Wrapping paper, greeting cards and other holiday items only to be purchased at dollar stores

Alexei Stiop / Getty Images/iStockphoto
There are tens of thousands of dollar stores across the United States, and they have been busier than ever during the pandemic as dime-seeking shoppers seek the lowest possible prices on products that otherwise they would have bought on Amazon or in more expensive supermarkets. stores. The problem is, that’s a mistake – the dollar store isn’t always cheaper, especially considering the drop in quality that so often accompanies a drop in price.
Learn more: 15 times you should splurge, checkout or skip shopping
Find: Shopping mistakes you make and how to stop
When bargain hunters head to Dollar Tree, Dollar General, and Family Dollar this holiday season, they shouldn’t assume that everything they see is cheaper than anywhere else. Shoppers can rest assured, however, that the following items are almost always a bargain at a dollar store. These are the purchases you can make with confidence.
Gift wrap
At Dollar Tree, you can pick up a case of 20 square foot rolls of Voila All Occasion Wrapping Paper for a dollar a roll. Even better, Dollar General sells Juvilog wrapping paper for $3 for 135 square feet. At Target, on the other hand, you won’t do much better than $4 for 40 square feet. Walmart is even more expensive, and none of the big box stores offer the option to save money by buying in bulk.
Greeting cards
As with wrapping paper, you can save a lot of money by buying large cartons of greeting cards and greeting cards at the dollar store, but not at the more expensive retail chains. At Dollar Tree, for example, you can get 20 cards — which get great reviews — for $1 when you buy a case of 30. That’s $30 for 600 cards.
At Target, individual cards sell for up to $4, $5 and more. At Walmart, a simple pack of 50 basic greeting cards costs $14.99.
Ornaments
Unlike wrapping paper and greeting cards, you can save a lot of money on individual ornaments without, in most cases, buying large quantities in bulk. When it comes to decorating your tree, all three chains – Dollar Tree, Dollar General, and Family Dollar – live up to their names, with most ornaments costing just a dollar. In many cases, $1 will buy you two or more ornaments. That doesn’t mean you’re relegated to the standard green and red balls — those are just $3 for 12. All three stores have unique and interesting selections of ornaments that really only cost $1.
Walmart and Target aren’t even close. For example, you’ll pay over $8 for 12 standard multicolored balls at Walmart.
holiday lights
At Dollar Tree, you can score 5 feet of 20-bulb strings of white or colored Christmas lights for just $1 if you buy a case of three—that’s 15 feet of lights for $3. You can do even better at Dollar General, where 20-foot strings with 100 lights are only $2.75. At Family Dollar, you get 20 foot ropes with 100 multi-color lights for the same $2.75. At Target, a 20-foot string with 100 lights isn’t $2 or $2.75, it’s $16.99 — and it’s on sale, down 13% from $19.49.
More from GOBankingRates
Last update: October 28, 2021