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‘It’s almost everything’: Shopper walks into Dollar Tree. Then she notices something strange about $1.25, $3, and $5 items

‘You definitely have to pay attention.’

Brooke Sjoberg

Long regarded as a staple shop for shoppers on shoestring budgets and a solid way to stock up on essentials, Dollar Tree has changed with the times—and the economy.

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In 2021, the retailer increased prices to a baseline of $1.25, throwing some additional items priced up to $5.

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This was only the start, as the retailer announced in 2024 that prices would again increase to $1.50. The higher end of the spectrum would come in at $7.

It’s not just price increases. One customer put the retailer on blast for mixing up its merchandise, which previously was separated by price.

In a video that has drawn over 333,000 views on TikTok, content creator @true_reviews1 is putting the retailer on blast for the move. She’s suggesting that it may cause confusion and hardship for some customers.

“Y’all seen the shenanigans at the Dollar Tree is pulling now?” she asks viewers.

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She explains while she was in the store a couple of days ago, she noticed some workers doing “inventory” and restocking. But then she realized what they were actually doing.

“That’s not what they were doing,” she says. “So not only have they gone from $1 to $1.25, to having their $5 aisle, but look at this.”

The mixture of price points across different aisles might confuse customers who are used to the higher-priced items being in a dedicated part of the store, she says.

The root of the problem

“They have mixed all of their $1.25 items with $3, $4, and $5 items. Some of them are even $2,” she says. “So now you have to be extra careful when you’re shopping to check the price of things, because they don’t have all of the $3 and up stuff on a separate aisle.”

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With things so mixed up, she suggests it would be easy for someone to accidentally purchase an item that could be up to four times more expensive than they thought it would be. For example, from $1.25 to $5.

“This makes it extremely hard for people who are on a very tight budget and thought they could just go to the Dollar Tree and grab a couple things when they only might have $10,” she says.

Higher prices

She continues, “It’s almost everything, the toothpaste aisle has $5 toothpaste, the candy aisle has $1.25 and $5 candy. So it’s not like you can just run in and grab some Valentine’s stuff real quick, you’ve got to bring your calculator.”

The mixing of low and higher-priced merchandise also impacted the school supply and food aisles. However, the toy aisle remained largely unchanged, which she says is a boon to parents.

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“I don’t understand why they can’t just rename the whole store and just quit with the Dollar Tree lies,” she says. “It’s really disappointing because a Dollar Tree used to be a safe place for a parent to take their kid in there, know that they could grab them a snack and a toy, for just a couple dollars. But now, you have to be careful which aisle you take your kid down if you don’t have more than a dollar or two to spend on them.”

The Daily Dot has reached out to @true_reviews1 via TikTok direct message as well as to Dollar Tree via email regarding the video.

Why did Dollar Tree raise its prices?

Inflation and supply chain challenges were among the primary reasons the retailer chose to raise prices in 2021.

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The retailer said the increase would help combat higher costs of operation, as well as allow for higher quality merchandise to be purchased and stocked on shelves—the newer $2 to $5 product offerings.

With prices going up yet again, a true dollar store might be a thing of the past.

Viewers weigh in

Some viewers were critical of the idea that a customer would be unduly burdened by the store’s rearrangement, especially if they are already budget-conscious.

“Just pay attention! it’s simple!!!” one commenter wrote. “Everything is marked right? you can count right?”

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“Well is on a shelf that is marked 3 dollars so it’s not mix together,” another echoed. “Yes it’s down the same section but on its own shelf with its price. just look before grabbing.”

“It’s a only small percentage of items that are more than 1.25,” one said. “Still plenty of items to choose from for 1.25. and everything is shelved and priced.”

Others shared that the hypothetical situation posted by the poster, of a customer purchasing an item thinking it will be at a lower price, happened to them while shopping at their local Dollar Tree.

“That very thing happened to me,” one commenter wrote. “I picked up a pack of AAA batteries, the exact brand and size I had always bought. I didn’t realize till I got home that they were $3.00 now! They were our value store.”

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“Happened to me tonight,” another said. “I ended up getting $5 item and $3.25 item that I thought was $1.25. Didn’t realized until I got home.”

“True I grabbed a cup the other day and after I got home I realized it was 5.00 and it was over with the 1 25 cups …. they hoping this happens to everyone!” another commenter wrote.


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