Dollar Tree made the transition to start charging $1.25 for their products in locations around the US in 2021. At the same time, they launched a section called Plus, which has products costing up to $5, including slightly higher end decorative items. A few months ago they announced plans to charge up to $7 for items. They’re also soft launching $1.50 price points, making many people wonder when their inflation will end. In the meantime they’re closing some of their confusingly titled Family Dollar stores, which they also own, and have acquired 99 Cent Stores. (All of these stores are not to be confused with Dollar General, which is owned by a different company and has its own issues.) The maybe positive news is that Dollar Tree, Inc. has purchased 170 99 Cents Only stores, where I hope they’ll stick to the original intent of Dollar Tree with all items under a dollar.
Dollar Tree Inc. is acquiring 99 Cents Only Store’s intellectual property in North America as its competitor goes out of business. The dollar store acquired the IP alongside the designation rights of 170 99 Cents Only stores in Arizona, California, Nevada and Texas.
The discount retailer said Thursday via email to sister site Retail Dive that the stores would be turned into Dollar Tree locations, but didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about what it plans to do with 99 Cents Only’s intellectual property. The deal also included the acquisition of select furniture, fixtures and equipment.
“Dollar Tree looks forward to welcoming customers from 99 Cents Only Stores as early as fall 2024,” the company said in a Wednesday announcement.
I’ve shopped at Dollar Tree for years and I love how you can get products that are several dollars more at stores like Home Depot, Lowes and CVS. The greeting cards at Dollar Tree are decent and you can save quite a bit of money if you check Dollar Tree first for cards. I often remind myself to check Dollar Tree for things I would typically get at another store. With the price changes, Dollar Tree is no longer competitive with Walmart for many items though.
The 25% price increase is not cost prohibitive for many people, but many others rely on Dollar Tree for their staple items and have felt the crunch. With the move to buy .99 Cent stores, maybe they’ll expand the offerings at those stores. It remains to be seen whether they’ll rebrand them and charge more, but of course that’s also a possibility. None of these companies are doing it out of the goodness of their hearts and that’s understandable, but I wish they would reduce CEO compensation and pay more attention to employee wages and the needs of lower income consumers.
As I’ve mentioned before, I regularly watch Dollar Tree haul, organization and crafting videos on YouTube. One of my favorite recent videos is from Catherine from Do It on a Dime. She reorganized a very cluttered bathroom using Dollar Tree products, all while emphasizing that there’s no reason to feel shame or guilt around a messy space. If you struggle with being organized and/or keeping your home clean I highly recommend the book How to Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis. Catherine’s videos also have a lot of tips and tricks to getting your spaces organized.
Here’s what I wrote in November, 2021, about my favorite Dollar Tree channels:
Also I watch a lot of Dollar Tree shopping and DIY videos. I’m not particularly crafty but I find them soothing and I like seeing what people come up with. My favorites are Bargain Bethany, She So CraftDee, Glue Guns and Roses, Do It on a Dime, and ChicOnTheCheap. Sometimes I just like to watch women shopping because I also find that relaxing. PrettyNflawed is so great for that.
Photos are screenshots from Bargain Bethany and Do it on a Dime YouTube videos and via Instagram
I seriously love all of the channels that you listed. I’m so happy to see them getting some love. I’d also mention Olivia’s Romantic Home and Krafts by Katelyn
The Dollar Tree used to have some of the cutest holiday decor, household items and party supplies. I barely go anymore since the $1.25 change. The merger with Family Dollar (which has struggled for years) was a mistake and the determination to rebrand Dollar Tree at Family Dollar/Five Below price points is also a mistake. The dollar model worked and companies are getting out hand with inflation/shrinkflation/greed. These stores are not cheaper than other retail stores anymore and exploit the poor without the means to travel to cheaper stores. The pricing is being made deliberately confusing.
I’m relieved it wasn’t bought out by Dollar General, which seems to be *very* problematic.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=uE5THiD-kTk&si=o_zbNnQ7RyKm6qff
We have our share of these ‘pound’ stores in the UK and while once upon a time everything was a pound they have sadly upped their prices quite substantially, to the point that going into the discount supermarket such as Aldi and Lidl for their own brand products is cheaper. B&M (discount store chain) is also cheaper than some of the pound shops (Poundland am looking at you).
John Oliver did a brilliant take down of Dollar Tree and other similar stores on his show. Worth watching.
That being said, I love the Dollar Store, especially for holiday decorations and themed paper plates, etc.
I had linked it above, that’s what I was thinking of when I wrote “has its own issues.”
These dollar stores are very bad for small rural towns. They move in and sell 75% of the same things that the local grocery, pharmacy, and hardware store sells but at dirt cheap prices. The grocery is usually IGA, owned and sourced from local farmers. What they don’t sell are fresh foods, medication, and farm supplies. After they move in and businesses shut down because they can’t compete, locals who thought the dollar store was great, now have to drive 2-3 hours for medication, meat, dairy, fruit, vegetables They are finally selling some ‘cold and frozen’ items but that’s only because of lots of complaints from local politicians and media attention. They are a long term, job loss and economic downfall for rural communities.
Sadly, true. And stay away from the kids merchandise. These stores have been found to sell toys, jewelry, etc. from overseas that have unsafe amounts of lead and toxic chemicals.
Unfortunately, the 99¢ Only stores here in the Bay Area were a hide and go seek adventure to find actual 99¢ items. Mostly party supplies but the grocery items the last 5 years have steadily increased to where it’s cheaper at Target or Walmart.