Dollar Store, A Better Deal?

In this day and age, no matter how much we make, we all want to save.

One place you can count on is the at dollar stores. They are among one of the few retailers seeing growth in this economy.

?We?ve had a 30 to 40 percent growth in the last two years,? said Katie Rasmussen of Dollar World Inc.

The stigma about dollar or discount stores not having quality items is also changing. More people are taking the chance in this down economy to find deals.

“People come in all the time and say how could you sell that for a dollar, because we’re good at what we do,” said Rasmussen.

She said Dollar World purchases products from the same suppliers as other retail stores like Walgreens, Wal-Mart and Target.

“We base our purchasing on the needs of the community, (that’s) how we can interact with the community and (get) great value for a dollar,” she said.

KRDO Newschannel 13 did some comparing and found a few name-brand products are in fact cheaper than other retails stores.

A 3 ounce Tube of Colgate toothpaste, a 25ct. box of Curad Bandages and a 24 ounce Box of Classic Sun detergent were all a buck at Dollar World. At other retail stores, prices ranged from $1.99 to $4.99.

However, neighborhood dollar stores don?t carry ever name brand and often sell generic versions. It?s up to the shopper to decide what?s a better deal when it comes to value and quality.

Experts recommend checking labels for ingredients, nutrients and expiration dates.

But don?t discount the discount all together.

“Come here first. If you don’t find it here, we’ll find it and bring it in,” said Rasmussen.