Dollar Tree made the transition to start charging $1.25 for their products in locations around the US in 2021. At the same time, they launched a section called Plus, which has products costing up to $5, including slightly higher end decorative items. A few months ago they announced plans to charge up to $7 for items. They’re also soft launching $1.50 price points, making many people wonder when their inflation will end. In the meantime they’re closing some of their confusingly titled Family Dollar stores, which they also own, and have acquired 99 Cent Stores. (All of these stores are not to be confused with Dollar General, which is owned by a different company and has its own issues.) The maybe positive news is that Dollar Tree, Inc. has purchased 170 99 Cents Only stores, where I hope they’ll stick to the original intent of Dollar Tree with all items under a dollar.
Dollar Tree Inc. is acquiring 99 Cents Only Store’s intellectual property in North America as its competitor goes out of business. The dollar store acquired the IP alongside the designation rights of 170 99 Cents Only stores in Arizona, California, Nevada and Texas.
The discount retailer said Thursday via email to sister site Retail Dive that the stores would be turned into Dollar Tree locations, but didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about what it plans to do with 99 Cents Only’s intellectual property. The deal also included the acquisition of select furniture, fixtures and equipment.
“Dollar Tree looks forward to welcoming customers from 99 Cents Only Stores as early as fall 2024,” the company said in a Wednesday announcement.
I’ve shopped at Dollar Tree for years and I love how you can get products that are several dollars more at stores like Home Depot, Lowes and CVS. The greeting cards at Dollar Tree are decent and you can save quite a bit of money if you check Dollar Tree first for cards. I often remind myself to check Dollar Tree for things I would typically get at another store. With the price changes, Dollar Tree is no longer competitive with Walmart for many items though.
The 25% price increase is not cost prohibitive for many people, but many others rely on Dollar Tree for their staple items and have felt the crunch. With the move to buy .99 Cent stores, maybe they’ll expand the offerings at those stores. It remains to be seen whether they’ll rebrand them and charge more, but of course that’s also a possibility. None of these companies are doing it out of the goodness of their hearts and that’s understandable, but I wish they would reduce CEO compensation and pay more attention to employee wages and the needs of lower income consumers.
As I’ve mentioned before, I regularly watch Dollar Tree haul, organization and crafting videos on YouTube. One of my favorite recent videos is from Catherine from Do It on a Dime. She reorganized a very cluttered bathroom using Dollar Tree products, all while emphasizing that there’s no reason to feel shame or guilt around a messy space. If you struggle with being organized and/or keeping your home clean I highly recommend the book How to Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis. Catherine’s videos also have a lot of tips and tricks to getting your spaces organized.
Here’s what I wrote in November, 2021, about my favorite Dollar Tree channels:
Also I watch a lot of Dollar Tree shopping and DIY videos. I’m not particularly crafty but I find them soothing and I like seeing what people come up with. My favorites are Bargain Bethany, She So CraftDee, Glue Guns and Roses, Do It on a Dime, and ChicOnTheCheap. Sometimes I just like to watch women shopping because I also find that relaxing. PrettyNflawed is so great for that.
Photos are screenshots from Bargain Bethany and Do it on a Dime YouTube videos and via Instagram