7 Ways Dollar Tree Uses Sizing To Charge You More

Dollar stores may offer lower prices than retailers like Walmart or Target, but shoppers aren’t saving as much as they think they are.

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Dollar Tree sells most of its products for $1.25, but they sell you less. Fortune reported that essentials such as toilet paper, soap and groceries cost more per unit at dollar stores than at larger retailers. This is also known as “shrinkflation,” or a strategy that some retailers use to reduce a product’s size, quantity, and sometimes quality while maintaining its retail price. This could mean fewer chips in the same size bag or a slightly smaller roll of paper towels for the same price.

Here are ways Dollar Tree uses sizing to charge shoppers more.

Toilet Paper

Buying toilet paper in bulk on Amazon or Costco will save you a lot more than buying it at Dollar Tree.

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For example, a single roll of 451-sheet Charmin Essentials Strong only costs $1.25. You can buy an 18-pack of the same-sized rolls at Walmart for $15.67. This comes down to $0.87 per roll at Walmart. If you purchased 18 individual rolls at Dollar Tree, you’d spend $22.50, as previously reported by GOBankingRates.

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Breakfast Cereal

Dollar Tree sells 3.5-ounce packs of Cinnamon Toast Crunch for $1.25, or about $0.36 per ounce, according to FinanceBuzz. You can find a 12-ounce box of the same cereal at Walmart for $3.48, which is only $0.29 per ounce.

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School Supplies

Dollar Tree sells 3.5-ounce packs of Cinnamon Toast Crunch for $1.25, or about $0.36 per ounce, according to FinanceBuzz. You can find a 12-ounce box of the same cereal at Walmart for $3.48, which is only $0.29 per ounce.

Snacks

Dollar stores are great places to shop for a quick snack when you’re on the road. However, a 2-ounce carton of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers will cost you more than twice as much per ounce as Target. The product is $1.25 at Dollar Tree, or $0.63 per ounce. Target sells a 30-ounce carton for $8.99, or $0.30 per ounce, according to FinanceBuzz.

Batteries

You can get a better battery price at dollar stores, but not for the same quality. FinanceBuzz noted that dollar stores typically carry well-known brands like Panasonic but are often zinc-carbon, not alkaline. This means they don’t last as long as traditional alkaline batteries.

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Medicine

Dollar Tree sells generic and name-brand ibuprofen and acetaminophen, but it often comes in smaller packages for a higher price. For example, you can purchase a bottle of Advil with six coated tablets for $1.25, or around $.20 per unit. Walmart sells Advil with 130 coated tablets, which comes to $10.98, or $0.84 each.

Toys

Dollar stores usually have an aisle dedicated to toys, but they’re often lower quality. Most are cheap brands you haven’t heard of and rarely last a week, according to FinanceBuzz. When they carry name-brand toys and games, bigger retailers, such as Amazon, Target, and some grocery stores, typically have better prices.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 7 Ways Dollar Tree Uses Sizing To Charge You More