Do you ever wonder if Dollar Tree is cheaper than other stores? I often see videos about Dollar Tree hauls and these people have a ton of stuff in their basket and a lot of ‘great deals’. So in my quest to save money, I tested Dollar Tree Prices vs. Walmart Prices. You’ll never guess what I discovered!
Is Dollar Tree REALLY cheaper?
I have often wondered, Is shopping at Dollar Tree REALLY cheaper than shopping at other stores? A lot of times you see people’s posts about their Dollar Tree hauls and these people have a ton of stuff in their basket and a lot of “great deals”. So in my quest to save money I did “The Great Dollar Tree Test for the Betterment of Mankind 2018”!
I went to my local Dollar Tree and Walmart and I set out to find out once and for all if Dollar Tree is really cheaper! I made a list and bought the same items at each store. Since some product sizes were different at Dollar Tree Stores than Walmart, I also calculated the price per ounce or the price per individual item in the package.
I wasn’t surprised by my findings because I had suspected all along, but now I know for sure that I was right.
Here is what everything cost at both stores:
Dollar Tree Prices
| Item | Item Cost | Price Per Unit |
| 25 sheet Tissue Paper | $1.00 | $.0.04/sheet |
| Gift Bag | $1.00 | $1.00 |
| Plastic Table Cover | $1.00 | $1.00 |
| 25 Ft. Aluminum Foil | $1.00 | $0.04/ft. |
| Comet Cleanser 25 oz. | $1.00 | $.0.04/oz. |
| Bleach 96 oz. | $1.00 | $0.010/oz. |
| Oven Cleaner 13 oz. | $1.00 | $0.07/oz. |
| The Works Bathroom Cleaner 16 oz. | $1.00 | $0.06/oz. |
| Blue Dish Soap | $1.00 | $0.03/oz. |
| Colgate Kids 2.7 oz. | $1.00 | $.37/oz. |
| Aim 5.5 oz. | $1.00 | $0.18/oz. |
| Floss Picks 60 pack | $1.00 | $0.016/pick |
| Crest 2.9 oz. | $1.00 | $0.34/ oz. |
| Odor Absorbers 8 oz. | $1.00 | $0.12/oz. |
| White Rain Shampoo | $1.00 | $0.05/oz |
| VO5 15 oz. | $1.00 | $0.06/oz |
| Napkins 160 count | $1.00 | $0.006/napkin |
| White Rain Kids body wash 12 oz. | $1.00 | $0.08/oz. |
| Green Scrubbies 5 pack | $1.00 | $0.20/scrubbie |
| Swiffer Copy Cat Wet Cloths | $1.00 | $0.10/cloth |
| Sponge with Scrubbie | $1.00 | $0.50 each |
| Flower seeds | 4/$1.00 | $0.25 each |
| Garlic Powder 1.65 oz. | $1.00 | $0.60/oz. |
If I bought 1 oz. of everything: Dollar Tree Total Cost: $5.16
Walmart Prices
| Item | Item Cost | Price Per Unit |
| 40 sheet Tissue Paper | $3.98 | $.0.09/sheet |
| Gift Bag | $1.48 | $1.48 |
| Plastic Table Cover | $0.97 | $0.97 |
| 35 Ft. Aluminum Foil | $2.97 | $0.08/ft. |
| Comet Cleanser 25 oz. | 0.98 | $.0.03/oz. |
| Bleach 121 oz. | $2.94 | $0.02/oz. |
| Oven Cleaner 16 oz. | $2.74 | $0.17/oz. |
| Works Bathroom Cleaner 32 oz. | $.98 | $0.03/oz. |
| Blue Dish Soap 40 oz. | $2.97 | $0.08/oz. |
| Colgate Kids 2.7 oz. | $0.98 | $.36/oz. |
| Aim 5.5 oz. | $0.85 | $0.15/oz. |
| Floss Picks 60 pack | $1.00 | $0.016/pick |
| Crest 2.9 oz. | $0.97 | $0.33/oz. |
| Odor Absorbers 8 oz. | $3.88 | $0.48/oz. |
| VO5 12.5 oz. | $0.78 | $0.06/oz. |
| Napkins 150 count | $1.00 | $0.005/napkin |
| GV Kids body wash 40 oz. | $2.48 | $0.06/oz. |
| Green Scrubbies 6 count | $4.48 | $0.74/scrubbie |
| Swiffer Copy Cat Wet Clothes | $2.84 | $0.23/cloth |
| Sponge with Scrubbie | $0.97 | $0.48 each |
| Flower seeds | 4/$1.00 | $0.25 each |
| Garlic Powder 3.4 oz. | $0.98 | $0.28 |
If I bought 1 oz. of everything: Walmart Total Cost: $6.69
The Outcome: Is Dollar Tree Really Cheaper?
So the outcome of Is Dollar Tree Really Cheaper? Well, yes and no. For certain things it’s cheaper and others it’s not.
If you are buying these, you are saving when you buy them at Dollar Tree Stores:
- Tissue Paper
- Gift Bags
- Oven Cleaner
- Odor Absorbers
- Green Scrubbies
- Swiffer Copy Cat Cloths
- Seeds
- Party Supplies
I would get these at Dollar tree and these items are a good deal cheaper than Walmart. I don’t know about how long the green scrubbies will last compared to the name brand and I don’t know how thick the Swiffer Copy Cloths are, but they are cheaper.
Everything else that I tested is the same price or cheaper at Walmart.
One thing I noticed is that at Dollar Tree, the packages were often smaller, so if you purchase a bottle of garlic powder at Dollar Tree, the bottle is only half the size of the one at Walmart, so if you do a price comparison by the ounce, Walmart ends up being cheaper even though the price for a bottle of garlic powder appears lower.
Of course, for items like a single gift bag, the price comparison is easier since there’s only one item.
One thing that came up in my Dollar Tree Question to our readers on our Save on Groceries Facebook Group was they LOVED buying spices and party supplies. The spices ended up costing DOUBLE the cost of buying spices at Walmart but the party supplies were half the price of buying them at Walmart.
So in the end, if saving money is important to you, know you prices. Don’t assume that Dollar Tree is cheaper just because things cost $1. Dollar Tree is not cheaper on everything, but it can be on some things. Walmart is cheaper for a lot of other things. So if you shop wisely and pick the right store for the right items, you can get good deals.
Click here to get the Dining On A Dime Cookbook, with tasty recipes and great tips to make your life easier and save you money!
Rhonda Mullins Bickel says
i have tried the DT green scrubbies and with in a couple of days they don’t work .. they feel like a piece of felt so i stick with the 3M green scrubbies from walmart and i cut them in half so they last 2X as long. FYI im Rhonda Bickel on facebook and Rhonda Mullins on youtube .
Kimberly says
Make sure you go down every isle of The Dollar Tree stores. Quite a few times I have come across items that I’ve bought from some local novelty stores that were WAY cheaper at The Dollar Tree!! Made me a little sick inside!! Lol
Jenni says
I agree with you on the spices, but there are items that I routinely buy at the Dollar Tree that I could never get for a dollar at Walmart. The Dermasil body lotion is comparable to Lubriderm and lasts for a really long time. I also like getting heavy duty dish gloves there and in the past when I was having kids, pregnancy tests were reliable and only $1.
Jill says
The main point we were trying to make is that you need to do your home work and check the prices. Just because it is sold for a dollar at the dollar store does not automatically mean it is the cheapest price. Yes you can get some things cheaper there but other things you can get for the same price or cheaper at other places. That was what we were trying to get people to understand.
Sam says
This i knew but keep forgetting which specific items. For me it probably will still be cheaper to just go with Walmart for anything i don’t get at the commissary because Walmart is much closer to my house, through less slow moving stop n go traffic so I will only try to get these at dollar tree if i had another errand in those shopping centers which rarely happens now, so… due to fuel costs I will just go ahead with Walmart.
Kare Pierce says
Put the prices in your phone to reference!
Kim says
It depends on where I’m at and how far I’m willing to travel. If I drive all the way across town to buy the things that are less than $1 at Walmart and buy the rest at Dollar Tree…. I’ll save $0.53. No thinks, my time is worth more than that. 🙂
Jill says
Kim we really expect people to use a little common sense of course. Don’t miss the main point of this and that was to just be aware that things are often just as cheap as cheaper at walmart. We seem to have more faith in our viewers that they have the common sense to know this. People seem to to almost be making a “god” out of the $tree and believe it is the only place to get a deal. We are just saying look around at other options and don’t get too hard nosed about one store alone.
Mandy says
I love the oven ready lasagna noodles and coconut oil cooking spray at Dollar Tree! I also buy Salt Free Seasoning there. It’s the knock off of Mrs. Dash. Yum! Also, toothbrushes are 6 for $1.
Carol says
Obviously, don’t assume Dollar Tree is always cheaper. Also, don’t assume Wal-Mart is always cheaper as they are hoping you will. I believe Walmart has stopped doing price match. What does that tell you? It tells me is that lots of other stores have cheaper prices on certain items. Especially if one watches sales.
Chris N. says
Thank you for taking the time to compare. Most “intelligent” people I know doesn’t understand “per ounce” pricing and do not take that in consideration. The stores often post per unit price on the shelf tag, and sometimes you can buy 2 smaller cheaper than 1 large item. I also see that some people do not appreciate your point of compare, compare, compare, IF you want to save money. Sure, I buy local because I usually can get it cheaper overall, then paying a cheaper price on Amazon, and then pay a shipping fee. Even with Prime, you’re paying up front for shipping, so it can take several purchases to break-even. The bottom-line is, it is simple math that most people don’t want to deal with.