Most people walk through the grocery store without thinking twice about what they’re actually paying for. They toss items in the cart, swipe the card, and wince at the total. Here’s the uncomfortable truth: some of the most common items in that cart are marked up so dramatically that you’re essentially leaving money on the table every single week.
Food prices rose roughly a quarter between December 2020 and December 2024, according to an analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. That’s not a rounding error. That’s your grocery budget taking a real hit. The good news? Some of those overpriced items are sitting right there at your local dollar store for a fraction of the price. Let’s dive in.
1. Greeting Cards
Here’s something that sounds almost absurd once you hear it. Picking up a birthday card while you’re buying a cake seems like a no-brainer, until you look at the price tag, which will usually be around $7. Since grocery stores typically only carry a small number of cards, expect to pay top dollar. That markup is staggering for what is essentially a folded piece of paper.
A cheapo, unembellished card that sells for $3 has a publisher’s cost of goods of about $0.20, which the publisher then sells to the retailer for $1.50. The retailer’s final price to you can double or triple that. Meanwhile, a dollar store usually has a two-for-$1 deal on cards, or you can buy a set of occasion-neutral cards in bulk that you can use for anniversaries, thank-yous, and more. Honestly, it’s one of the most obvious money-saving swaps out there.
Approximately 58% of all greeting cards are purchased in grocery stores and supermarkets, which explains exactly why supermarkets price them so aggressively. When you’re already there buying eggs and milk, you’re a captive audience. Don’t fall for it.
2. Cleaning Supplies
Walk down the cleaning aisle of any mainstream grocery store and you’ll immediately notice something. The bottles look big, the brands look familiar, and the prices look painful. About half of dollar store shoppers buy oral care, paper products, cleaning supplies, and batteries, which are also among the top products bought exclusively at dollar stores. There’s a reason savvy shoppers head there first for these items.
If you know your ingredient percentages and sizes, you can find some really great deals at dollar stores. Often grocery stores will have the exact same products in the same dilutions at much higher prices. That’s the part most people miss. It’s not a cheaper formula, it’s a cheaper price on the same thing.
About one in three shoppers switched to dollar or discount stores in 2024, with about two thirds citing lower prices as their main reason. Cleaning supplies are a big part of that shift, and for good reason.
3. Spices and Condiments
Let’s be real: a tiny glass jar of oregano or paprika at the grocery store can set you back anywhere from three to six dollars. The markup on spices at traditional supermarkets is one of the most quietly outrageous examples of grocery inflation in action. Condiments and spices are the secret to transforming a plain-Jane dish into something extraordinary. From simple spices to ketchup, barbecue sauce, gravy, mustard, pickles, and relish, it’s never been easier to stock up your pantry with the basics at the dollar store.
Pantry items such as canned food, condiments, and spices are a real draw for dollar store shoppers. The quality difference between a dollar store spice and a grocery store spice is usually minimal, especially for common seasonings like garlic powder, cumin, or cinnamon. Think of it like buying bottled water. You’re paying for branding, not a better product.
4. Paper Towels and Toilet Paper
You’ll find the lowest prices for quality paper goods at wholesale clubs rather than at grocery stores. For instance, a 12-pack of Costco’s Kirkland paper towels costs $22.99, and you’d pay about the same at Kroger, but for half the amount of product. That price-per-sheet gap is genuinely shocking when you run the numbers.
On average, the per-unit price increase among downsized products ranged from 12% for paper towels to 32% for coffee, meaning grocery store paper goods have also been quietly shrinking in size while prices creep up. For smaller quantities, the dollar store often stocks essentials from name brands like Bounty, Charmin, and Hefty. If you need a small pack quickly, the dollar store beats the grocery store almost every time.
5. Party Supplies and Wrapping Paper
There is simply no good reason to buy a roll of birthday wrapping paper or a bag of balloons at a grocery store. The markup on these items at traditional grocers exists because you’re buying them out of convenience and emotion, not because of any real quality difference. Stores place cheap plastic holiday decorations right at the entrance. These items carry a huge markup because they rely purely on festive emotion. A plastic pumpkin or a cheap holiday mug costs $10. You can find identical items at a dedicated dollar store for a fraction of the price.
Whether you need balloons, decorative bags, tissue paper, wrapping paper, or streamers, stocking up on party supplies that are use-it-once-and-toss-it items can be a great way to save. The dollar store wall of party supplies is genuinely one of the best hidden values in retail. Don’t overlook it before the next birthday party.
6. Light Bulbs
It’s hard to say exactly how many people realize they’re overpaying massively for light bulbs at the grocery store, but the data makes it pretty clear. Light bulbs usually have a 60% markup in supermarkets compared with other stores. Sixty percent. On something you need every few months and probably toss into your cart without thinking.
At H-E-B, a single 60-watt bulb costs $4.10, while a similar version at Wegmans will set you back $4.42. That’s a sharp contrast to what you’d find at a dollar store or online. Light bulbs have no expiration date, so buying in bulk or finding them at a discount shop like a dollar store makes a lot of practical sense. It’s one of those swaps that’s almost too easy to make.
7. Candy and Snacks
The candy aisle and snack section at a regular grocery store are designed to trigger impulse buys, and the prices reflect exactly that. You’re paying a premium for placement, packaging, and the convenience of finding it right next to your yogurt. Treats and pantry items are the top food purchases at dollar stores. Two in three shoppers buy candy, and three in five buy salty snacks, cookies, and crackers.
Whether you’re craving something salty, crunchy, chewy, or sweet, the dollar store has you covered. The wide array of snacks is a gold mine for munchies of all varieties, including crackers, pretzels, chips, popcorn, nuts, dried fruits, and trail mixes. Honestly, for everyday snacking, there’s very little reason to pay twice the price at a traditional grocery chain.
8. Personal Care and Beauty Products
Shampoo, conditioner, lotion, toothpaste. These are items everyone buys constantly, and the markup at mainstream grocery stores on basic personal care items is significant. If you buy a 38-ounce bottle of Pantene Pro-V shampoo, you’ll pay $9.98 at Sam’s Club or $17.37 at Walmart versus $31.26 at Kroger. That gap is difficult to ignore.
If you’re not loyal to any specific brand, dollar stores stock basic skin-care essentials for a steal. I think this is where a lot of people leave surprisingly large amounts of money behind over the course of a year. Many store-brand items are made by the same manufacturers as the name brands, so you’re often paying extra just for fancy packaging. The dollar store equivalent works just as well for everyday basics.
9. Baking Mixes and Breakfast Items
Pancake mix, muffin mix, brownie mix. These items carry an outsized markup at grocery stores, particularly at mid-range and premium chains where they’re shelved at eye level and marketed aggressively. A ready-made mix is a busy cook’s best friend. Dollar stores offer a treasure trove of breakfast and baking mixes that will make easy work of whipping up a stack of fluffy pancakes or creating a yummy batch of cupcakes for a bake sale.
The quality is often comparable to what you’d find at a standard grocery chain, especially for simple baked goods where the ingredient list is short and pretty uniform across brands. Dollar store shoppers are willing to try new products that may be cost-prohibitive elsewhere. Baking mixes are a perfect low-risk category to experiment with. Worst case, your pancakes taste like pancakes.
10. Canned Goods
Canned beans, tomatoes, corn, and soups are staples that most households buy on autopilot. The grocery store knows this. Despite all of this, the profit margins of the country’s biggest grocery stores increased in recent years. According to a report by the Federal Trade Commission in March 2024, grocery retailer revenue outpaced costs by over 6% in 2021. Canned goods are one of the categories where that margin game is easy to play because demand is consistent and largely inelastic.
With canned goods specifically, freshness and shelf life are far less of a concern than with perishable or packaged foods, making them a safer dollar store purchase compared to other food categories. The dollar store version of canned tomatoes or chickpeas is nutritionally and functionally the same as what you’d find at a traditional grocer. The growing shift toward discount stores and a sharper focus on deals reflect a new era of cost-conscious shopping, and canned goods are exactly where that shift makes the most financial sense.
The Bigger Picture: Why This Matters More Than Ever
This isn’t just about saving a few cents on a greeting card. As of February 2025, the average weekly grocery spending per household in the U.S. is $170. That adds up to nearly nine thousand dollars a year. Even shaving ten to fifteen percent off by shifting certain purchases to the dollar store represents real, tangible savings over the course of a year.
An overwhelming majority of shoppers said the primary reason for choosing one store over another is simply price. The grocery industry knows this, which is precisely why they bank on shoppers not comparing prices item by item. When prices on baskets of commonly purchased items were compared at mainstream grocery chains across six cities in the U.S., the difference between the highest and lowest priced store was more than one third.
Strategic shopping is not about being cheap. It’s about being smart. Splitting your shopping between stores, especially for these ten categories, is one of the simplest financial moves any household can make in 2026. What’s stopping you from trying it this week?
