# Are name brand items better than cheaper options? (Dollar Tree vs. Name Brand Stores) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 10, 2019, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-name-brand-items-better-than-cheaper-options-dollar-tree-vs-name-brand-stores/833755 "2019-05-10T02:37:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2019, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-name-brand-items-better-than-cheaper-options-dollar-tree-vs-name-brand-stores/833755/21 "2019-05-14T10:46:07Z")
> [@sta3535](#): > > My dentist told me that brushing your teeth too vigorously can lead to a receding gumline, in between light and vigorous brushing is the target zone. I’m 65, so if it was going to happen due to my brushing, it would have surely started by now. My dentist seems to think everything’s OK. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2019, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-name-brand-items-better-than-cheaper-options-dollar-tree-vs-name-brand-stores/833755/22 "2019-05-14T12:39:50Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > FWIW, I consider Dollar Tree to be a true ‘dollar store’ because everything’s $1, while Dollar General and Family Dollar aren’t, because most of their stuff costs a good deal more. Just having ‘Dollar’ in the store name doesn’t make it a dollar store. I fully agree. Back in their heyday (1990s, I guess) there were a bunch of different dollar stores, and they were fun to browse in because you never knew what you’d find.\ Nowadays, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a true dollar store other than Dollar Tree. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2019, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-name-brand-items-better-than-cheaper-options-dollar-tree-vs-name-brand-stores/833755/23 "2019-05-14T12:50:17Z")
> [@sta3535](#): > > Now, I’ve bought clothing & items from Walmart in the past, and they’ve lasted to this day. I just don’t see why buying a $100 pair of jeans is necessary, unless if you have the money to do so. Just the other day I happened to be looking at jeans on Amazon, for no particular reason, and seeing that many of them cost well upwards of $100 a pair. And I wondered, who spends hundreds of dollars on a pair of jeans? What do those jeans do that a $20 pair doesn’t? Are they really that much better? Or do some people just have so much money that it makes sense to them to spend hundreds of dollars on a pair of pants? That said, some clothing definitely is better than others—looks better, feels better, fits better—and in my experience WalMart’s (and similar) house brands of clothing are… adequate, but not my first choice. But also in my experience, price alone is not a reliable indicator of quality when it comes to clothing. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2019, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-name-brand-items-better-than-cheaper-options-dollar-tree-vs-name-brand-stores/833755/24 "2019-05-14T14:58:37Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > If you examine per-unit prices at the dollar store, in many cases you’ll find the dollar store items are actually more expensive than the same item at Target or Walmart, and even the items that appear to be a better deal are often a smaller quantity and/or vastly inferior products. This is often IME also true if you compare big box stores to smaller, independently run local stores. If you still have any of the latter in your area, try it sometime. > [@RTFirefly](#): > > WallyWorld has some stuff that even Dollar Tree wouldn’t be able to beat. You can get a 6-for-$1 pack of toothbrushes at Wal-Mart, for instance. Since I tend to brush my teeth twice a day, and pretty vigorously, each toothbrush only lasts four or five days, but still, one of those packs gets me through a couple of two-week trips. That seems an awfully short time for a toothbrush to last, to me. I rotate a couple of them, trying to use a different one in morning and evening so they have time to dry out better between uses, but mine last for multiple months – I don’t keep close track. I’m curious: have you tried buying various brands of toothbrushes at various places to see if any of them last longer? I remember having a conversation with somebody once in which she said she didn’t see any reason to pay more than $20 or $30 for shoes because they only last a couple of months. I said the reason her shoes were only lasting a couple of months was that the shoes available for that price were all poorly made. It’s true that higher price is no guarantee of better quality – it may have to do instead with the name on the shoe, or the name on the store, or somebody’s perception of what’s pretty. But when something’s being sold extraordinarily cheap: there’s a reason. And sometimes, though not always, the reason is that it’s shoddy. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2019, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-name-brand-items-better-than-cheaper-options-dollar-tree-vs-name-brand-stores/833755/25 "2019-05-14T18:23:07Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Just the other day I happened to be looking at jeans on Amazon, for no particular reason, and seeing that many of them cost well upwards of $100 a pair. And I wondered, who spends hundreds of dollars on a pair of jeans? What do those jeans do that a $20 pair doesn’t? Are they really that much better? \*\*Or do some people just have so much money that it makes sense to them to spend hundreds of dollars on a pair of pants? > \*\* > That said, some clothing definitely is better than others—looks better, feels better, fits better—and in my experience WalMart’s (and similar) house brands of clothing are… adequate, but not my first choice. > > But also in my experience, price alone is not a reliable indicator of quality when it comes to clothing. Because they can afford it or pretend to be able to afford it. I knew a guy (a friend of a friend) who was in charge of a highly successful family run produce distribution company. His fiancee would routinely buy $300+ jeans just because she could. My friend told me that sometimes she wouldn’t even wear them before passing on to one of her friends. On the other hand, I had a girl whose mother ran a small catering business (don’t now how successful it was), and between complaining to my friend about how much she and the business were struggling, upgraded the Mercedes SUV she was leasing to a newer, larger model. In both cases, there may be a logical explanation. The $300 jeans and other high end clothing may be de rigueur when meeting clients. Same with the Mercedes, though there’s more doubt that driving a high end Mercedes SUV would make or break a catering deal. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2019, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-name-brand-items-better-than-cheaper-options-dollar-tree-vs-name-brand-stores/833755/26 "2019-05-14T18:43:04Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > In my experience, liquid dish detergents in generic and/or dollar store brands seem to be more watered down than brand names. One squirt of the good stuff was the same as 3 or 4 squirts of the cheap stuff, so no real savings as far as I could see. That’s what I’ve noticed too, and sometimes they have thickeners in them to give them a closer consistency to the more pricey products. Really though, dollar stores are just another tier on the whole name brand/house brand/generic continuum of products. And it really depends on the product. For some things, the dollar store versions are perfectly serviceable. Things like dish sponges, disposable plastic containers, bar soap, etc… are all just as useful as the name brand equivalent. Others are definitely not; would you trust a dollar store condom brand? Or put dollar store oil in your car? Or use a dollar store charger on an expensive electronic device? Ultimately though, even for the items that are more or less equivalent, they’re playing games with sizing to ensure they’re still $1, and often, as pointed out upthread, they’re not actually cheaper per unit (or if you prefer, you’re getting less for your $1 than if you bought it at Wal-Mart.) ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2019, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-name-brand-items-better-than-cheaper-options-dollar-tree-vs-name-brand-stores/833755/27 "2019-05-14T18:57:37Z")
A lot of times fashionable clothing is more expensive just to be more exclusive. A $300 pair of jeans is not 3x more durable than a $100 pair of jeans, and not 6x more durable than $50 jeans. But the $300 pair of jeans has a cool designer label that all your friends will be impressed with. The actual problem with cheap clothes is that it is often made cheaply and with cheap materials. The threads and fabrics may be thinner and less durable. The construction may not be as crisp. The fabric pattern may not line up as well where parts are sewn together. Elastic things like socks will stretch out. Shoes will fall apart sooner. The quality of tools are often directly linked to price. I wouldn’t buy tools from the DS unless it was a one-time use thing. Even something simple like a screwdriver will be made with softer steel that may bend or warp under high stress. Anything with a motor or that needs precision will likely be worse than a higher priced, name branded tool. I worry about foods since I don’t feel as sure that they maintained the quality control and temperature. Since they’re trying to eek out a profit at a low price, I worry that they might not be as concerned if the food isn’t kept at the right temperature since it costs more to keep the shipping truck at a lower temperature. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2019, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-name-brand-items-better-than-cheaper-options-dollar-tree-vs-name-brand-stores/833755/28 "2019-05-14T19:51:53Z")
When I worked for a consumer electronics company, we had our regular line of products,then we would have the club line. The club line was products that were sold at club stores like Sam’s, BJ’s, Costco, etc. They were of lesser quality and had fewer features. Our company was not the only one who did this. So for electronics at least, there is a difference in quality even within the same brand name, based on where you purchase it. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2019, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-name-brand-items-better-than-cheaper-options-dollar-tree-vs-name-brand-stores/833755/29 "2019-05-14T20:19:31Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > I remember having a conversation with somebody once in which she said she didn’t see any reason to pay more than $20 or $30 for shoes because they only last a couple of months. I said the reason her shoes were only lasting a couple of months was that the shoes available for that price were all poorly made. It’s true that higher price is no guarantee of better quality – it may have to do instead with the name on the shoe, or the name on the store, or somebody’s perception of what’s pretty. But when something’s being sold extraordinarily cheap: there’s a reason. And sometimes, though not always, the reason is that it’s shoddy. I don’t see any reason to pay more than 20 or 30 for shoes either. They’ll last me about 9 or ten months if I wear them nearly every day. $100+ shoes will maybe - MAYBE - last a year if I wear them nearly every day. I get far more bang for my buck out of cheaper shoes. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2019, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-name-brand-items-better-than-cheaper-options-dollar-tree-vs-name-brand-stores/833755/30 "2019-05-15T02:31:44Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > I remember having a conversation with somebody once in which she said she didn’t see any reason to pay more than $20 or $30 for shoes because they only last a couple of months. I said the reason her shoes were only lasting a couple of months was that the shoes available for that price were all poorly made. It’s true that higher price is no guarantee of better quality – it may have to do instead with the name on the shoe, or the name on the store, or somebody’s perception of what’s pretty. But when something’s being sold extraordinarily cheap: there’s a reason. And sometimes, though not always, the reason is that it’s shoddy. This reminds me of Vimes ‘Boots’ theory of socioeconomic unfairness. From one of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books: “The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money. Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles. But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that’d still be keeping his feet dry in ten years’ time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet. This was the Captain Samuel Vimes ‘Boots’ theory of socioeconomic unfairness.” ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2019, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-name-brand-items-better-than-cheaper-options-dollar-tree-vs-name-brand-stores/833755/31 "2019-05-15T02:49:23Z")
This 2016 [Snopes.com](http://Snopes.com) article was found to be True: **Dollar Store Toothpaste** Some dollar stores sell expired and foreign, non-ADA-approved formulations of toothpaste." [https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/dollar-store-toothpaste/](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/dollar-store-toothpaste/) Note that the reporters found that some of the products were name brand. Also, I would never buy anything electrical (i.e. carries a current, not matter how small) at a dollar store. Earbuds are fine, USB cables or chargers, a no go. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2019, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-name-brand-items-better-than-cheaper-options-dollar-tree-vs-name-brand-stores/833755/32 "2019-05-15T03:11:44Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I fully agree. > > Back in their heyday (1990s, I guess) there were a bunch of different dollar stores, and they were fun to browse in because you never knew what you’d find.\ > > Nowadays, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a true dollar store other than Dollar Tree. When I was in San Diego they had 99 cent stores (surprisingly, considering how high cost of living is there). Other than that and dollar tree I don’t think I’ve seen any others either. I believe family dollar started as a true dollar store but switched to being a general store. I mean at this point though, dollar tree probably has the market cornered on dollar stores so I’m not sure if another company could compete (its not like the items would be different). Apparently Japan has some interesting 100 yen stores though. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2019, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-name-brand-items-better-than-cheaper-options-dollar-tree-vs-name-brand-stores/833755/33 "2019-05-15T03:40:25Z")
Ohh…we just got our second Daiso store here in Hawaii (no Dollar Tree or Dollar General AFAIK). Daiso is huge in locations (2,800 in Japan, 4,000 worldwide, including a good number in the mainland U.S.) and some of their stores are huge in size, one the biggest is in South Korea (where it’s a 1,000 won store) with 8 floors of a building devoted to it. Daiso is a 100 yen store in name only as their items are priced in multiples of 100 yen, $1.50 in Hawaii. I haven’t visited either store (the first one opened late last year) because of reports of long lines and empty shelves. I’ll wait until the furor dies down before filling my basket with things I really don’t need! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2019, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-name-brand-items-better-than-cheaper-options-dollar-tree-vs-name-brand-stores/833755/34 "2019-05-15T12:40:06Z")
I bought paper towels at the Dollar General near me. They hang on a rack that is magnetically attached to the side of my fridge. They are infuriating, which is quite an accomplishment for paper towels. The perforations between sheets are not substantial, and if you grab a sheet and pull it sideways you tear the whole business of off the fridge; the rack and the roll end up on the floor with about 7 sheets unspooled. Great attention must be taken to use two hands to tear off a sheet. One to tightly press the rest of the roll, and one to do the tearing. I do not consider this purchase to be a bargain. ---
**Author:** ![sta3535](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@sta3535](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sta3535)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2019, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-name-brand-items-better-than-cheaper-options-dollar-tree-vs-name-brand-stores/833755/35 "2019-05-16T03:41:36Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > I don’t see any reason to pay more than 20 or 30 for shoes either. They’ll last me about 9 or ten months if I wear them nearly every day. $100+ shoes will maybe - MAYBE - last a year if I wear them nearly every day. I get far more bang for my buck out of cheaper shoes. IMO, some brands of shoes aren’t as comfortable because of the insoles. Cheaper Shoes = Cheaper Insoles Which is why I either buy shoes from Dunham’s or buy insole inserts if they cause discomfort for my feet. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2019, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-name-brand-items-better-than-cheaper-options-dollar-tree-vs-name-brand-stores/833755/36 "2019-05-16T14:22:44Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > I don’t see any reason to pay more than 20 or 30 for shoes either. They’ll last me about 9 or ten months if I wear them nearly every day. $100+ shoes will maybe - MAYBE - last a year if I wear them nearly every day. I get far more bang for my buck out of cheaper shoes. The person I had that conversation with said hers were lasting a lot less than that. And when I bought cheap shoes they’d often last a lot less than that – plus which, I discovered, they’d usually give me plantar fasciitis. Better shoes cleared that right back up. Feet vary, of course; as do the conditions people wear their shoes in, and how they move in them. Yes, I like the Vimes Theory. It applies to a lot of things. Being poor is often expensive. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2019, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-name-brand-items-better-than-cheaper-options-dollar-tree-vs-name-brand-stores/833755/37 "2019-05-16T23:41:45Z")
> [@Buttercup\_Smith](#): > > I do not buy food from the dollar store but the candy is fine. Back when I was a poor college student I’d often shop at Big Lots. While not a true dollar store it seemed like a lot of the stuff in their food and household goods sections was the same stuff sold at dollar stores. The food was very hit or miss. Generally basic items like cans of green beans or whatever were fine. And the six packs of Shasta Cola for 99 cents were hard to beat. But I remember a can of baked beans I bought there once that was just truly awful. I think I maybe choked down a spoonful or two and had to throw the rest out, they were that bad. I mean, just the fact that can remember a can of beans that I bought circa 2002 probably says something about how bad they were. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-name-brand-items-better-than-cheaper-options-dollar-tree-vs-name-brand-stores/833755/38 "2019-05-17T00:05:47Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > WallyWorld has some stuff that even Dollar Tree wouldn’t be able to beat. You can get a 6-for-$1 pack of toothbrushes at Wal-Mart, for instance. Since I tend to brush my teeth twice a day, and pretty vigorously, each toothbrush only lasts four or five days, but still, one of those packs gets me through a couple of two-week trips. > [@thorny\_locust](#): > > That seems an awfully short time for a toothbrush to last, to me. I rotate a couple of them, trying to use a different one in morning and evening so they have time to dry out better between uses, but mine last for multiple months – I don’t keep close track. I’m curious: have you tried buying various brands of toothbrushes at various places to see if any of them last longer? Pretty much **all** toothbrushes last way longer than these 17-cent specials. The point is, they’re good for traveling. I’m not really keen on taking the toothbrush with me on a trip that I’ve been using at home; I’ll buy a cheap toothbrush for the trip, and toss it when I head for home. These 6-for-$1 toothbrushes are perfect for that. 50 cents’ worth of toothbrushes gets me through a 2-week vacation. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-name-brand-items-better-than-cheaper-options-dollar-tree-vs-name-brand-stores/833755/39 "2019-05-17T00:19:30Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > FWIW, I consider Dollar Tree to be a true ‘dollar store’ because everything’s $1, while Dollar General and Family Dollar aren’t, because most of their stuff costs a good deal more. Just having ‘Dollar’ in the store name doesn’t make it a dollar store. family dollar is a dollar store for people who don’t want the dollar store taint when they shop… If you’ve ever noticed family dollar is carefully set up where there’s 2-4 varieties of an item 1 or 2 are name brands (that’s often more expensive than a grocery store)but there’s always and 1-2 that’s a dollar or less … that’s the ones they really want to sell and most people buy (and often the exact same thing you can buy at dollar tree ) but if you buy the name brand well they don’t mind either ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-name-brand-items-better-than-cheaper-options-dollar-tree-vs-name-brand-stores/833755/40 "2019-05-17T02:50:12Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Pretty much **all** toothbrushes last way longer than these 17-cent specials. The point is, they’re good for traveling. > > I’m not really keen on taking the toothbrush with me on a trip that I’ve been using at home; I’ll buy a cheap toothbrush for the trip, and toss it when I head for home. These 6-for-$1 toothbrushes are perfect for that. 50 cents’ worth of toothbrushes gets me through a 2-week vacation. Ah. Gotcha. I generally do just take whatever toothbrush I’ve been using at home; but I also don’t travel much. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-name-brand-items-better-than-cheaper-options-dollar-tree-vs-name-brand-stores/833755.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-name-brand-items-better-than-cheaper-options-dollar-tree-vs-name-brand-stores/833755.md?page=3)