I’ll finish the “but” in a moment.

A shiny new DG opened near my home, and it saves me a 30 mile, 30 minute drive (and infinite sanity) to go to Walmart. I can get EVERYTHING I need in Health and Beauty, paper goods, pet care and kitchen staples - at prices to rival Wallyworld.

BUT, I’ve begun noticing that their packaging is juuust slightly smaller than elsewhere. For instance, a 14 lb bag of Beneful dog food at Walmart is about $13.50 - the similarly priced bag at DG is only 12.7 lbs. Bought my shampoo and when I brought it home it was the slightest bit smaller than the Walmart one. Didn’t even look at the ounces because I realized at that point it was a trend.

I accept it because a) it is still less expensive than other stores, b) it saves me a 30-min drive, and c) it saves me from having to brave the wilds of Walmart. But be aware that we’re not getting the same amount of product in some cases.

...but I feel like they are stealthily reducing quantities sometimes as well. Stiffing the customer is the WRONG way to reduce cost.

I'm not keeping close tabs or anything, but I know a gallon of bleach hasn't been a gallon in a long time. And even less so as of 2021.

Now it’s all different weights below 16 ozs.

are now 5.25 oz

A 15.5 oz can of Clover Valley kidney beans is the same as a 15.5 oz can of Great Value (Walmart) kidney beans and so on. Walmart Great Value tuna comes in 5 oz cans as does Dollar General Clover Valley tuna.

I usually buy Purina dog food in the 20 lb bag. It's actually a dollar cheaper for the same at Walmart but when one factors in the 20% discount when using the $5 off if one spends $25 then the 20 lb bag is a $1.60 cheaper at Dollar General then it is at Walmart.

Also for me, it takes 1 gallon of gas to make a round trip to DG compared to 3 3/4 gallons for a round trip to Walmart.

Things drop down to just a penny. My sister - the Coupon Queen - routinely hits several DGs to get the items for herself, family members, friends, and charities because otherwise the items are just resent back to the warehouse and normally destroyed. She's showed up at my place to show off her latest hauls, and she's literally had dozens of kid pajamas, stuffed toys, etc. that cost her less than $5 that she's donated to Ronald McDonald House and other groups. It's crazy what she finds. My sister-in-law and I currently have several packages of luncheon meat and hot dogs in my freezer that she just found.

TlalocW

As most people forget about their coupon.
Most of what I buy there is Kleenex and household stuff.

I do a lot of shopping at dollar tree. It’s incredible how much stuff is there now. For example, a box of 6 pieces of Texas toast for a dollar! They’ve seriously improved their inventory.

Liquid body wash and shampoo at Dollar Tree since my husband uses way more of it than necessary!

They are the most comfortable ones I have found!

I bought enough to keep in both of my classrooms, a pair for home and one for my purse. I don't have to search for them!