# What's one thing sold at the dollar store that you would NOT buy there? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 11, 2013, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-one-thing-sold-at-the-dollar-store-that-you-would-not-buy-there/650023 "2013-02-11T21:19:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-one-thing-sold-at-the-dollar-store-that-you-would-not-buy-there/650023/21 "2013-02-12T02:45:22Z")
I don’t buy anything for pets there. All that I’ve seen are made in China and with critters who eat / chew on anything like that, a few extra bucks are worth not putting them at risk. Stuff meant for babies / toddlers is subject to similar scrutiny. Batteries, most dishes (they’re kings of the ultra-cheap-use-it-once-or-only-for-decoration ceramics) and most tools are better purchased somewhere else too. ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-one-thing-sold-at-the-dollar-store-that-you-would-not-buy-there/650023/22 "2013-02-12T03:05:48Z")
On a mad day of errands, when I hadn’t eaten, I was tempted by an ice cream on a stick at the dollar store. I was sick for 2 days. ---
**Author:** ![gerund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@gerund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gerund)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-one-thing-sold-at-the-dollar-store-that-you-would-not-buy-there/650023/23 "2013-02-12T05:16:11Z")
> [@DummyGladHands](#): > > On a mad day of errands, when I hadn’t eaten, I was tempted by an ice cream on a stick at the dollar store. I was sick for 2 days. Awwwwwww. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-one-thing-sold-at-the-dollar-store-that-you-would-not-buy-there/650023/24 "2013-02-12T07:10:35Z")
> [@EmilyG](#): > > Also, almost any kind of food. This, as my previous post suggests. OTOH those Chinese almond cookies that come in the pink box are pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Uber\_the\_Goober](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/58956e/32.png) [@Uber\_the\_Goober](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uber_the_Goober)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-one-thing-sold-at-the-dollar-store-that-you-would-not-buy-there/650023/25 "2013-02-12T11:39:47Z")
> [@Rachellelogram](#): > > I never cheap out on toothpaste. Can be vastly out of date and not conform to ADA ingredients. May have weird ingredients, too much fluoride (or no fluoride) depending on the country it was intended for. Besides, toothpaste lasts a really long time. Even if one tube of the really good stuff costs 10 bucks, it lasts me a year. It’s not worth saving $9 a year to use cheap toothpaste. Lasts you a _year_?!?! What are you brushing once every other day or just buying a ginormous tube? I can’t make it a month…but then again, my wife’s very wasteful and also buys smallish tubes. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-one-thing-sold-at-the-dollar-store-that-you-would-not-buy-there/650023/26 "2013-02-12T14:09:56Z")
Not a dollar store, but I once bought a pad of watercolor paper at a job lot for $4. I used the first sheet and threw the rest out. It had no sizing on it, so it acted like a freakin’ sponge. I would have done better with copier paper. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-one-thing-sold-at-the-dollar-store-that-you-would-not-buy-there/650023/27 "2013-02-12T14:15:12Z")
I have come to the conclusion that they sell already dead batteries. Regardless of type. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-one-thing-sold-at-the-dollar-store-that-you-would-not-buy-there/650023/28 "2013-02-12T16:07:36Z")
There are only a handful of things I WOULD buy there- cheap reading glasses, primarily. Otherwise, I find that: 1. The generic stuff they sell is crap that either doesn’t work or will break/fall apart quickly 2. The name brand products they sell are NOT particularly cheap, if you check the prices. Seriously, a can of Campbell’s soup or a tube of Crest isn’t really any cheaper at a typical dollar store than at a normal supermarket. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-one-thing-sold-at-the-dollar-store-that-you-would-not-buy-there/650023/29 "2013-02-12T16:11:12Z")
I’ve been ripped off by batteries and off-off-off-brand cookies. ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-one-thing-sold-at-the-dollar-store-that-you-would-not-buy-there/650023/30 "2013-02-12T16:41:03Z")
Ketchup ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-one-thing-sold-at-the-dollar-store-that-you-would-not-buy-there/650023/31 "2013-02-12T16:49:20Z")
Things that are supposed to be sharp. I bought a knife there before and it was about as sharp as a butter knife. And I haven’t tried buying scissors there but I expect they would suck. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-one-thing-sold-at-the-dollar-store-that-you-would-not-buy-there/650023/32 "2013-02-12T16:52:43Z")
Razors. I bought some disposable razors at a dollar store once. They were beyond aweful. My face looked like I had shaved with a belt sander. With extra-course sandpaper. I threw the whole bag in the garbage. Trust me, it’s worth the extra money to buy your razors from somebody who has a reputation to protect. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-one-thing-sold-at-the-dollar-store-that-you-would-not-buy-there/650023/33 "2013-02-12T17:40:21Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Batteries. > > I do a lot of cushy camping, which requires a lot of batteries. Too often in the past, I’ve gone cheap and gotten dollar store batteries, but they don’t actually save any money. Fer’instance: running a battery powered box fan takes 8 D batteries. The dollar store sells them in 2 packs, so that’s $4 of batteries for one installation. Dollar store batteries consistently need to be replaced before 24 hours are up, so I need 3 sets for a weekend. That’s $12. If I wait for a sale, I can get 8 name brand D batteries for $10 or less at a regular store and they last the whole weekend and then some. AND I don’t have to pack, carry and contentiously dispose of an extra 16 batteries. > > I’ve found the same to be true of smaller sizes. They just don’t last long enough to be a real savings. > > But it took me many weeks of camping and an actually tally sheet to admit this to myself. They look so tempting, sitting there for just a buck! That’s more than likely because most dollar store batteries are old-timey zinc chloride batteries, (usually listed as “Heavy Duty”) and not modern alkaline batteries, which have something like 5x the capacity at the same output voltage. Dollar store alkalines are fine, but they’re not much of a bargain compared to other discount stores like Wal-Mart or even Home Depot, not to mention places like [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) or [woot.com](http://woot.com) when they have them. FYI, the best way to go if you use a lot of batteries is probably Harbor Freight NiMh rechargeables with a name-brand charger from somewhere else. I’m with **Soul Brother No. 2** - there’s no way on earth I’d buy off-brand condoms at a dozen per dollar at a dollar store. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-one-thing-sold-at-the-dollar-store-that-you-would-not-buy-there/650023/34 "2013-02-12T17:48:18Z")
I have had great luck with Sunbeam alkaline AA and AAA cells from Dollar Tree. They nearly exclusively get used in remote controls and a wireless mouse which may explain their long life. ---
**Author:** ![nonacetone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonacetone/32/2819_2.png) [@nonacetone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonacetone)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-one-thing-sold-at-the-dollar-store-that-you-would-not-buy-there/650023/35 "2013-02-12T18:01:30Z")
My husband, and daughter, LOVE the Butterfinger cookies from Dollar General. I think they’re vile. I don’t even know what brand they are, but it doesn’t matter. That’s the name on the box. Butterfinger Cookies. They’re $1 per box. VILE. Really. They also really like the fruit pies from Dollar General. I think the brand is J.J.'s. I’m told that there is actually more filling in the pies, than air-space. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-one-thing-sold-at-the-dollar-store-that-you-would-not-buy-there/650023/36 "2013-02-12T18:03:27Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > I have had great luck with Sunbeam alkaline AA and AAA cells from Dollar Tree. They nearly exclusively get used in remote controls and a wireless mouse which may explain their long life. That is what I get and use them for the same purpose. They work fine for that. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-one-thing-sold-at-the-dollar-store-that-you-would-not-buy-there/650023/37 "2013-02-12T18:30:17Z")
One time, they had this weird, pink wine at the dollar store. Being adventurous and in college, we bought it on a whim. I don’t know what the hell kind of wine that was, but I can tell you this much: it had a raw meat after taste. Seriously, the flavor it left in your mouth was one of raw ground beef. Never, ever again. ---
**Author:** ![amaguri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@amaguri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amaguri)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-one-thing-sold-at-the-dollar-store-that-you-would-not-buy-there/650023/38 "2013-02-12T18:33:45Z")
Agree about the aluminum foil-- it’s as thin as gold leaf! But I definitely appreciate these stores when they get close outs of name brand stuff. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-one-thing-sold-at-the-dollar-store-that-you-would-not-buy-there/650023/39 "2013-02-12T18:35:02Z")
The plastic knives and forks are a joke-they break when you take them out of the box! ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-one-thing-sold-at-the-dollar-store-that-you-would-not-buy-there/650023/40 "2013-02-12T19:01:11Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > One time, they had this weird, pink wine at the dollar store. Being adventurous and in college, we bought it on a whim. I don’t know what the hell kind of wine that was, but I can tell you this much: it had a raw meat after taste. Seriously, the flavor it left in your mouth was one of raw ground beef. Mmm, Pinot Tartare. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-one-thing-sold-at-the-dollar-store-that-you-would-not-buy-there/650023.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-one-thing-sold-at-the-dollar-store-that-you-would-not-buy-there/650023.md?page=3)