# I wouldn't buy this at the dollar store: **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 7, 2005, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wouldnt-buy-this-at-the-dollar-store/298304 "2005-04-07T23:46:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wouldnt-buy-this-at-the-dollar-store/298304/21 "2005-04-08T08:27:26Z")
> [@Silver Fire](#): > > I wouldn’t buy make up from a dollar store. I would (and do) buy these tubs of lip gloss there, and they are to die for. I will buy fingernail polish at a dollar store…but generally just to put on chigger bites. I’ve also bought regular makeup at closeout stores, and would at dollar stores, if I recognize it as something that I like and use already. Since it’s at a dollar or closeout store, I’ll buy all of their stock of that particular kind, as I’m sure it’s being discontinued. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wouldnt-buy-this-at-the-dollar-store/298304/22 "2005-04-08T12:33:24Z")
A girl at work told me about a friend of hers who played a fine April Fools joke by getting a home pregnancy test at the dollar store, having a pregnant friend use it, and then leaving it in her parents’ bathroom for them to find. Pretty funny, but I wouldn’t buy a $15 dollar test to do it with. ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wouldnt-buy-this-at-the-dollar-store/298304/23 "2005-04-08T21:11:04Z")
I would buy a HPT there. Seems to make fiscal sense, to me. If I’m unsure about the test’s reliability, I can test my urine ten times in a row and still have spent only 2/3rds or less of what an HPT would have cost at a regular store. You can’t lose!! ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wouldnt-buy-this-at-the-dollar-store/298304/24 "2005-04-08T21:20:24Z")
Wow. That’s five to one for buying the $1 HPT, with more people avoiding the fresh food. All I can say is I’m glad that’s a decision I won’t have to make anymore. I’m still a little annoyed that they didn’t have any tissues. _sniff_ ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wouldnt-buy-this-at-the-dollar-store/298304/25 "2005-04-08T21:45:27Z")
I wouldn’t have bought a HPT at the $ store as my first test. Why? I knew it was a possibility I was pregnant far before I missed a period and I wanted the most sensitive test on the market. Generally, the cheap tests don’t register until you have 100 mIU of HCG, which necessitates waiting until you’re late. I bought the most sensitive test on the market and got a positive 10 days after conception. If my $ store did sell HPT, I would probably have bought some for giggles later. I never got tired of seeing the test change. And I’m with you on the tissues! Your dollars stores sell product and diagnostic tests but no Kleenex? What the heck is that about? ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wouldnt-buy-this-at-the-dollar-store/298304/26 "2005-04-08T21:48:02Z")
> [@Lynn Bodoni](#): > > I will buy fingernail polish at a dollar store…but generally just to put on chigger bites. Pssst! What are chigger bites and why do you put fingernail polish on them? ---
**Author:** ![Susie\_Derkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47774/32.png) [@Susie\_Derkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susie_Derkins)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wouldnt-buy-this-at-the-dollar-store/298304/27 "2005-04-08T21:59:14Z")
The one near me also sells ovulation predictors. I’ve always wondered how reliable those would be. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wouldnt-buy-this-at-the-dollar-store/298304/28 "2005-04-08T22:44:47Z")
> [@Cyros](#): > > Pssst! What are chigger bites and why do you put fingernail polish on them? [chigger bites](http://www.public-health.uiowa.edu/ceid/images/Albums%20compiled/Peru%20summer%202004%20album/pages/Chigger%20bites!_JPG.htm) ---
**Author:** ![SnakesCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wouldnt-buy-this-at-the-dollar-store/298304/29 "2005-04-09T00:22:44Z")
I am the dollar store Queen - I love that place! I don’t buy food very often (unless it’s a brand I already know) or makeup (ditto) but office and cleaning supplies and cheap seasonal decorations (that you throw away instead of trying to find a place to keep them) and confettii for hockey games and candles and candle holders and picture frames and sometimes books… The Dollar Store rocks! I did get some really good canned asparagus at Dollar General ($1.50 a can for the tall spears). If you are going to be in chigger country, wear panty hose. That goes for the guys, too. A lot of the hunters here in the South wear them. (No snide comments about clashing with camo, etc., are required.) ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wouldnt-buy-this-at-the-dollar-store/298304/30 "2005-04-09T00:49:38Z")
I stopped buying light bulbs after they kept burning out so fast. I’d never heard anything funny about the toothpaste at the 99 Cents store. It’s certainly easy enough to check the percentage of the fluoride ion. Just look. ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wouldnt-buy-this-at-the-dollar-store/298304/31 "2005-04-09T01:03:49Z")
Oh! I thought of one! I don’t buy extension cords from the store after seeing a piece on TV where a fire marshall said they substandard wiring in store extension cords and power bars are responsible for many many electrical fires and often don’t met federal safety standards (in Canada). ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wouldnt-buy-this-at-the-dollar-store/298304/32 "2005-04-09T12:48:20Z")
> [@Snakescatlady](#): > > I did get some really good canned asparagus Now there’s an oxymoron if ever I’ve heard (read) one. ---
**Author:** ![Chimpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@Chimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimpy)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wouldnt-buy-this-at-the-dollar-store/298304/33 "2005-04-09T13:25:20Z")
They sell 12 packs of condoms for £1 here, when a three pack of a more reputable type is £3, but I sit there thinking “Why bother, when they’re free from the Florey (STD) unit at the local hospital?” There’s no way I’d trust Pound Store condoms not to split. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wouldnt-buy-this-at-the-dollar-store/298304/34 "2005-04-09T13:45:24Z")
> [@Cyros](#): > > Pssst! What are chigger bites and why do you put fingernail polish on them? [Chiggers](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chigger) are nasty little bloodsuckers that attach themselves to humans and cause excruciating itching. I always heard that one put fingernail polish on a chigger bite to smother the chigger, but Wikipedia says that the relief comes from reducing the site’s exposure to air. At any rate, putting fingernail polish on a chigger bite is a long-standing tradition amongst Texans who have to go outdoors during chigger season. Just thinking about chiggers makes me itch! ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wouldnt-buy-this-at-the-dollar-store/298304/35 "2005-04-09T15:39:32Z")
I went to an auction recently with my brother in law and reminded myself why I don’t do dollar stores and flea markets. The selection of merchandise was shite to put it mildly. One example was a lot of knockoff Zippo lighters emblazoned with the confederate stars and bars and an admonition to “git r done.” This was the good stuff. The more tasteful item was a three blade throwing kife in a human skull base. We sat down and watched people bid on lots of stale Captain Crunch and cartons of juice which probably shold have been refrigerated. I bought a bittle of coco butter which went for a dollar just so I could tell my wife that I bought her something. When I examined the bottle close it was just generic lotion with coco butter listed next to last in the ingredients. I was suprised there wasn’t a warning to avoid prolonged skin contact. :rolleyes: Fortunately a lot of Oil of Olay came up and sold for a reasonable price so I was able to give her something she could use. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wouldnt-buy-this-at-the-dollar-store/298304/36 "2005-04-09T15:56:56Z")
> [@Caricci](#): > > Also condoms. I’ve seen 'em at the local “99cents Only” store. Some off-brand I’ve never heard of from Malaysia, and a whole bunch of really dusty Lifestyles. I’ve always been kind of afraid of the dollar store pharmaceuticals myself. There’s just something sketchy about getting a huge bottle of Ibuprofen for 99 cents when even house brand ibuprofen at Wal-Mart is more like 3-4 dollars. That said, dollar stores are great for cheapo hand soap, floor mopping soap, seeds and flowerpots. ---
**Author:** ![Creaky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@Creaky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Creaky)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2005, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wouldnt-buy-this-at-the-dollar-store/298304/37 "2005-04-10T02:26:40Z")
> [@heraldgwena](#): > > … alcholic beverages sold at dollar stores. Anything that gives you a six pack for a dollar has to be made of terpintine or something. Damn, Sam. That actually don’t sound too bad to me. They don’t sell _any_ booze in the Dollar Store where I live. Maybe I need to move…! ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2005, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wouldnt-buy-this-at-the-dollar-store/298304/38 "2005-04-10T02:37:04Z")
> [@Lynn Bodoni](#): > > [Chiggers](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chigger) are nasty little bloodsuckers that attach themselves to humans and cause excruciating itching. I always heard that one put fingernail polish on a chigger bite to smother the chigger, but Wikipedia says that the relief comes from reducing the site’s exposure to air. At any rate, putting fingernail polish on a chigger bite is a long-standing tradition amongst Texans who have to go outdoors during chigger season. > > Just thinking about chiggers makes me itch! Ugh! I don’t think we have those creatures here (not that I’m one for the great outdoors under the best of circumstances). Thanks for the explanation! ---
**Author:** ![Susie\_Derkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47774/32.png) [@Susie\_Derkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susie_Derkins)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2005, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wouldnt-buy-this-at-the-dollar-store/298304/39 "2005-04-10T02:49:55Z")
I went to the Dollar Tree today and got: [ul] [li]an inflatable water ring for my daughter (very big and sturdy) [/ul][/li] [ul] [li]a bucket and shovel set[/ul][/li] [ul] [li]a set of various beach toys (sifter, shovel, plastic animal shapes for making a “sand zoo”)[/ul][/li] [ul] [li]a three-pack of plastic visors[/ul][/li] [ul] [li]a two-pack of goggles[/ul] [/li] [ul] [li]a stick of Banana Boat 30 SPF sunblock[/ul][/li] [ul] [li]a tube of Banana Boat 15 SPF lip balm[/ul][/li] [ul] [li]a very cute pair of sunglasses that block UVA rays just as good as the more expensive pairs do (yes, we were going to the beach)[/ul][/li] [ul] [li]and two travel coffee mugs (they look very nice, but I haven’t tried them out yet)[/ul][/li] All of these are quality items that I expect to use all summer, and the sunblock and balm were not expired. In the past I have bought my favorite coffee mug, TONS of very pretty gift bags and bows, four-packs of semi-disposable storage containers, packs of party goodies for my daughter’s class, a portable FM radio…I could go on and on. Every item was only a dollar. I love, love, LOVE my Dollar Tree. There are still some things I won’t buy there, though. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Zjestika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8edcca/32.png) [@Zjestika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zjestika)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2005, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wouldnt-buy-this-at-the-dollar-store/298304/40 "2005-04-10T03:30:02Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > A can of “Imitation Abalone”. I can’t resist checking the label. Giant squid. But, I’m sure that giant squid would be more precious than real abalone, and therefor would cost more than a dollar, what with our inability to catch a living giant squid. Unless, it’s rotting giant squid carcass that washed up on a beach somewhere, and is really just ocean barf. Hmm, okay, now it’s making sense… ZJ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wouldnt-buy-this-at-the-dollar-store/298304.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wouldnt-buy-this-at-the-dollar-store/298304.md?page=3)