Deals.Woot

I have bought food from the dollar store. Usually it is stale and I often get it home to realize it is some off brand that I though was the name brand. And, the food is usually stuff that is $1.49 at most at the grocery store anyway.

I'm not that much of a brand snob, so if the quality is equal or better, then sure, why not? One of my local 99-cents stores carries Mom's Best Naturals oatmeal and not-expired bread from local bakeries, both of which are much better deals than the national brands with artificial/preservative/HFCS ingredients.

Not everything is a deal, though ... food that's 0.79 is still 0.99, y'know.

I buy food there all the time. You just have to check dates. Canned beans are canned beans to me. But not everything is a better deal than you can get it elsewhere in larger quantities -- you have to know your prices.

And all of my kids were predicted by Dollar Tree pregnancy tests. I should pay $15 to pee on a brand name stick?

I absolutely used to buy the majority of my food from the dollar store - I was broke.

@linuxtrance: Yeah - as I noted previously, not everything is always a deal. Different dollar stores, different quantities too. Ammonia ... between 4 different stores, my $1 can get as little as 48oz or as much as 1 gallon. 1 stick of super glue, or an 8-pack.

There are also some mom-and-pop $1+ stores around here too, which have some items that are more than a buck. Again, some are a good deal (2 windshield wiper blades for $1.49), some aren't ($3.99 for a power strip, $9.99 door locks of questionable security, etc.)

Yeah, I don't see a problem with it at all. They typically have not had anything that was a deal, like the other posters mentioned. I have found some weird treats that aren't available in our local stores. I found some great cookies that were flavors I definitely couldn't get anywhere else - sandwich cookies that were chocolate banana, strawberry creme, or chocolate peanut butter. They were pretty darn good. For a lot of it, I think the dollar price tag is worth the chance of trying it. If you don't like it, oh well, it's not like you are out a ton of money.

I frequently check for good deals at dollar tree and 99c-only stores, and have yet to find any expired food items. Found plenty of off-brand, weird looking, no-way-in-hell I'd ever eat that items, but never expired. 99c-only even has fresh produce.