Don't buy these dollar store duds
Filed under: Saving Money
After months of raving about dollar stores and all of the neat stuff you can find there, I thought it was time to tell you about some of the things I've bought there over the years that they should never have tried to sell for a buck. Think of this as a buyer beware kind of thing.
Any store can be guilty of less-than-stellar products and in a department store, for example, you're going to be paying a lot more but at least you can take the item back if you're not happy with it.
My local dollar store doesn't allow refunds, which I imagine reduces their costs. If you buy something and then discover it's a piece of junk, you're stuck. Still, if you only come across a dud once in a while, you've only spent $1 and, in my case, I'll take a chance on something so I can report to readers of my newsletter when I do come across something that should be left on the shelf.
Here, then, are a few of my least favorite things, compiled over the past year:
The small and attractive FM radio receiver kept changing channels as I walked.
The dollar store version of the gum-like substance used to hold posters on the wall without the use of tape or pins is called "Instant Tac." It's hard to work with and isn't sticky enough to hold anything on the wall for very long.
You can get a package of two zippered fabric pillow protectors for $1 but they end up piling all over after only a few weeks of use. It doesn't affect the wear but they end up looking very unsightly.
The plastic hose nozzles work well for a few days and then water starts spraying out everywhere except onto the flower bed you're aiming at.
The small lengths of wooden fencing have the attractive look of picket fencing but it wouldn't take to being forced into hard ground and, while it could be planted in soft earth well enough, it couldn't hold up to even summer weather for more than a few weeks.
A Luminus brand tri-light bulb popped on the second turn of the switch.
The chalkboard wall stickers shaped like chubby airplanes, boats and cars for kids' rooms, came with three pieces of chalk and a chalk eraser for $2 but the one I bought kept peeling off of the wall.
Cotton swabs in packages of 400 or more aren't reliable. The sticks bend in half with very little pressure making them kinda useless.
Here's a personal favorite: The can opener is a copy of the Star Frit one that leaves no sharp edges on the lid of the can. It's attractively packaged in a window box that's probably worth more than the can opener. The first time I tried to use it, it went completely to pieces and it hadn't even made a dent in the can.
Marlene Alexander is a freelance writer and dollar store diva. She writes ideas and tips for home decorating using only items from the dollar store.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-30-2009 @ 10:33PM
trustme said...
Watch yourself. Some $ stores don't use the technology that erases whatever it is on the product you are buying that indicates that it has/has not been paid for. At Walmart you can wear a purchased item out of the store and turn around and walk back into the store and nothing happens -- yur ownership is assured. At a $ store in FL I purchesed an item and walked into the same store the next day and was accused of shoplifting! By luck I still had the receipt and could get out of the trap, but you might not be so lucky!.
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9-30-2009 @ 11:05PM
chuck said...
Please go out of your way .Do not buy anything from China. I'm willing to bet everything she mentioned AND every other product in the dollar stores was (made in china) if they even label it so(as required by law)! They produce poisen for their own children and pets without a thought!What do you think they are exporting to us.
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10-08-2009 @ 11:06PM
theo said...
if they poisoned everything they shipped to us, we'd have a population of five people in this country
10-01-2009 @ 11:33AM
Don said...
If any of your readers are aware of any satisfactory merchandise coming from China please let us know.
My experience with their products has been all bad and I won't buy another of their product unless I'm aware of a good review.
I expect China's expansion into world commerce to be as short lived as their products.
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10-08-2009 @ 4:17PM
Xanth Prime said...
The Apple iPhone is made in China. So there are quality products being made there. But they tend to explode.
10-05-2009 @ 9:15PM
Michael said...
Christmas lighting and extension cords purchased from Target and Wal-Mart showed warnings of lead content. This can lead to lead poisoning and brain damage, especially in children. These items were for last Christmas and from China.
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10-01-2009 @ 6:58PM
DICK JENSEN said...
WOULD YOU BUY NIGHTLITES FOR YOU KID MADE IN CHINA WITH NO UL TAG? WOULD YOU BUY A KIDS LAMP OR ANY ELECTRICAL ITEM IN A DOLLAR STORE? FOOD AND DRUGSTORE ITEMS MADE IN MEXICO AND CHINA? THEY ARE THERE. UGH!
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10-01-2009 @ 9:08PM
Betty said...
I see you have a picture of Dollar General. I worked for that co. for several years and I know that their products are very good. They have a very good return policy. There is so much theft in these stores they have to be very careful as to how returns are handled. Most of the store managers are good at their job.There again you have people that arent customer helpful and can create problems as to how an issue is handled thanks.
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10-02-2009 @ 12:15AM
pat said...
I have always shopped at DG and found a good product at a good price. The employees are helpful and know their store.
Our local DG store helps many elderly people with their shopping, I haven't seen that at wal-mart. I e-mail DG several times per year with ideas to help our local store. Some of my ideas have been put into place, and after each e-mail I get a THANK YOU. When the store had roof troubles, I sent a daily e-mail to the building management company. The community needed that store to stay in that location. The management company fixed the roof and interior too. I see DG fills a need in these economic depressed times. Thanks
10-08-2009 @ 3:50PM
toneii said...
Dollar General is good but Dollar Tree is horrible they sell pretend garbage that "looks like" real products
Tinfoil - very tiny roll, really thin stuff too.
Laundry Soap and detergent contain alcohol
Toothpicks - are like splinters; no strength
Lighters - flame too high, practically blow up
Food - SCARY! Who knows what's in it? Melamine?
Most normal items that are good quality are packaged in a way to give you a very tiny qunatity in a normal size looking container.
There are more I can't recall, but my impression after the last shopping trip was that have given up on any value proposition, and most of these products are a cheap trick. They just want to fool you once and don't care if you come back. I certainly wont go back.
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10-23-2009 @ 2:23AM
StevieB said...
Actually, most all liquid laundry soap and dish washing detergents contain alcohol. It is used as a binding agent and clarifier for the DDBSA (dodecyl benzine sulfonic acid a foaming agent). Since it is all about appearance, alcohol (a small amount) gives the product a nice 'crystal' appearance, since cloudy or opaque is considered 'cheap'. Interestingly enough, foam is NOT necessary to clean, but the public has been so brainwashed into wanting to see foam that foaming agents are added to make them happy. Without the foam, the item being cleaned would actually be easier to rinse.
10-08-2009 @ 4:02PM
Ted said...
Someone mentioned Dollar Tree..Basically, useless JUNK. Other items that should have been mentioned and could be dangerous are tools, especially screw drivers. They break easily after one or two uses. Coffee cups, the portable type that you get at Starbucks, leak from under the lid. I would also never buy extension cords, bulbs of any similar item.
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10-08-2009 @ 6:24PM
Ken Sloan said...
I regularly buy a few products from Dollarama that I'm quite happy with, such as their macadamia nuts, which are like $7 cheaper than other options. However, one thing that was REALLY disappointing for me was their "surgical" masks. I bought these to clean up some waste and they came in packs of 10. I had to try on 6 before I could even get one over my head without the elastic breaking. I thought it was pretty amusing at the time, but um... definitely not quite up to snuff there :)
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10-10-2009 @ 11:35AM
Ginger said...
I purchased a card which was supposed to add minutes to a track phone which I used. I had gone to the Dollar General Store. I had just made a larger purchase and was walking out the door when I saw the display, and I did not look too closely at the cards.....when I made that purchase alone, the clerk asked me if I wanted the receipt, and I told her no, I didn't need it, because I had the card......I waited a few days before attempting to use the card....and realized it was nothing like the cards I had previously bought at Walmart which had a grey strip on it, which I had to erase in order to get the number.....well, this card from the Dollar store had no such strip....and I foolishly had assumed it was the same as everywhere else....when I went back to complain, I was told the number was listed on the receipt, and I realized then I should have tossed the card for it was now worthless, and kept the receipt.....I called even the main offices to which I got the 'run-a-round'.....no apologies, just the remarks that I would not be able to return the now worthless card....for a refund.....I no longer shop there. I bet they rip off many customers that way.
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10-10-2009 @ 1:55PM
ROSALIE said...
we love dg stores ..don't be knocking our dg stores...we are satisfied and we don't have to go far so we get the best...we have no problems with dg........i tell you this we get good service other stores you look for it noone is around to help you and can care less...dg employees will take you right to it.....don't mess with our dg. stores and don't talk about it......thats all i have to say............
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10-12-2009 @ 9:52AM
E said...
I have to laugh every time I go into the Dollar Tree and pass by the pregnancy tests. I just don't think that I could trust them. I like to buy the birthday cards and such. They are 2 for $1 and are pretty cute and you can double check to make sure that you are getting the proper envelope. Gift bags are another really good buy. Just make sure that you also check the expiration dates on things that you buy there
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10-14-2009 @ 7:51AM
Mariann said...
The dollar store is good for small rewards to treat my son, or the occasional treat for me... but I stopped getting batteries there.
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10-22-2009 @ 10:34PM
day5628 said...
you get what you pay for!
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10-28-2009 @ 10:08PM
jan said...
I shop at DG and purchase items like b'day cards, plastic spoons and forks etc. I also try to keep the shopping in my community,whenever possible. The malls etc all sale items made in China, it's really sickening. Can't win most of the times.
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