My Best Dollar Tree Shopping Secrets

 If you follow me on this blog or over at Instagram, you know that I love the Dollar Tree.  It truly is one of my very favorite stores to shop in.   

On Instagram , I share what's new at the Dollar Tree in my reels and posts.  Almost daily I will get a comment of someone saying that they can't find anything, or that my store is so much better than theirs.   The thing is my local store is not any better than other stores.  It is just an average Dollar Tree. The reason why I find so many great finds to share is because there are secrets to finding the best items. I have been shopping at the Dollar Tree for years, and I found out these secrets on my own, but I am going to share them with you so you can find great finds too.  

Using these secrets, I can find great stuff in literally every single Dollar Tree I go to and you can too.

There are a few things you need to know before I share my secrets though, Dollar Tree stores are NOT all the same. What your store gets in inventory is based on location, population demographics, volume of merchandise sold, and the size of store.  This is why you may notice if you go to stores in different areas, that one might have a bigger craft section, one might have more groceries, and one might have more beauty supplies. 

Another important thing is if you like to shop for seasonal items they come out in three waves.  The early wave is two, sometimes three months before the holiday.  Example of an early wave is Halloween items starting to  appear in late July, and Christmas items starting to hit shelves in late September.  I have heard people complain that is too early, but if you wait until a few weeks before the holiday, you might not find what you are looking for because things are already sold out.  A few weeks after the early wave, is the middle wave, and the last wave is about a month to six weeks before the holiday.    

 **This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links

Now onto my list of my BEST DOLLAR TREE SHOPPING SECRETS 

1. The best day of the week to shop is one to two days after the truck arrives.  If the truck arrives on Monday (like it did at my old store) the best days to shop for the new items were on Tuesday and Wednesday. If your store has a decent number of associates, they will start to put things on the shelves that first day, but if there is a lot of new stuff, it may take a day or two to get most of it on the floor.  If you have a smaller store with not a lot of staff, it will take a bit longer since associates ring up customers, and put out stock while they are not at the register.    

2. Go to the Dollar Tree more than once a week. If you are just an occasional shopper, you might not see something, because it is has already been on the shelf and sold out.   If you go two times a week, you have a greater chance of finding something you are looking for.  

3.  Go to multiple  Dollar Tree stores if possible. Not all stores get the same items, so if you don't see what you want at your store, go to another, because they might have it there.  When I lived in Michigan I had five different stores I liked to visit.  Now in Ohio, I have two near me that I go to the most, and then I visit others when I'm out and about.  Sometimes you find the best stuff when you stop by a Dollar Tree you do not normally shop at. 

4. Don't rule out going to a smaller store, just because it is small.   I have found hard to find items many times at the smaller less shopped at stores, because not as many people see them, and they do not sell out right away. 

5. When you are in the store, there are also some secrets to finding the best finds.  You need to go up and down every single aisle, and look at all of the display racks.  You never know where you might find an item.  Some of my best finds have been when another shopper changed their mind on it, and left it on a random shelf in another part of the store. 

6. Also, when you are going up and down those aisles, make  sure you are looking up to the top shelves, and down to the lowest shelves.  I have found many hidden treasures on those shelves. Make sure to also look at all the hanging strips and endcaps as well.   As you can see in the picture above, had I not looked down I would not have seen the football themed containers on the bottom shelf.  

7.  Bonus Tip - to find what new items are coming to the Dollar Tree look at their paper ads, on their website DollarTree.com, and follow Dollar Tree YouTubers online.  You can keep your eyes out for some fantastic deals, full size brand name finds, and can't miss items if you know what is available.   If you do not find something in store that you really want, you can also buy it on their website and have it sent FREE to your local store for pick up.  

I hope my tips help you to find those amazing finds! Happy Shopping.