alt Hacker NewsThe irony is even though Dollar Tree prices are honest because they all are the same $1.25 (excluding the new “More Choices” $3-5 items) they’re still ripping you off. I always shop on a per-unit basis e.g. dollars per pound or cents per ounce, since that’s how I actually eat food. I need a certain amount of calories and a certain quantity of food to survive, and the less I pay per unit, the lower overall cost. On a per-unit basis, DT is almost always the most expensive store around, because quantities are so small!
There are of course exceptions; I can recall not long ago for example buying a pound of Himalayan sea salt for a dollar. That was a solid deal, and I haven’t seen it since.
But generally speaking, if you want to save money, don’t go to Dollar Tree.
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That's not really a rip off, it caters to people who can't afford to buy in larger quantities.
That sounds like it's basically the grocery equivalent of the boot theory of poverty. Poor people have to pay more in the long run because they can't afford to buy in bulk.
There are some things at dollar tree that are a good deal and some that aren't.
I think part of the appeal when everything was a dollar was so that people would know exactly how much it would be when they went to check out. Then they could manage a little bit of money with precision.
Yes because when I need a small bag of snacks to put in my backpack before a flight, my first stop is to Costco and buy everything I need in bulk.
Dollar Tree regular items aren’t all $1.25 anymore. Maybe half of what I’ve purchased there recently (mostly craft/gift wrap/party supplies) have changed to $1.50 or $1.75. If you grab multiple of the same item each one can ring up a different price.
Unless you are buying cards. Maybe candy, too? I’d be curious about that.
You may be shocked to hear that there are no seas in the Himalayas.
SO what do you buy for food and where do you buy it?
With your focus on calories per dollar, do you also get supplements? Which ones and where?
Why are you so focused on this?
> I always shop on a per-unit basis e.g. dollars per pound or cents per ounce, since that’s how I actually eat food.
For staples that's definitely sensible but surely there are also times where you need one-off items where any extra amount would just be waste?