KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

The key to a successful shopping experience is research. Now, this may sound unappealing or boring. But you have to know the REGULAR price to determine whether you’re being offered an actual sale price. Believe me. The retailer is hoping you don’t know, or have forgotten, that the 50% off sales item was marked up 100% the night before. Making assumptions about prices based on the reputation of the store may also cause a problem. If you can, take time and walk through a new store and check out the prices. It may surprise you and cause you to change your shopping habits. For instance:

More Expensive at Dollar Tree
I flurve Dollar Tree. Not Family Dollar or Dollar General, but Dollar Tree with the green tree symbol in its logo. All three stores are doing very well on the stock market, along with the big box stores and TJX (more on that in a later post). However, Dollar Tree is the only one where everything in the store actually costs $1.

You may think that $1 each sounds like a good price for almost anything. However, there are many things that cost MORE at Dollar Tree than they would at a grocery store or big box store.

Dishwashing liquid regularly goes on sale for .89 at most major grocery stores. You may want to wait for the sale and grab a couple bottles there. 

Toilet paper is a penny wise/ pound foolish kind of thing. Yes. You can get a four roll pack of toilet paper at the Dollar Tree. But there are like three squares of paper on each roll. You may want to spring for the 1.09 roll of majority brand toilet paper at the grocery store. At 1000 “sheets” per roll, it will last longer than four rolls of the Dollar Tree stuff.

Allergy pills may be cheaper at a big box store. They will be in a larger quantity, but as long as you’re getting 30 for less than $6, you’re good.

Much cheaper at the Dollar Tree? Bulk candy and cookies. Just make sure you check the expiration date!

Cheaper at Whole Foods

Unfortunately, prices at so called "regular" grocery stores have skyrocketed to the point that there is not much difference between their prices and prices at specialty health food stores such as Whole Foods. But there are some categories of items that are actually less expensive at Whole Foods.

Soy products are generally cheaper at health food stores because the stores buy more varieties and in bulk. This includes soy milk, yogurt, ice cream (get the chocolate), tofu, etc.

Ground (non-organic) meat, ground turkey, ground beef and ground chicken is usually cheaper by the pound at Whole Foods. The organic meat will cost more.

Canned goods, like salmon, tuna and beans will be cheaper. The beans will likely be salt free. Just add some adobo.

Any specialty, health related, foods will be cheaper at Whole Foods. If you need anything gluten free, dairy free, anything with a sugar substitute, or a medicinal herbal tea like Kava or Valerian, they will be cheaper at Whole Foods.

Much more expensive at Whole Foods? To avoid sticker shock, stay out of the fresh produce and deli sections.

Bonus for Holiday Shoppers

If you are looking for a reasonably priced, easy to wrap, unisex, not-too-personal, office grab bag type of gift, consider a CD of holiday music. You can go to a CD store, a big box store. Or you can grab your laptop and burn your own special mix. However, many retail stores have their own mix of holiday music.

Over the past few years, Ive gotten holiday CDs from Victoria’s Secret (“Christmas Eve/ Christmas Morning”), RiteAid (“Stars of Christmas”), Starbucks (“Making Merry”) and even the Post Office (“Let It Snow” and “Letters to Santa”). They included a full range of artists from Tony Bennett to Eartha Kitt, Seal to Ray Charles, Paul McCartney to Vanessa Williams, Jesse Martin to Joss Stone, the Muppets to the Boston Pops. And other than the Post Office, there’s usually no line, no waiting, no electronic store stampede!

Do your research and have some fun!

Let's Be Careful Out There.