The Real Housewife of Cape Cod: Dollar Tree Do's and Don'ts...

So the Dollar Tree store finally hit Falmouth, and I gotta be honest—I was pretty fired up. This was a long time comin', I thought. I mean, what could be better than ten things for ten bucks? Right? As the store was under construction, I would peer through the glass, gleefully anticipating the aisles and aisles of cheapie fun. I saw the candy go up first, then some Halloween decorations, then the pharmaceuticals. And, finally, it opened... but I think to my dismay.

I have had sort of a love/hate relationship with the Dollar Tree store since its arrival. It all began after my first visit. The toy aisle was, well, okay. My son bought a plastic baton with sparkles that floated in water up and down the shaft (ew, that sounds kinda gross). And speaking of gross, I actually bought this aloe vera green lotion. Seriously, what was I thinking to buy lotion there? When I put it on my body, it just sat there on the surface, like a load of green slime. It wouldn't rub in, no matter how hard I tried! I should have known, I guess, that a vat of lotion (about a gallon) that costs a dollar might be kinda sick and wrong.

Next, we cruised the kitchen/toiletries section. I couldn't have been more excited that paper towels were $1 (see previous post about my son's obsession with them), and garbage bags a buck as well! (See, this everything $1 never gets old. Every time you walk the aisles, you can hear someone saying, "Wait, is this a dollar? It can't be just a dollar!" It's like a Frugal Fannie's Disneyland). Anyway, back to the trash bags... so I purchased some kitchen liners, and as soon as you try to lift the full bag out of the can by the yellow strings, the top portion, with the strings, comes off. So you are left with a broken, flimsy trash bag that you now need to put into yet another trash bag. Ugh.

Well, not EVERYTHING sucks at the Dollar Tree store. I have to say I recommend the gift bags, which cost $0.30 less than they do at other bargain shops in town and are just as good. (Stock up on them now, locals, for the holidays!) I also liked some of the snacks, like the pretzels. I didn't notice a difference in taste. The hair bands weren't bad, and, like I said, the toys are okay... I mean, they're a dollar and worth about the attention span they're going to get.

So, for those of you who have yet to check out your local Dollar Tree, buyer beware: do not purchase anything in the drugstore aisle. It's all, like, really bad. I know you're shaking your head at me thinking, "Uh, duh, Alex! Why would you think it'd be good?" I dunno... call me crazy. I love a good bargain.