3 Little-Known Perks of Shopping at the Dollar Store

Buying items at dollar stores can have huge benefits, including the chance to maximize your savings and pay rock-bottom prices.

If you are trying to save more money or accomplish other financial objectives such as repaying credit card debt, then finding ways to spend less on essentials is important. After all, the less you spend on things you must buy, the more you'll have left over to put toward accomplishing these important financial goals.

One of the best ways to save on household items and many other purchases is to shop at dollar stores. These stores offer low prices and, surprisingly, even more savings opportunities than you might imagine. In fact, here are three little-known perks of shopping at dollar stores you may not have been aware of. 

1. You can use coupons to save even more

Dollar stores offer very low prices already, but you may be surprised to discover that they generally also accept coupons as well. For example, the Dollar Tree indicates that it will accept manufacturer coupons for any in-store purchase. 

This means if you can obtain a coupon from the newspaper or by printing it from the internet, you can bring the price down to less than $1 -- and sometimes end up getting items nearly for free.  

The dollar store sells many cosmetic, personal care items, and foods. Coupons are often available in the paper for these items so you can generally get them for just pennies after the coupon is applied.  

2. Some items cost less than $1

It may also come as a shock to find that many items end up costing you less than $1 even without coupons. That's because items can go on clearance. You can usually find racks of reduced-priced items up front. This can include seasonal items, candy and food products, and many more discounted products. 

You can visit your dollar store regularly to find out when it tends to put items on discount or just ask. Always check this section of the store first because you never know what you might find. And visiting the dollar stores near you often can help ensure you never miss these huge bargains when items you use regularly go on sale for under $1.

3. Dollar stores are everywhere

Another big benefit of shopping at dollar stores that you may not be aware of is the fact that it is extremely easy and convenient to locate them just about anywhere you might go. That's because the two biggest chains of dollar stores -- Dollar Tree and Dollar General -- collectively have more stores than Costco, CVS, Home Depot, Kroger, Walmart, and Walgreens put together -- even though these other stores are the six biggest U.S. retailers. 

Since gas costs so much right now, it is a major benefit to shop at dollar stores that have such a large local presence. If you can find a dollar store that is close to you, you can get your necessary items more easily and spend less on transportation to get there. 

Each of these three little-known perks may surprise you -- and hopefully, they will convince you to give your local dollar store a chance by stopping there first next time you have to make a purchase.