Mandy Miles' - "Tan Lines"
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Dollar store is hopping

By MANDY MILES Citizen Staff

We're officially huge fans of the new Dollar Tree next to Albertsons, and judging from those of you I've seen in there, we're not alone in our budgetary enjoyment.

I can't believe it took so long to get one of these big chains in our tiny, yet pricey, island village.

We've taken to stopping at the dollar store before Albertsons to see what we can cross off the shopping list for cheap, and have had great success.

There have been some dismal failures, resulting in a list of items that really are worth spending more than a dollar.

I've already mentioned our mistake of buying generic cotton swabs rather than Q-tips. And now that we've finally made it through the box of cheap sticks with almost no cotton, we'll return to the brand name that has become synonymous with ears.

There also was a shampoo/conditioner disaster at the Dollar Tree, which ended up costing us more in the long run.

A cheap conditioner added knots rather than removing them, so I pitched the bottle when it was only half-full and returned to a familiar and trusted name brand.

The $1 kitchen garbage bags leave much to be desired, as the drawstring closure pulls away from the bag as soon as you deposit anything other than tissues in the bag.

Oh, and Fruit Rings are not the same as Fruit Loops. I repeat, Fruit Rings are not Fruit Loops, so don't be fooled by the similar red box.

On the other hand, Raisin Bran, Frosted Flakes and Alpha-Bits from the dollar store taste just as good as the $4 boxes from the grocery stores. But we've found the best cereal deal in town at Fausto's, of all places. They have a giant box of IGA brand Corn Flakes for $1.89. Add a smattering of dollar-store honey and you're in business for breakfast or a midnight snack.

The generic, $1 toaster pastries certainly give Pop-Tarts a run for their money. The cheap strawberry jelly works just fine, especially on a $1 loaf of wheat bread. I admit, I'm a bit of a peanut butter snob when it comes to Jif, so I've not yet tried the cheap version.

The Dollar Tree makes you realize how big the retail markup really is. We've gotten multivitamins, aspirin, dishwasher detergent, chips, cookies and condiments for a dollar each.

You can't beat the bargains, especially for little toys, craft items, gift wrapping and even flip-flops.

I did do a bit of a double take when I saw a home pregnancy test for sale by the register. Those, like condoms, are things I'd be willing to spend a few bucks on.

And I'd love to hear a consumer report on the $1 batteries.

But I'd say we've saved at least $30 per shopping trip by stopping into the Dollar Tree and foregoing our usual name brands. It's definitely worth it, and I say, "Welcome to Key West."

Just stay away from the Fruit Rings. Trust me.

mmiles@keysnews.com