It depends on which of the "dollar" stores you're talking about regarding "value," but Dollar Tree has some very good deals. [ Note that due to recent inflation, everything in the store used to be sold for $1, but is now $1.25. ] Examples of very good bang for your "buck" are 100 count bottles of aspirin, off brand "Draino," name brand tooth brushes, multi pack Duracell batteries, Christmas decorations/ nick knacks, pens and paper goods, plastic food containers......to name just a few things. All of these items are priced about 20% of what you'd pay at a CVS or supermarket. The snob factor and the perception of low quality ( vis a vis the general low quality of all the items we buy that are made in China ) of the stores offerings are what keep a lot of people away. Similarly, many "high-end" stores or outlets offer the same goods of similar quality ( often packaged more attractively ) at substantially higher prices because their customers will pay more for what they think is better quality.