Today, I ventured
out into the great unchartered territory of couponing at my local Dollar
Tree. All week I had anticipated this trip and figured that it would be
much more of a trip just to look around to see what was available.
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| Cost for these items: $12.90+ tax-40% Savings (no q-pons for canned fruit) |
First of all, the
name brands are few and far between but they are there. This is
especially true for the canned and boxed foods. Cleaning products and
toiletries and a few over-the-counter meds are also in the store. But,
the trick to finding great deals with your coupons will be to match the coupon
to the item. Remember, it must match the description exactly, not the
pictured item.
I found that there
were several times that I could match a coupon with a brand named product but
the size or amount of the item did not. The sizes of the items in the
store are much smaller than you will find in a regular grocery store or pharmacy.
Except for the canned foods, I was unable to find any "regular" sized
items. I only had a short time to look around because it was just about
closing time.
It looks like the
only coupons that will work without any problem will be the coupons that
specify no size or quantity and/or state "any". I bought some
Soft Soap liquid hand soap (8 oz) and Lysol toilet boil cleaner (16 oz). Each item was
$1 before q-pons. The hand soap and toilet bowl cleaner
were 50¢ each after the coupons.
Surprisingly, I was the first
person at my local Dollar Tree that had used coupons since their new policy to accept coupons began
this week. The cashiers were so clueless that I doubt they had ever even
seen or held a coupon before today. My cashier read the printed
information of every coupon very closely. So, it was evident that they had been trained, just not tested.
I bought $20 worth
of hand soap ($1/off 2 coupons), toilet bowl cleaner ($1/off 2 coupons), two cans of
Martha Holmes veggies (75¢/2 coupon), and two cans of Libby's canned
fruit. I had no coupons for the fruit @ $1/can. After my coupons
were deducted, I paid $12 + tax. That was a 40% savings.
Today was a test
run just to check out the sales associates to see how much they knew about
coupon redemption. They knew almost nothing about coupons but seemed
eager to learn and were very accommodating. I also had a chance to look
around to get an idea about just what is available and if it would be worth my
time and save me money by couponing at Dollar Tree.
It was evident that the sizes are
deliberately smaller and if your coupon has no size or quantity for the
item, you will find plenty to restock your stockpile. Check the
expiration dates carefully and know your price points. Just because it is
a dollar, don't assume it is a bargain. The sizes and quantity are quite
small but there are bargains to be found.
I will try
again next week and spend more time looking for coupon bargains at Dollar Tree.
Happy
Couponing!
ShaRon, The
Bizzy Coupon Bee
