# Dollar store tips



## Larry6417 (Jan 27, 2010)

I'm guessing that more than a few of us here frequent dollar stores. This article talks about the best deals from a dollar store. See http://money.ca.msn.com/savings-debt/gallery/how-to-tell-the-deals-from-the-duds-at-the-dollar-store


----------



## Jungle (Feb 17, 2010)

We buy our birthday cards from a dollar store. Great deal IMO. 

We bought cookie cutters and they rusted out after washing. Bad deal, IMO.


----------



## financialnoob (Feb 26, 2011)

The list says don't buy kids toys since they're cheap and could break easily, thus your kid might swallow a part. But it says pet toys are okay since they're cheap and your pet might eat it anyways. Ummmm...


----------



## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

a while ago i was in a dollar store watching the stockers slash cartons & load new dishes onto the shelves. 

what i was admiring was not the dishes, which were kind of pedestrian. It was the packing. Never have i seen such beautiful packaging. Each stack of shallow octagonal bowls was surrounded by its own perfect custom-fitted carton packager. Artful cardboard carton separators held the package towers rigidly inside the shipping carton. You could have dropped a carton like that 10 or 20 feet & i bet none of the bowls would have even cracked.

just imagine the nation that can go to such design lengths, is capable of such machined perfection in every tiny detail ...


----------



## marina628 (Dec 14, 2010)

My favorite things at the dollar store :
Gift wrap and gift bags ,kids coloring books ,lipgloss and makeup brushes ,Bought some nice eye shadow brushes for $1 each so can have one for every color !Hair brushes and accessories ,they sell the same stuff for a dolalr that shoppers sells for $8.00!


----------



## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

I buy mostly cards. Their 5 minute epoxy glue is not bad and a lot cheaper
that the $6.99 for a name brand (LePages) at CTC.

*However, a lot of their stuff is not up to par.* And the big problem is that
they say right on the bill "no refunds or returns:. I suppose they may
accept a straight exchange, but that would be classified as a "return",
so it's a tradeoff between buying cheap and no returns ormoney back 
VS 
paying the little bit extra at the other stores and being able to return
the item for credit or exchange if it proves to be defective right out
of the box.

buyer beware as they say. 

Things that you shouldn't buy there:

1. Their plastic wrap. I bought one roll and had to throw it away, the wrap
kept sticking and breaking as I tried to unwind it from the roll.
I bought Loblaws NoName and have had no problems with it.

2. Safety pins: made in China..you get over a hundred in container but
they are useless because the metal is too soft (bend very easily) and
the sharp end is too short to latch properly..they come loose very easily.

3. Their batteries..don't stand up..avoid buying them unless it's for a non-essential toy or something. 

I've also had trouble with name brands (duracell and ray-o-vac) in the
last year (made in China). 
I had a bad batch of supposedly new ray-o-vacs purchased from CTC, that were useless..any device I put them in (digital camera, etc...
told me to "change batteries). I spent about $10 +tax on a multipack (16
I think) and these were made in China with chinese characters right
on the batteries themselves..bad chemistry..what more can I say.

Took them back to CTC, and got them exchanged for Energizer batteries,
which worked in the same devices. Now I only buy Energizer batteries,
as I have the misfortune of buying "bad batches" of the others. 

Ive also had a couple of elcheapo Dollar store "defective" items over the last 2 years, but I can't remember what they were...but for cards and gift wrap..sure.


----------



## Spidey (May 11, 2009)

Some things that I've found to be a deal:

- cards
- brass coat hooks (I think these are about $6 or more at the hardware store)
- barbeque brushes
- barbeque lighters (despite what the website said)
- garden supplies
- face cloths (especially on vacation when these may not be supplied in a rental condo)
- some kitchen extras such as food bag clamps
- pet bowls and blankets
- gift bags
- Santa hats (ho,ho,ho)


----------



## ddkay (Nov 20, 2010)

I just had a flashback of Bi-way. So I wiki'd their past and found out Dollarama (DOL.TO) has taken over some of their old locations, that stock should fall back to earth in the low 30s soon, nice strong Canadian momo stock that should have a lot of relative strength when the economy sucks


----------



## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

U R right about the safety pins. The only solution is to keep an eye out at garage or church sales for a family that is getting rid of granny's old sewing basket stuff. That little box of granny's safety pins are going to be british made, strong tempered stainless steel that can hold Superman together & will last another 100 years.

latest thing to break down are wooden kitchen matches. Those strong, long wooden matches in the familiar rattling box that for years you could always find in the pitch dark in the country when there's a hydro failure & strike without seeing in order to light a hurricane lamp or an emergency candle.

now the only wooden kitchen matches that i can find to buy are thin like toothpicks. They are all made in china. They break upon striking & the flaming heads shoot off in all directions. They are dangerous. The only way to prevent breaking is to hold the match alarmingly close to its bright pink chemical head as you strike it. Quite often this burns the fingers.

Safety pins, wooden kitchen matches. Sic transit gloriae mundi. The very nation is at peril.


----------



## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

Same thing with "J-cloths," humble. 

I routinely buy Granny's sewing kits at thrift stores and church sales. In fact I just admired a beautiful vintage sewing display at a thrift store in San Francisco on the weekend (in Haight-Ashbury, oddly enough there's a Goodwill there). 

Old thread isn't worth using, though - but I love the old wooden spools and keep a bowl of old thread around on display.


----------



## mind_business (Sep 24, 2011)

We buy the helium quality balloons from the Dollar Store. They are actually a heavier, better grade than the Party Store ones. 

Other than that, I would not trust buying any food products, or food containers / utensils from the Dollar Store. For the most part, we go out of our way to find North American products to purchase. Not always possible to find.


----------



## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

humble_pie said:


> now the only wooden kitchen matches that i can find to buy are thin like toothpicks. They are all made in china. They break upon striking & the flaming heads shoot off in all directions. They are dangerous. The only way to prevent breaking is to hold the match alarmingly close to its bright pink chemical head as you strike it. Quite often this burns the fingers.
> 
> *Safety pins, wooden kitchen matches*. Sic transit gloriae mundi. *The very nation is at peril*.


Sad state of affairs we are getting into. Safety pins that no longer work,
and "strike anywhere matches" made in china. 

I remember when those used to be made by EB Eddy up in the Pembroke area. 
Strong wood, and you could actually strike one on any hard surface and
the chemical tip would light up and you could even hold it for a few
seconds before the match burned down to the point of burning your fingers.

Now, the last set I bought (not at the dollar store), it took several attempts
and I broke the heads off a couple striking them on that rough chemical
strip on the side of the box.

The chinese are probably laughing at us, and getting richer in the
process of making lots of inferior products that the stores are selling
these days. 
Gone are the days of "Made in Canada" where one could buy the product with confidence that it would actually work as intended. 

It's a sad time for Canada really and a big concern for the youth
coming into the work force..as the manufacturing jobs are slowly being
eliminated due to cost and profitabilty issues.


----------



## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

mind_business said:


> We buy the helium quality balloons from the Dollar Store. They are actually a heavier, better grade than the Party Store ones.
> 
> Other than that,* I would not trust buying any food products, or food containers / utensils from the Dollar Store*. For the most part, we go out of our way to find North American products to purchase. Not always possible to find.


Now I remember a one of the other items at the Dollar store that were
sub par.
I once bought a food item (pickled garlic cloves in a jar)at the dollar store.
It was made in China. Got it home and opened it and there was an "unusal
smell" and it wasn't the normal smell of garlic that I'm used to..had to throw
the contents in the recycle bin. My health is too important these days to
take a chance on food poisoning.


----------



## Addy (Mar 12, 2010)

I avoid all dollar store food or other possibly ingested items (ie toothpaste, lipstick, deodorant). Especially after the Crest toothpaste knockoffs that had arsenic in them. No thank you!


----------



## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

actually i didn't buy the matches at a dollar store. I bought them at a leading supermarket in an upscale neighbourhood. I don't think they sell any other brand of matches. It may be that all wooden kitchen matches in canada are now doomed to be thin little toothpicks that snap off when they are struck.

more: i complained to the company. I thought that if i alerted them to the danger they might switch to another big distributor. These matches are particularly dangerous in the country when hydro fails or in moonless campsites where people are trying to light an emergency lantern in the pitch dark. People in these blinded circmstances can't see the flaming snapped-off match head after it shoots away & falls, but the thing could continue to smoulder or it could light something else, depending upon where it flies to.

even more: it turns out co has bought its own factories in china (2 of them), so these dangerous pink-dipped toothpicks are their own design & their own production & their own responsibility. There's no distributor involved.

and even more: it's a privately-owned company wholesaling all sorts of useful household knickknacks, so i looked further, much further, to see if there are any signs that it might go public in the near future. Instead i stumbled in the internet upon the ageing president lurking & posting on a website something about asian child prostitutes ...

ah, the tales a simple wooden kitchen matchstick can tell.


----------



## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Addy said:


> I avoid all dollar store food or other possibly ingested items (ie toothpaste, lipstick, deodorant). Especially after the Crest toothpaste knockoffs that had arsenic in them. No thank you!


Most of the cosmetic goods and perhaps things like toothpaste etc,
are COUNTERFEIT GOODs that get imported and somehow avoid detection
by the companies here that make them in NA. Because these counterfeit
goods come into the dollar stores and not at authorized distributors, such
as groceries stores or the big chains, they get away with it.

There has been quite a few incidents of counterfeit goods being seized at
these "import stores", but there are just too many of them around these
days in this economy.

I'm not surprised that the Chinese would change the formulation to use
any cheaper ingredients they can find..we all know what happened with
imported pet foods about 3-4 years ago when they substituted MELAMINE
a toxic ingredient in pet foods as a protein additive. The pet's digestive
system cannot break down melamine, so it ended up in the kidneys and
killed a lot of pets and made thousands very sick and eventually they
had to be put down after great vet expenses to the owners.

There was a huge class action lawsuit in the US and Canada, and they
went after the distributors and stores that carried that particular pet
food made in China. 

YOU SIMPLY CANNOT TRUST THE CHINESE..they don't care what happens over here, as they are protected by their gov't from any legal action started in NA.

They substituted an artificial chemical for milk protein in their own
baby formula over there. A LOT of babies died from ingesting the
toxic formula. They arrested the perpretrators/manufacturers/distributors
there and either imprisoned them for life, or put them to death.


----------



## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

humble_pie said:


> little toothpicks that snap off when they are struck. ...when hydro fails or in moonless campsites where people are trying to light an emergency lantern in the pitch dark. People in these blinded circmstances can't see the flaming snapped-off match head after it shoots away & falls, but the thing could continue to smoulder or it could light something else, depending upon where it flies to.


Ah yes..but there is a solution to those sub-standard chinese made matches..
you buy the butane BBQ lighters at the dollar store..which either explode,
or don't work when you want them to. 



> even more: it turns out co has bought its own factories in china (2 of them), so these dangerous pink-dipped toothpicks are their own design & their own production & their own responsibility. There's no distributor involved.
> 
> and even more: it's a privately-owned company wholesaling all sorts of useful household knickknacks...Instead...the internet upon the ageing president lurking & posting on a website something about asian child prostitutes ...


Not surprised...it's getting really bad with shoddy goods made in china..
can openers that don't open cans, weak metal parts, etc..and if you
are naive enough to buy these at the dollar stores..you can't even take
it back or complain..the Chinese are putting it to us all! 

I'm not saying that all chinese made goods are shoddy, the major brands
that have factories over there, ensure that their quality testing and
specifications are met..
but left to their own accord, the Chinese will cut corners on anything they make, because once they receive their money and put those shoddy goods on the container ships..after that...
they couldn't care less about their reputation, (who can trace companies with chinese characters anyway?..unless you ARE chinese)..and they couldn't care less whether the shoddy goods sold here work up to expectations of
the consumers that buy them. Very little quality control. 

That's why China is one of the richest countries in the world now..
they are socking it to us all..and there WILL be a price to pay for
that not just today..but in the future..when all consumer goods sold will be
sourced out of China.


----------



## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

carver sorry if i wasn't clear enough ...

this is a canadian company with head office in canada & 100% canadian direction & executive management, all of western european descent. Product design & optimization is 100% carried out in canada.

this company has bought 2 factories in china. They are merely production facilities. Have no responsibility for product safety.

evidently co's ageing causasian canadian president likes to prowl while he's travelling in the orient. Probably the soul of respectability canadaside. A pillar of the local community.

ps every country farmhouse & cottage should be equipped with a couple boxes reliable wooden kitchen matches. Just saying. Emergency flashlights are good too but their batteries can sometimes go dead if you don't keep checkin em.


----------



## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

humble, you should look up firesteel. It costs about $10, lasts virtually forever, burns much hotter than a match, works in wet/wind/snow/armageddon conditions, doesn't have any flints to break or fluid to dry up. I've never liked matches but I've grown up with the Chinese variety. A keychain size firesteel is wise to carry as a backup. The new pocket lithium led flashlights are great for emergencies as well. In torch mode they can temporarily blind a person and in moonlight mode clip to a hat when the power goes out


----------



## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

humble_pie said:


> this is a canadian company with head office in canada & 100% canadian direction & executive management, all of western european descent. Product design & optimization is 100% carried out in canada.
> 
> this company has bought 2 factories in china. They are merely production facilities. Have no responsibility for product safety.


Ok, but still..you know why a lot of NA companies are switching their
production facilities to China?

Here may be some reasons:

1. Production costs are way lower, even with China's booming economy,
the average production line worker there gets paid "peanuts" compared
to NA workers where here... there is a minimum wage.

2. No investment in production infrastructure, (factories, warehouses and
production equipment and maintenance of those facilities. 

3. No benefits need to be paid to production workers in China by NA companies, health, dental, drug, vacation/sick pay, LTD, 
and the big expense PENSIONS!

4. No business taxes on factories, electrical costs, water, fuel, chemicals 
or any other part of the production process to make the consumer goods.

5. No unions or strikes or work stoppages to contend with.

6. No wage increases or union benefit demands.

7. No delivery, distribution, or warehousing costs at least until the chinese made goods hit NA port of entry. This may include container freight mega- freighters, unless those freight costs are FOB a chinese port.

and I'm sure ...there are other advantages as well..PROFIT MARGINS!
..but these are some of the most attractive reasons to have consumer goods made offshore.

All the parent company has to do here, is to contract trucks to pick up the
goods at a predetermined port, and haul those goods to a negotiated contract big box store or merchandiser.

Winners: Canadian (and American) entreprenueurs, Chinese factory owners,
and indirectly the chinese worker, where employment is pretty much guaranteed for everyone, except the aged.

Losers: Canadian factory workers, "next gen" youths not yet ready for the
job market, cities that would collect industrial taxes from the factories,
and the consumer having to contend with possibly shoddy goods.



> evidently co's ageing causasian canadian president likes to prowl while he's travelling in the orient. Probably the soul of respectability canadaside. A pillar of the local community.


It happens. Over there life is a "lot cheaper" than here, and asians accept
that kind of behaviour with businessman. Some even treat their client-
business people to "special favours"..it's the asian way of doing business.




> ps every country farmhouse & cottage should be equipped with a couple boxes reliable wooden kitchen matches. Just saying. *Emergency flashlights are good too but their batteries can sometimes go dead if you don't keep checkin em*.


Especially flashlights and batteries made in China.

I've bought some rechargeable flashlights from CTC, where the lead acid
battery (even on trickle charge) lasted about a year. Cost of the 6 volt
lead acid battery replacent $22+ tax. Cost of a new chinese made
rechargable flashlight...$19.95.... or even lower on sale.

What are you going to do..toss the old flashlight in the garbage and
buy a new one?..or go and spend $26 on a new battery and take the
old one apart?

It seems so stupid to sell consumer goods that way. 
If they (the gov'ts) truly want us to conserve and be green, and reduce the unecessary waste in the landfills, the cost of the battery should only be
a small portion of the cost of the flashlight..not the other way around. 

But that's the way it goes with consumer products, here now..pretty
everything is disposable..and there is a price to pay for that! 

Case in point: 
I recently had to replace the variable speed trigger on my 16 year old
Makita 3/8 cord operated drill. I also have a name brand battery drill (Panasonic made in China of course) and it's certainly a better quality than the "noname" drills out there, but sometimes you need brute power to run a two inch diameter hole saw through a 2x 8, or a brick or even drill into a concrete block.


.and this was my dilema....
Cost of Makita replacement repair part with taxes $48.xx

Cost of new Makita line voltage drill (on sale for $98)

So should I just toss the old drill and buy the new one instead?

Hmmmm..I thought to myself..this old 16year old drill has served me well
and the only weak spot is the variable speed trigger control..so I bought
the replacement trigger and installed it myself.

If I wasn't able to service drill myself, and had to pay somebody $25 an
hour to take it apart and fix it..would I have still gone ahead..or bought
the new drill? Probably not...another tool headed for landfill! 

This is why we are becoming a disposable society..the cost of repairs
on small ticket items are costing almost as much as replacement cost
of the item!


----------



## Addy (Mar 12, 2010)

carverman said:


> YOU SIMPLY CANNOT TRUST THE CHINESE..they don't care what happens over here, as they are protected by their gov't from any legal action started in NA.



Um okay. Yet we're the stupid ones who continue to buy "Made in China" things. Although 30 years ago it used to be "Made in Japan" and now look at how (relatively) well Japan is doing. China will be up there soon.

Side note, if you "can not trust the Chinese", does that mean you trust Canadians?

It's not just dollar store food items, many knock offs make it into this country (and many others) undetected. Even made in China items make it to other countries and (illegally) get marked "Made in X country" to make them seem better. So just because it doesn't say "Made in China" does not mean it actually was not made in China. Same for "Made in Canada" labels... does in no way mean it was actually made in Canada.

Plus Canadian gov't does not have the manpower to police all imported goods. For one small example, toy stores are notorious for having toys on the shelves that are not safe for children, nor do they meet Canadian standards. They place an order, it comes in, they sell the toys and that is it.


----------



## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Addy said:


> Um okay. Yet we're the stupid ones who continue to buy "Made in China" things. Although 30 years ago it used to be "Made in Japan" and now look at how (relatively) well Japan is doing. *China will be up there soon*.


Ach, du lieber Gott in Himmel! mein freulein Addy! 
You are "talking to moi?" 



> Side note, if you "can not trust the Chinese", *does that mean you trust Canadians*?


Maybe.

The first Japanese products shipped to North America post WWII were
junk as well. But gradually over time and embracing technology and
quality systems, their products now do represent quality,in things
like cameras, consumer electronics and other items. But manufacturing
costs have also risen sharply in Japan, because of their economy,high
cost of living/standards and their insistence on consumer quality standards. 

Sony and others, now manufacture a lot of their consumer goods in Indonesia and China because of cheaper labour.
The difference however, is that Sony forces those factories to produce goods
to Sony's quality assurance and standards. 

I never implied complete trust in Canadians, but well established Canadian brand names like Kraft, Johnson & Johnson, Schneiders (meats) to name a few, have at least over the years been consistent with their quality control so that the consumer's health is not comprimised. 

However, Canadian distributors that are in there just for profit margins
and order Chinese made goods (food or household items) do not offer
the same assurance to the consumer..it's buyer beware in most cases. 




> It's not just dollar store food items, many knock offs make it into this country (and many others) undetected. Even made in China items make it to other countries and (illegally) get marked "Made in X country" to make them seem better. So just because it doesn't say "Made in China" does not mean it actually was not made in China. * Same for "Made in Canada" labels... does in no way mean it was actually made in Canada*.


Good point Addy.,,but I wouldn't think that the chinese would manufacture
items that are marked "made in China" in other areas of the world, unless
labour and manufacturing costs were less than or at least equivalent to
what they can produce the goods.

As far as "made in Canada"..that label at one time was some kind of assurance that some quality control was included in the manufacturing
of the product. I remember in my Nortel days, about line cards..these are
the plug in cards that are used for subscriber lines on computer switching
equipment)..anyway..Nortel set up a production facility in China to make
these cheaper since hundreds of thousands were being sold to Nortel customers. 
The Chinese tried to steal the design and copy the circuit
board and components and sell it cheaper to Nortel's customers.
But the big problem with these cheaper line cards was that the failure rate
was too high...reliabilty was something that the Chinese did not figure on
or try to understand how the "made in Canada" Nortel line cards were so
much more reliable. 

I will take any consumer item that is "made in Canada" vs "made in China",
but in the end..price dictates what the consumer buys. When Sam
Walton (founder of Walmart) was running Walmart, he tried to buy deals
on "made in America" consumer items..now it's all mostly made in China. 



> Plus Canadian gov't does not have the manpower to police all imported goods. For one small example, toy stores are notorious for having toys on the shelves that are not safe for children, nor do they meet Canadian standards. They place an order, it comes in, they sell the toys and that is it.


Well that is the key point. With so many imports coming in on huge
container ships from China and the far east, there just isn't enough
gov't manpower to test each consumer good sold for Canadian compliance.
For children's articles like toys, apparel and cribs etc, because of reporte
deaths in infants, there is more stringent control than on other consumer
goods.
Remember the chinese made children's toys a few years ago, with painted
with LEAD paint that were discovered and the gov't forced all the retailers
to comply by taking those items off the shelves? 
The chinese are not into quality control or worried about more stringent
health standards in other countries...and wait until they get a foothold
in the NA vehicle market!


----------



## RedRose (Aug 2, 2011)

Things I buy at the dollar store:- 
(whenever I manage to go which is not often)

- kitchen foil
- chopping boards
- sink dish mop with handle
- canned sardines
- gift bags
- gift tissue
- shower caps

probably other things too. 

I am cautious of any dishes or anything that was painted in China/Mexico...fear of lead paint, also cheap jewellry for kids is suspect.


----------



## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

RedRose said:


> Things I buy at the dollar store:-
> (whenever I manage to go which is not often)
> 
> - canned sardines


Are those chinese sardines? 
Probably "counter-fit" if they are..and how do you know that the oil they come in does not contain some blended recycled motor oil ?


----------



## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

there's an "e" in counterfeit. 

it's little details like this that always seem to give the fakes away ...


----------



## RedRose (Aug 2, 2011)

I prefer my sardines in tomato sauce.


----------



## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

humble_pie said:


> there's an "e" in counterfeit.
> 
> it's little details like this that always seem to give the fakes away ...


This was supposed to a little injected humour..
yes, I know the correct spelling of counterfeit..but the misspelling was intended to be deliberate.


----------



## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

RedRose said:


> I prefer my sardines in tomato sauce.


Must be this.. what looks like sardines in what looks like to-mater sauce

looks absolutely delicious from their picture...
a complete balanced meal fit for any king (or queen)
no wonder they are exporting it.

"Available in Canada you say?...pity!" 

http://www.diytrade.com/china/4/pro...rdine_fish_in_tomato_sauce_155g_and_425g.html


----------



## Berubeland (Sep 6, 2009)

I just buy stuff that I need that's not crucial at the Dollar store.

Here's some really good ones...

Crafting supplies
Kids toys - Now that Matthew is 4 he doesn't put stuff in his mouth so much. Puzzles, water guns, and various disposable stuff.
Seasonal stuff like Halloween and Christmas decorations
Coloring books and books
Key tags 
Office supplies

I think what I like the most about the dollar store is the discovery of weird and odd stuff I find fascinating. I have no expectation of quality

This year for Matthew's birthday he went to school and the teacher told him that he was 4 a day early because they celebrate birthdays every week. We had arguing all the rest of the day because we told him it was his last day of being 3. He finally got totally bent out of shape about it. 

That night when M went to bed my hubby decorated the entire house with Happy Birthday streamers, balloons, signs and stuff. The shopping trip cost $20 including the balloon blower upper  which didn't work. 

The look on Matthew's face was worth a million. He always pauses before he enters the livingroom/kitchen area to spy any changes. The smile on his face when he realized it was his birthday made it all worthwhile, then the squeal and the jumping up and down. Then he asked where his cake was...


----------



## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Berubeland said:


> I just buy stuff that I need that's not crucial at the Dollar store.


I do the same. Cards, b-day wrap and streamers, and any stuff that
is disposable and you don't eat or count on being first quality.
You can save a lot that way, because who wants to spend 
$5 per card + taxes on a disposable item that the recipient just
tosses away eventually. 

There are some other "good surprises" too..I found that their 5 minute epoxy
(which I use a fair amount being a woodworker/carver), at $1.50 is
just as good as the more expensive Lepages 5 min at CTC where
you end up paying $6.99 for a double squeeze tube. 

But I stay away from pet foods, and any food ...other than the odd candy
bar, where I recognize by the label as being made in USA/Canada.


----------



## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

carver: brilliant !

berubeland: awwww ... little kid wakes up to big decorated house on his b'day ... so sweet.


----------



## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Thanks, sorry, but that was not one of my originals, 
When forum persona (RedRose) mentioned she liked sardines in tomato sauce
(presumably bought in a dollar store)..the old Red Rose tea tv commercials
came to mind where the English (who are tea experts) were drinking this tea
and asked..this is a very good tea! Where does it come from?
"It's Red Rose, your lordship...available only in Canada!"

To which the tea drinker replies "available only in Canada you say?...Pity!"

and so I took it upon myself to use the punch line (without permission of course) from Red Rose Tea TV commercial...here is one of them..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUnbJAWk6gM 

However, going back to Dollar store FOOD items
and (possible) contaminated foods imported from China...
READ THIS...IT IS SCARY!
http://factsanddetails.com/china.php?itemid=1825&catid=11&subcatid=73


----------



## marina628 (Dec 14, 2010)

My daughter loves those soup noodles from China/Japan ,thanks for the links carver .I remember those tea commercials as well.


----------



## RedRose (Aug 2, 2011)

I'm sorry I didn't get back to this thread before now.
Believe it or not those sardines I buy are called Brunswick sardines, made in Canada.
Glad you like my screen name, from a gal that drinks gallons of tea.


----------



## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

RedRose said:


> I'm sorry I didn't get back to this thread before now.
> Believe it or not those sardines I buy are called Brunswick sardines, made in Canada.
> Glad you like my screen name, from a gal that drinks gallons of tea.


Your online persona is quite clever. I would have never guessed that
you like teas..and RedRose tea is quite good..although I have a wandering
taste and like the Twinings Earl Grey.."quite exquisite I say...a rather
smashing taste...but OTOH RedRose (tea) is available only in Canada you say?
Pity"...

Well thank you for the clarification on the sardines. Brunswick Sardines.
http://www.brunswick.ca/brunswick/usaenglish/product_mainpage.asp
I've had those many years ago..and wasn't there another brand called
Conners? 
http://www.musee-mccord.qc.ca/en/collection/artifacts/1987.17.604?Lang=1&accessnumber=1987.17.604

Well at least Canada still makes sardines.


----------



## RedRose (Aug 2, 2011)

Thank you for the clever links *Carverman* and the humour.

I use Tetley tea as my main staple tea. I buy the large size 300 bags at Costco.


----------



## Addy (Mar 12, 2010)

carverman said:


> Good point Addy.,,but I wouldn't think that the chinese would manufacture
> items that are marked "made in China" in other areas of the world, unless
> labour and manufacturing costs were less than or at least equivalent to
> what they can produce the goods.


Read again what I posted Carverman. I was wordy albeit, but still you misread. I'm saying just because an item does NOT say Made in China does not mean it wasn't actually made there. Take the lingerie business for example, which a friend of mine knows intimately well (pun intended).... often lingerie made in China is shipped offshore to a more 'reputable' country, and tagged as being made in that country... when in fact it was made in China.


----------



## RedRose (Aug 2, 2011)

I also find the eye glass cleaner wipes good value.
20 for a package for a $1. I use one wipe for several pairs of glasses and the sunglasses before it dries up. LOL!


----------



## canabiz (Apr 4, 2009)

I was rushing out yesterday for some twine to tie the turkey and found one at $5.99 at Loblaws. I then thought no way should I be paying that much for some twine so I headed across the street to a Dollarama and true enough, a shorter roll is available for $1 + tax.

Going to return the one I bought at Loblaws, still in its packaging


----------



## riseofamillionaire (Feb 23, 2012)

Thanks for the eyeglass wipes tip  Gonna grab a few packs!


----------



## martinv (Apr 30, 2009)

Having worn glasses for what seems like a century, I am always looking and trying new cleaners. Most leave a residue.
Recently spotted a set of 3 or 4 bottles of light blue cleaner (2 small/2 larger) at the eyeglass section at Costco.
Picked it up on a whim.
Best stuff I have ever used.
Cheap and even came with soft cloths for wiping. Think it was $5.00 for all.
I know it wasn't a dollar store item but just had to mention it.


----------



## canabiz (Apr 4, 2009)

I picked up a flower pot stand with 4 casters at Dollarama for $2.50 today, a similar item (albeit bigger) sells for $9.96 at Wal-Mart. When Wal-Mart is even more expensive then you know something's not right ;-)

I just have to remember to frequent Dollarama more often, some great deals to be had, that's for sure. No wonder the stock has simply exploded in the last couple of years, hope you guys cash in on that.


----------



## MorningCoffee (May 8, 2013)

I buy hair elastics there - large packs for 1$ when they are 5-6$ for smaller packs at other stores. I also go there for office supplies, poster boards and seasonal items such as Santa hats 

Don't buy kids' crayons there. They are either broken or don't write. I don't get it... how does one make a crayon that doesn't write?


----------



## the-royal-mail (Dec 11, 2009)

I mostly buy shower curtain liners and greeting cards at the dollar store.


----------

