Do You Ever Shop At 99-Cent Stores?

If you do, what kinds of things do you buy there? I buy all my cleaning supplies, paper towels, pens, pencils just to name a few.

Party supplies Gift bags & wrapping paper. Cleaning supplies. Batteries that suck.
Not%20Martha%20Stewart
Your Christmas present, OP.
Mom
Yes - it's great for a lot of items. The one item that I've never been satisfied with from the dollar store is earbuds for my Ipod. They never sound good. I'm fascinated by the 'exotic' foods from other countries with foreign writing. I'm too scared to try them though; I'm not convinced that the safety standards are enforced in some of these places. I've started a list for stuff I'll be purchasing on my next visit: hand soap, toothpicks, dish soap, batteries, tea lights.
It's the only place to go to find some Tussy deoderant!
Spices. Canned dog food. Hand lotion. Bar soap. Scented candles. Tea bags.
R5, I hope you're not feeding that stuff to a dog unless you're trying to kill it.
dog poo bags Xmas wrapping and stocking stuffers Cleaning supplies
I buy oodles of noodles and garbage bags
Our local dollar store carries Alpo, R6. It's not some mystery generic brand imported from China. It's only a few cents more at the grocery store, but sometimes it saves me an extra trip. Our dog sure seems to like it.
R5
No carb Pork Rinds. The grocery stores around here don't carry them.
cool, never knew a dollar could buy anything
Don't buy bottled lemon juice or olive oil there. I saw a report on TV that said these items (and some others) were watered down and did not respond properly if you are using them according to a recipe.
Once. I was passing by and decided to stop in for moth balls (of all things.)
Coffee filters
The one near me has a large assortment of vermin-related products -- mouse traps, roach sprays and powders, rat traps, mothballs, flying insect killer, flea killer, etc. I presume their usual clientele has a great need for such products.
Sabra%20Sapperstein
R9, do you check the expiration dates on the cans? Also, Alpo is kind of the McDonald's of dog food. He may like it, but a brand like Wellness would be far better for him.
Yea I always stop in...you never know what you might find.
I'd go more often if they weren't so crowded all the time.
I do but my 99cent Only credit card is over it's limit. I have to pay cash now. I buy, loufa's sliced pepperoni in the deli case, onions, lemons and lettuce in the produce area. I also buy Shick underarm deoderant since I like stink, and I've bought a few pair reading glasses that I keep in the bathroom and in the car. Here in LA they get great over runs on various breads and tortilla products. Primarily I only buy those items that the drug store over charges for and the mentioned food items. I live in quite posh high rise and love showing off my 99cent only shopping bag in the elevator to all the rich wannabes in our building.
Yes R16, I check the expiration dates on every single can. I'd love to buy her a more expensive brand of dog food, but I'm unemployed right now. Until I land a new job, the Alpo will have to suffice. I'm sure it's not the best nutrition out there, but it's better than table scraps & it's what I can afford right now. Interesting that people are so worried about what I feed my dog, but no one has commented about Oodles Of Noodles or No-Carb Pork Rinds or the other dietary horrors that others have mentioned here...
R9
I should have mentioned, I shopped a JC Pennys the other day and I was quite impressed with product quality for the price. Their closeouts are great too. I got couple of labled shirts for 7.00 each. The stores seem to be a cross between Ikea and Target with a fair number of designer and brand name products. It's worth a look.
Dog poo bags. I don't trust any of the food at $0.99 stores because I'm pretty sure they are loaded with chemicals that will kill you.
Wrapping paper and tissue. Occasionally cleaning supplies. Everything else in there scares me tbh.
They occasionally have great name brand chips and snacks, I love the TGIF potato skins chips. Balloons, goody bags for holidays and candy are a great buy too.
Anonymous%20
I buy all my food there. Yum yum. I do have this funny feeling in my belly though... OKay, I wouldn't buy any food there. I've gotten doodads for kids - items for geocaches, toys, puzzles, coloring books, kids' gardening tools, hair bands, comb, anything else that looks fun. It's all cheap crap of course, but I get some mileage out of them for cheap. I do feel a little guilty supporting that cheap throwaway economy.
The UK equivalent shops - Poundland and 99p Store - have a lot of branded goods such as Cadbury's chocolate or Heinz products and save a lot of money. They also have ends of ines or ranges such as Fruit of the Loom t-shirts (plain colours). They are also great for stationery items and cleaning products.
Bread for tossing to the ducks in the creek during my walk -- they're not fussy, but they do seem to love the dark russian rye brand that the 99cent store carries. Kleenex -- not that brand, but something else that works fine & comes in very pretty boxes with surprisingly good art work. Small bags of baby spinach -- the supermarket only carries bags that are larger than I can use up (& they charge accordingly). Hearts of romaine, bag of 3 for 99cents -- from a local farm, nice & crisp -- I can't figure out what's wrong with it! Canned fruit, some of it name brands -- not dented/broken or expired -- again, I see nothing wrong with it & don't know why it's there. Little gift bags & tissue, kids' party paper plates & plastic leis & etc for decorations/favors. Foil boxes/pans with cardboard lids for packing cookies in to take to someone, usually 2 or 3 for 99cents -- line them with a couple of printed paper napkins (from the 99cent store) if you want to be festive -- the recipient doesn't feel obligated to return the pan, which is helpful. Anything where you say to yourself "why pay more than $1 for this?" Parking's a bitch & it's crowded, so I only go early in the morning.
Wow. Yours has refrigeration, R27!
I usually buy the same thing I buy at the Grocery Supercenter, but in 1/4 the quality for 1/3 the price of a full size at the Supercenter..... (The Dollarama Store price trickery is OVAH!)
The .99 store near my house has frozen food--beef, chicken, fish. They all have weird name brands. No way in hell I'd eat meat that only costs .99
Ooh, I forgot to say I got some bamboo spoons / spatulas at the dollar store. I don't buy their plastic kitchen stuff, but the bamboo I've been using for years now.
Is it amazing what food items China can make for 99 cents, even more amazing what they claim these food items are! I wonder what they are really using and how them make it taste the same?
I bought some hotdogs there once at the dollar store that were marked down to .50, they were tasty I hate to admit.
Anonymous
Yes, R28 -- both refrigeration & a freezer! My old, frail neighbor really does eat like a bird, so I get her the tiny tubs of ice cream & sherbet (2/99cents), which don't take up a lot of room in her freezer while waiting for her to eat them one at a time. She also likes little 6oz-8oz tubs of cottage cheese or yogurt, & small packs of thinly sliced name brand lunchmeat, which she's able to use up before it goes bad. I'm going to check out the canned pet food -- if they've got nutritious brands for less than Costco & supermarkets charge, that would help a friend's rescue group whose budget depends on donated money to buy food for ferals & fosters.
Halloween candy. We get hundreds of kids trick-or-treating every year.
I bought some chicken kabobs at a dollar store near my ex's once. When we brought them home and cooked them, they shrunk to about half their size. I looked at the package, and the ingredients were several gums and fillers in the chicken. Plus the kabobs had no real taste to them. I get soap and Splenda and sewing supplies. Nothing else.
Theres a $1.09 king dollar by my house that has a better selection. I love the 2 litre coke, body wash, soap and candy.
I found this at a dollar store in Indio, California. A wonderful read about a fascinating woman and a pivotal point in contemporary art. So you never know what's going to show up.
http://www.amazon.com/Love-Affair-Modern-Art-Legendary/dp/1559707690/ref%3Dla_B001HCXXQS_1_2%3Fie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1340231835%26sr%3D1-2
Gardening supplies, especially clay pots Kitchen utensils - hit or miss, but I found some great steel serving spoons once Foil pans - if you bake a lot at Christmas, and need extra pans, check a dollar store Canned goods - I regularly find Progresso tomatoes, which I use a lot in stews 2 liter bottles of soft drinks envelopes odd stuff like clothes pins, shower caps, laundry bags
Ask Laura Bell Bundy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DUeUowGX2xwI
Anonymous
There 99cent cigarettes were outrageous. They guaranteed they would give you lung cancer. They quit selling them since that would eventually wipe out their customer base. Now their condoms are all seconds and you never know where the little holes happens to be. These brought in to make up for all the customers they killed off with their 99cent cigs.
[quote]Interesting that people are so worried about what I feed my dog, but no one has commented about Oodles Of Noodles or No-Carb Pork Rinds or the other dietary horrors that others have mentioned here... Because those dietary horrors are being consumed by PEOPLE who are freely choosing to eat them and have the power to make their own food purchases. Your dog, on the other hand, has little choice but to eat whatever you put in his bowl.
99cent, OKRRRRRRRRRRRRR?
Are you a big fat girl, OP?
[quote]Yes [R16], I check the expiration dates on every single can. They just change the expiration date. Like Expires 1/1/11 becomes 1/1/17
They're great at Chritmas for bulk wrapping paper, bows, ribbons and gift tags. No, I'm not a frau, I'm a gay uncle with lots of nieces and nephews.
I get my birthday cards and balloons from there. I always get a nice gift, but I don't see the point of buying a $5 card when I can get one of the same quality for $1.
[R43], you just made my morning. :)
I buy cleaning supplies, like wipes and enemas. I have found they have a great selection of dress shoes and wine. 99c. Who knew?
How can you possibly shop at these places. Can you imagine the type of people that work at those places? I bet some of them only make minimum wage. They are probably all like, "If I'm poor, I'll do things to these products." I usually stick to Saks or Neiman Marcus or if I MUST use a discount retailer there is Nordstroms or Bloomingdales.
Dollar stores are great for a wide variety of household items, but definitely not for food products.
The one closest to me has quite a few brand names. Granted, they're brand names I don't eat but people feeding families on a tight budget probably buy Campbell's soup, Hunt's tomato sauce and products like that. I mostly buy cleaning and laundry supplies there, and also some cooking stuff. A lot of their cleaning and laundry products come in from Mexico. I know which to buy, and most are the same basic products with different names. They sell an off brand of Oxyclean that's exactly the same chemical compound but more concentrated. I use far less product for a wash load for a fraction of the price. The 99-cent stores are great for anyone who is willing to read labels. Last time, they had a great deal on non-stick Reynolds Wrap, not generic foil, so I picked up a few rolls. They also had Best Foods mayonnaise (Hellman's west of the Mississippi). The expiration date is far enough out for me to use the jar.
I think it was Dollar Tree that used to sell these things, they were like fig newtons, but the filling was blueberry. They were so fucking good. But alas, they dont seem to carry them anymore :-(
My 99-Cent has turned into a $1.29 And Up Store.
[quote]Last time, they had a great deal on non-stick Reynolds Wrap, not generic foil, so I picked up a few rolls. That's pathetic. Dude you need to get off the Internet and find a real job that pays you money, instead of whatever you have. Or get two jobs, if you're life has come to the fact you can't buy foil at a store without waiting for a sale, it's time to toss it in.
Nordstrom no s
Who said I had to wait for a sale, R55? Please don't put words in my mouth. That non-stick foil is good stuff and not always easy to find. If I'm in the 99-cent store to buy bleach and I see a deal on something like the foil, I jump on it.
No thanks, I shop at Tearrrrrget!
They are closer than any larger store so I get stuff that I need right away--detergent, light bulbs, eggs. Then a couple doors away is a little produce market (I live in the country) where I can get vegetables and fruit.
condoms, deodorant, arm & hammer toothpaste
What .99 cent store carry Tussy Deodorant. i cant find it anywhere?
Please help
R50 - I'm sure you clutch your pearls with your tight over priced asshole as well.
Snap-off utility knives that I use for my hobby are several dollars each at home improvement stores. At dollar tree, they sell a card of four knives for $1. I also buy gift wrap and gift bags at the dollar store.
My last visit I bought a shower curtain liner and a two-pack of pens. I buy coffee filters there also; last time I believe I picked up a tube of toothpaste and some deodorant.
I buy the same things, household cleaners, disposable roasting pans, pens etc. I dont know if I would ever buy something to eat from there though. Where I used to live there was this store called 5 Below. Everything was under five dollars. The great thing was they mostly sold slightly past its prime merchandise tie-ins for tv shows and movies. I got a ton of really cool Futurama stuff after the show was canceled the first time.
Spanish sausage, One-Way Pepsi, and Red Weirdos.
Mitzi
In my experience these types of stores are WAY better on the west coast than on the east coast for some reason. The east coast basically has Big Lots and Dollar Tree, which are all tired and basically the same. The 99c Only stores out west are much better, with a bigger range of cheap crazy products. My absolute fave is Grocery Outlet, though, which had all kinds of deeply discounted products and sometimes some good finds in imported cheeses, wines, foreign foods, etc. Just watch the expiration dates. I miss that store. There is even a blog devoted to reviews of Grocery Outlet wine finds.
http://grossoutwine.wordpress.com/
Spices
Just went today-- got some AA batteries and reading glasses.
[quote] It's the only place to go to find some Tussy deoderant! Did someone say they have pussy deodorant?
Cheryl
Occasionally I find something worth buying in canned goods. I browse gardening supplies and wrapping paper. I always find something I want in kitchen gadgets.
I have bought cheap decorations for the office or some paper products but I never buy any type of food.
Five Below is awesome!
Eggs Coffee creamer Canned food (I don't care if it's expired lol) Spices Quick frozen foods (stuff for the deep fryer) Jalapeno single slice cheese Bread Chips Tortillas Nissin Chow mein Oodles of noodles Cereal (only if grocery brand costs more per oz) Cleaning products Kitchen sponges I typically go to the .99 store before I go to the grocery store.. then walk around the grocery store and laugh at how much I just saved!!!
Cliff
The Punchy Players need to do "Joan Crawford Goes to the 99-Cent Store."
Joe Eszterhas' book "The Devil's Guide to Hollywood". Hardback edition.
I mostly just stock up on food staples when I'm at the 99 cent store: bread, some meat products, Cup of Noodle knock-offs for when I'm in a pinch at work. Also it's a great place to pick up toothpaste.