Getting your money’s worth at dollar discount stores

 

From the company website

By Felicia Hodges

Ever needed a basic item for your kitchen or bathroom and just didn’t feel like heading to a department or big box store to find it?

The convenience of grabbing a pack of sponges, paint brushes for a quick touch-up project, or a bottle of glass cleaner at the local discount store can’t be beat – especially since those spots are generally easy to navigate, the checkout lines are relatively manageable and the prices aren’t bad.

But what do you do when the three or four bucks you planned to spend turn into $15 or $20 when you check out? The problem might not have anything to do with your ability to walk past a sales table at all. The items in your basket might just be a bit more at the register than you thought.

Not that long ago, everything on every shelf at Dollar Tree stores across the country was only $1. But in early 2022, the chain rolled everything under its roof to $1.25, citing increased operating and shipping costs. The company had been testing even higher prices in their Dollar Tree Plus stores, introducing items that were up to $7.

According to CNN, the company started to raise some item prices in regular Dollar Tree stores from $1.25 to $1.50 in 2024. Since not all packages have prices, it can make knowing the cost of the glass bowl that’s caught your eye a bit of a mystery.

“Dollar Tree doesn’t have signs telling you what prices are,” said Sandra Morton. The Orange County shopper added that sometimes, surprises happen in the checkout line as they did recently when she visited a local store to pick up items for her grandchildren’s Easter baskets.

“I bought five items. When I was checking out, I was told the total was $19.75 with tax,” she said, noting that two of the items were $7 each. “I wasn’t expecting them to be that much. It was in the ‘Easter section,’ not the $5 section.”

Although she thought about not getting the items, she did make the purchase.

“It is what it is,” Morton said. “I was shocked. But I wasn’t going to put stuff back because I went in there to get those specific (things).”

Regional pricing problems

In Dollar General and Family Dollar stores, sometimes the item price listed on the shelf may not be the price it rings at the register.

A 2025 an investigation by The Guardian discovered that both Dollar General and Family Dollar stores have had shelf-pricing issues. Since January 2022, 4,300 Dollar General stores across 23 states failed accuracy inspections while Family Dollar failed more than 2,100 price inspections in 20 states over the same period.

What that means is that all those items may have been priced lower on the shelf than they rang up at the register.

In Pennsylvania, there are more than 900 Dollar General stores. In December, the commonwealth’s Office of the Attorney General reached a settlement with store’s parent company, Dolgen Corp., LLC, after an investigation found shoppers were charged higher prices at store registers.

According to a press release from the Attorney General’s office, Dollar General stores failed more than 40 percent of pricing accuracy inspections in Pennsylvania between 2019 and 2023. The company agreed to pay $1.55 million in penalties and costs as well as to improve business practices through employee training and increased staffing – the latter of which has been named as a reason the shelf prices aren’t changed when prices change.

“Our investigation found widespread and repeated instances of Pennsylvanians being overcharged at checkout — blatant deception of customers all over the Commonwealth,” Attorney General David W. Sunday Jr. said in the press release. “We are hopeful the corporation takes this settlement very seriously, as Pennsylvanians expect to pay the price that is on stickers and labels.”

In November of 2023, Dollar General, which has 186 stores in New Jersey, agreed to pay $1.2 million to settle merchandise pricing violation allegations across the state.

And in New York in 2019, the state Office of the Attorney General secured a $1.2 million settlement with Dollar General, Dollar Tree and Family Dollar in fines and damages over the sale of expired over-the-counter drugs, obsolete motor oil and failure to comply with the state’s bottle deposit law. Although the settlement in New York wasn’t the result of pricing discrepancies, it was for issues people generally don’t want to experience with the products they buy.

In response to a Straus News inquiry, Dollar General indicated that the company is committed to providing customers with accurate prices and expressed disappointment when they are unable to do just that.

“When a pricing discrepancy is identified, our store teams are empowered to correct the matter on the spot for our customers,” a statement from the corporation’s public relations department reads. “Additionally, we have in place a number of measures designed to help us deliver on our commitment to pricing accuracy, including scheduled time each week for price change execution.”

Family Dollar and Dollar Tree did not respond to requests for comments by press time.

Handling pricing issues

But what should shoppers do if they find the price at the register doesn’t match the store’s shelf price?

“The first step is to talk to the store manager. Simply walk to the item on the shelf with them and see if there is a discrepancy,” said John O’Reilly, director of the Orange County, N.Y., Department of Consumer Affairs and Weights and Measures. He added that the office conducts price accuracy checks on about two stores in the county each month.

He suggested getting help if the issue can’t be resolved in-store or through a call to the corporate office by calling his or the N.Y.S. Attorney General’s Office to get relief.

“That’s one of the things we want to keep an eye on,” he said.

To reach the Orange County Consumer Affairs, call (845) 360-6700 or log onto https://www.orangecountygov.com/242/Consumer-Affairs-Weights-Measures.

For the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, call (717) 787-5211 or log onto https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/public-protection-division/bureau-consumer-protection/.

To connect with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, call (973) 504-6200 or log onto https://www.njoag.gov/programs/consumer-protection/.

Things to do while shopping and after ringing up: 

·      Check for in-store help: Dollar Tree and Dollar General stores often have scanners in aisles or near the front of the store so shoppers can check item prices, although not all stores have them. Also ask an associate for help if you need it. 

·      Use technology: Dollar General, Family Dollar and Dollar Tree all have apps that allow shoppers to scan product barcodes while in the store to see what it will ring at the register. They are also designed to make consumers aware of active digital coupons. 

Downloaded the apps via the Apple App and Google Play stores. 

·      Pay attention: Jot down the price the item is listed for on the shelf and watch the register as everything is being scanned and bagged. If the prices don’t match, let the cashier know right away. 

·      Look for red dot stickers: Dollar Tree stores sometimes use them to cover the old or current price on the shelf, indicating that the price has either recently increased or is about to. Sometimes the higher price is listed on the shelf under or near the sticker.

·      Examine your receipt: Check to make sure that the items rang for what they were advertised to by giving the register receipt a close look. Bring any discrepancies to a cashier’s or store manager’s attention as soon as possible and ask for a correction or refund of the difference. Be aware that cashiers at all three stores often ask if you want a printed receipt, so tell them that you do. Dollar General receipts are often accompanied by a coupon for a future visit.

Originally appeared in The Pike County Courier/Straus News (March 2026).

With rising grocery prices, it’s good to comparison shop

By Felicia Hodges

Whether due to increased demand for certain items, climate anomalies across the globe, or supply chain issues left over from Covid, there’s no question that it costs more to feed a family now than it did a year ago.

According to a survey conducted in March by Change Research, being able to afford groceries has become harder over that past 12 months for 79% of New Yorkers – an increase of 6% from 2023.

Since food prices don’t seem to be dropping and eating isn’t really optional, how can shoppers spend less in the grocery store these days?

The answer may depend on and how you shop.

Although many have a go-to favorite grocery store, Diane Cosh from the Orange County Department of Consumer Affairs and Weights & Measures said that a shift has occurred over the last few years.

“Consumers who were loyal to a specific store have moved on to become ‘Cherry Pickers,’” she said. “These people will shop at all the stores looking for sales, coupons, and the cheapest prices at all of them instead of being loyal to only one store.”

Cosh said checking an item’s unit or per pound price can make comparison shopping easier – and one of the best tools to help can be the store flyer.

“Most stores have also begun posting these flyers online on the store website, their app, or a kiosk in the store. If consumers make a plan before heading to the store, they can save time, gas, and money,” she added.

But a new grocery store can sometimes be daunting because it isn’t as familiar, and items might be a little harder to find.

Malcolm Griffin, a Newburgh dance instructor who began working throughout Orange County as a shopper for grocery pick-up and delivery service Instacart during the pandemic said he sometimes found himself in stores he didn’t know very well. He also said It helps to have a plan.

“If you’re going to an unfamiliar store, know how it’s laid out. I always start with produce. If I can navigate produce in a new store, I find I can pretty much learn my way around easily and get what I need,” he said.

Often, if a customer requested a particular brand of an item but the store didn’t have it, he has had to get their approval before grabbing a comparable substitute, which sometimes was a store-brand product.

“Basically, eggs are eggs are eggs. The name brand isn’t always higher quality over the store brand,” he said. “You’re not getting a knock off just because it’s a brand you may not have heard of. There’s really no difference in quality.”

Cosh said that both store- and name brands offer good value, adding that consumers should try both and stick with the one they like best.

“Judge them by price, taste, and overall value,” she added.
With Griffin’s guidance, 14 staple food items were compared pricewise between area Aldi, Adams Fairacre Farms, Stop & Shop, Price Chopper, Hannaford, and ShopRite stores. As most of the customers he shopped for tended to request specific products – such as whole milk (instead of almond, goat, or fat-free varieties) and bottled spring water (instead of purified), the items may not be what you usually toss into your cart but they will give an idea of what a similar item may cost.

While some items are noticeably higher than others at certain stores, shoppers may be able to save even more by using store rewards programs. Designed to incentivize repeat purchases and entice customers to choose a store over its competitor, the rewards are matched to customers’ preferences and shopping habits. Usually a phone number, driver’s license or email address is needed to sign up at any supermarket that offers it.

Also, all stores have sales and buy-one-get-one-free deals, which may make it more cost-effective to buy, say, three packs of bottled water if storage of the extra packs isn’t an issue or there is someone with whom to split the cost.

ITEM COMPARISON BY STORE

NOTE: Store Brands are listed when they were available, but Aldi doesn’t have just one particular store brand, so the “store brand” name for the particular item is listed instead (Dole is the exception). 

Hannaford, ShopRite and Stop & Shop were the only stores that had store brand bread. For an easier comparison, Sara Lee and Wonder Bread were listed as a bread comparison benchmark for those stores. The same happened with salt, sugar, and orange juice (with Morton, Domino and Simply Orange listed respectively).

Only Aldi, Price Chopper and Shop Rite had their own coffee brand. Green Mountain was available in all the stores except Aldi, so it was the benchmark comparison when it was on the shelves. All listed prices are current regular prices – not sale prices.

Originally appeared in the Mid-Hudson Times (2024)