Experts Reveal Items You Should Avoid Buying at Minnesota Dollar Stores

I love a good bargain, and who doesn’t? Especially here in Minnesota, where we know the value of stretching our dollars as far as they will go. But as the saying goes, you get what you pay for, and that’s especially true at Dollar Tree and Dollar General, where most items are priced lower than other retail stores, but in some cases, that price tag can be deceptively appealing.

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A Brief History of Dollar Tree and Dollar General

Dollar Tree was originally founded in 1953 as a small variety store in Virginia. It evolved into the K&K Toys chain, and in 1986, the "Only $1.00" concept was born. In 1993, the store was rebranded as Dollar Tree and went public in 1995. Since then, Dollar Tree has grown into the discount giant we know today, with 15,500 locations across the U.S. and Canada.

In 2021, Dollar Tree made waves by raising its long-standing $1 price tag to $1.25, and now, reports suggest prices could climb even higher, with some items potentially reaching $1.50 or more.

Last year, Dollar Tree CEO Rick Dreiling said, “This year, across 3,000 stores, we expect to expand our multi-price assortment by over 300 items at price points ranging from $1.50 to $7."

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The First Dollar General store opened in 1955 in Springfield, KY, with no item costing more than $1. Today, only about a quarter of Dollar General's merchandise is priced at $1 or less at their 20,000+ locations in the U.S. and Mexico, according to their website.

Is Everything at Dollar Stores a Good Bargain?

The higher prices get at discount stores like Dollar Tree and Dollar General begs the question, is it still worth it to buy certain items there?

While these stores offer some great deals, experts warn that certain items are best left on the shelf.