what a bargain. The next day I went to a Target store near my home, and they had the exact same liners for Air fryers for $17.00 for 50. What a rip-off for unsuspecting shoppers. It pays to shop around.
 
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Of course I do. Several times a week, matter of fact. There is a Dollar General in my town. As I drive to work, there is a town, Fort Plain, that has a Family Dollar. I enter the town where I work, and there is another Dollar General. When I go to Walmart in the opposite direction, there is another Dollar General, in Herkimer, NY. When I get to Walmart, there is a Dollar tree, not far away.
 
With the closing of shopping malls in my area and higher gas prices, Iā€™m inclined to visit a discount store thatā€™s nearby for OTC pharmacy items, simple houseware and hardware items, and occasionally a loaf of bread or similar foodstuffs. For clothing, most food and hardware, and specialty items Iā€™ll trek to the nearest town, especially if I have a number of items to buy. The discount store is convenient, and in a pinch I can often find what Iā€™m searching for there, getting in and out quickly while avoiding the zoo that is Walmartā€¦

What seems to be growing in number in my area are tobacco and vape shops, small hole-in-the-wall stores that cater to nicotine addicts but also sell things like ā€œenergy drinks,ā€ legal drug accessories, and have video betting and gaming machines on siteā€¦
 
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We have two Dollar Generals here both about 7-8 miles from me.
I buy all of my cleaning products there and also paper towels and toilet paper.

One of the stores has stacked new frozen food products and I tried on of them last week and it was good.

Still I like my own cooking and I have started to bake again, because I don't like the goodies at the dollar store.

I bake either cupcakes or bundt cakes with a mix and freeze 2/3s or more. I dont ice them unless I have company

they dont take long to thaw out. I use the Fluffy White icing ,often on sale, and add fresh cocoa to it or color it ,depending on the holidays.
 

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