If you’re online at all you’ve probably been seeing for a while that Dollarama has been contemplating a $4 price at their stores. Due to the low dollar etc.
What would that mean for us shoppers? And do you think it’s crazy to think it might be a good thing eventually?
Think back to the original days of Dollar Stores – mostly cheap junky things, almost disposable items. People didn’t shop there as much, and not for every day items.
And remember when they started to up the prices – did you even notice or care? If you did, were you surprised at the new things they were able to bring in?
There seems to be a Dollarama or any type of Dollar store in every area now, and most people shop there for all kinds of things.
Think about the $2 and $3 items you see now. No longer cheap junk, but regular items you’d see at another store for 2 or 3 or even more times the price. Bakeware and cookware are good examples. They have all kinds of Betty Crocker and Wilton supplies for a fraction of any other store.
The Minecraft books are about $10 or more anywhere else – yet most people have been able to find them at their local Dollarama for just $3!
There’s even a whole section of wedding items at our local store – and I swear if you set it all up no one would have a clue where you go it from.
I’m finding more and more every time we go that it’s almost all Brand Name items. Not sure if they are leftovers from another store, or what the deal is. But, it makes it fun, almost like shop at a Bazaar – you really never know what you will find.
On our last shop I found a brand name Thermos container for my daughter, a kids Brita water bottle with a built in filter – each for $3. And i searched online and those water bottles are usually about $8 or more.
If you need craft supplies there are usually some great finds too. Perler bead sets are super expensive at most stores – Dollarama had several kits for just $3 each. And both sizes of beads were available too, not just the large ones like the photo. They had regular and Halloween themed kits.
As far as books go, I remember the selection used to be not so great. Often it was things that were misprinted or so old no one would want to read them. Now I see books that are really recent, or classic. Their selection of cookbooks is actually pretty impressive.
We found a ton of Madlibs books at our store recently – what a score!
I can’t imagine Dollarama from just a few years ago before the original increases would have had any of these types of items.
For now I guess we will be absorbing some of the extra $1 until the dollar levels out a bit. But who knows? Maybe they will be adding more of these types of amazing finds.
Not to say that I love price increases and look forward to paying more at the register. Of course not! But it seems to happen to most items – we pay more in Canada, and often way too much more that it no longer even makes sense.
I am looking forward to seeing what they are able to bring in for the future, and hope that the increase leads to more great finds at Dollarama. By adding in theses name brand items at lower prices it also helps those who don’t have the time or the ability to shop around or head to bigger box stores to find what they need.
What do you think of the increase? Do you think they will keep the selection the same or bring in more higher value items?
And what are some of the most amazing deals you’ve found at your Dollarama or other dollar stores.
As long as ‘all’ the prices don’t increase. I like the idea of having better quality products for more $s, but I would still like to see the regular stock, like chocolate bars, cake mixes, candy, plastic bags, aluminum foil, etc. remain at the price they are now. I notice that they increased the price of graham wafer pie crusts…. they used to be $1 – I think they are now at least doubled that. I think batteries have increased as well.
The only thing I don’t like with the price increasing is the fact that if it doesn’t work, you can’t return or exchange.
That’s a good point!
I’ve also noticed some items go up in price. Like Air in a can used to be $3 and now it’s $4. Some
of their $4 items are very interesting