4 Dollar Store Items To Avoid Buying This Holiday Season

The end of the year is an expensive time. According to the National Retail Federation, consumers spent $886.7 billion on retail goods during November and December alone. With how daunting the holiday season can be to our wallets, making a trip to the dollar store to pick up a few things for the impending festivities is a very appealing option.

Although a good idea, not everything that they advertise to you for the holidays is going to give you the best bang for your buck. GOBankingRates asked experts what they suggest to avoid at the dollar store while shopping this holiday season.

Lights are a staple of the holiday season; the more lights you notice in public, the closer we are to the holidays! If you’re thinking of going for a cheaper option for lights this year though, you’ll want to avoid what the dollar store has to offer.

Heather Kaley, a self-professed “dollar store shopping guru,” says, “[Avoid] tree lights or other outdoor/indoor string lights. Experience has shown me that they often do not make it through the entire season.”

Whether it’s bad wiring or poor insulation, investing in better lights will not only ensure that they make it to the end of the year, but that they’ll also make it through future holiday seasons to come. 

Whether you’re buying batteries for decor or including them with a gift, you’re better off spending a bit more for better.

Carter Seuthe, CEO of Credit Summit, says, “Most dollar stores offer carbon-zinc batteries, which don’t last nearly as long as alkaline batteries and can damage devices if they leak. While the prices are great, they won’t last long and you’ll end up spending more in the long run.”

By spending a little extra on batteries now, you’ll prevent extra trips to the store to replace them. You’ll also prevent a trip for you or for someone else to replace electronics that broke from bad batteries.

The smell of home-baked goods completes any holiday setting. Whether you’re baking by yourself or with company, you’ll want some sturdy oven mitts to protect your hands.

“When it comes to oven mitts, construction quality can make a significant difference between getting burned or not,” says Stephan Bucur, interior designer and founder of rhythmofthehome.com. “…It will probably look flashy and nice but it will most likely have to compromise on heat protection.”

Save yourself from getting burned while baking and find oven mitts from a brand that puts utility over extravagance.

Buying gift wraps from discount stores isn’t always a no-go. In this case, quantity is as important as quality.

Kaley says, “Keep in mind that the quantity in the package or square footage is often considerably less than buying the same wrapping paper design at a Walmart or Target. While you may be impressed that the dollar store has Disney-licensed wrapping paper, the value when compared to the amount of gift coverage will be nearly the same because you will need three rolls of dollar store wrapping to equate to one roll from Walmart.”

Because of the smaller quantity at dollar stores, it’s best to use their gift wrap on small gifts. By doing this, you’ll save yourself money and time on extra trips for more gift wrap.