Forget Walmart: These 10 Dollar Tree Finds Put Their Prices To Shame

The next time you're shopping in Dollar Tree, you might be surprised at who else is browsing the store aisles. Dollar Tree has also been attracting more higher-income shoppers, according to CEO Michael Creedon. During earnings calls with investors, Creedon has noted that households earning more than $100,000 account for a significant share of Dollar Tree's recent customer growth. In Q1 2025, about half of Dollar Tree's new customers came from households earning $100,000 or more; by Q2, that share had risen to roughly two-thirds.

This information may be a surprise to the average American, who might be forgiven for assuming higher wages meant exclusively shopping in more expensive stores. Higher-income shoppers may be gravitating toward discount retailers for several reasons, including continued concern about everyday expenses. For instance, the Associated Press found grocery prices had jumped 33% since 2019. It's taking increasingly more money to fill up one's shopping cart, at least if one opts for retailers like Walmart. While Walmart is known for its "Everyday Low Prices" positioning, Dollar Tree can offer lower prices on certain comparable products. 

In 2025, Walmart warned it would be raising prices in response to Trump's tariffs. Yet news stories like NPR price tracking and a 2006 Walmart receipt that went viral show those everyday prices were trending upward for some time. Regardless of annual household income, if you're looking to save money, these Dollar Tree products often put Walmart to shame. For this comparison, we checked in-store prices at specific Walmart and Dollar Tree locations at the time of publication. Prices, inventory, sizes, and product selection can vary by store and location.

Rising prices at stores like Walmart don't just impact everyday grocery shopping. As CNBC reported in December 2025, shoppers weren't doing as much holiday shopping as in previous years. CNBC polled shoppers and found that 41% planned to spend less money on Christmas shopping. This doesn't just mean fewer presents, but also fewer decorations. The good news for American shoppers who want to be festive but feel the need to spend less is that they'll have an easier time finding cheap holiday decorations at Dollar Tree than they would at Walmart.

The finds aren't just limited to Christmas decorations. Dollar Tree often has decor themed around other holidays such as Halloween and Valentine's Day. What's especially encouraging is knowing that you can find cheap holiday decorations at Dollar Tree for $1.25, if not less. You may be tempted to find your holiday decorations at Walmart. However, if  you have a keen eye paired with a nose for a bargain, you just might find a cheaper alternative at Dollar Tree.

For instance, we noted that Dollar Tree sells lovely shatterproof Christmas tree ornaments priced at $1.50.  A practically identical Gumesh velvet red shatterproof Christmas ornament at Walmart was priced at $4.59. It's just one example of how many decorations Dollar Tree has to offer for a fraction of the Walmart price. If you want to have more money set aside for presents and candy this season, shop at Dollar Tree to protect your holiday budget.

According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, at least 92% of American households use cutting boards as part of food preparation. These kitchen tools are not only great for protecting your counters, but they offer a sturdy surface to successfully cut up your fruit, vegetables, or meats. Whether you're new to cooking or just prefer affordable kitchen tools, Dollar Tree offers a range of low-cost cutting boards to get you started.

We checked Dollar Tree's in-store options and found a decent range of choices priced between $1.25 and $5. Through the Cooking Concepts line, shoppers can buy flexible chopping mats, plastic boards, and cutting boards made from bamboo. If you prefer a bamboo cutting board to plastic, Dollar Tree has a 5.9-inch by 8.66-inch board for just $1.25. The larger 12- by 16-inch board costs $5. No matter how small your kitchen tool budget may be, you should find it easy to buy and routinely replace your cutting boards through Dollar Tree without ever really worrying about spending too much.

This wouldn't necessarily be the case at Walmart. When we did a price comparison, we found that Walmart's cheapest cutting boards, available from its Mainstays brand, start at $4.33. Through Mainstays, Walmart offers a bamboo cutting board similar in size to Dollar Tree's, but it also costs more. If affordability is the priority, you will consistently find cheaper choices for cutting boards at Dollar Tree than you will at Walmart.

Mesh laundry bags are a practical solution to the problem of your favorite delicate garments getting ripped and ruined in the washing machine. The reason this happens often comes down to friction, a great deal more of which gets generated by machines than when these items get carefully washed by hand. While most machines come with a "delicates" setting, oftentimes laundry day means multiple loads and a lot of water usage. To save time, water, and money, mesh laundry bags let you wash your delicates alongside your sturdier clothes, providing a crucial layer of protection that helps preserve them.

You might expect to have to spend more on mesh laundry bags, as they are so handy for protecting your clothes. Yet, you can find cheap mesh laundry bags for sale at your local Dollar Tree. We spotted a 24-inch by 36-inch white mesh laundry bag with drawstrings for $1.25.  Walmart also sells a 24-inch by 36-inch Mainstays laundry bag. However, it's priced at $2.48. Not only will you make out better getting the cheaper, same-sized bag at Dollar Tree, but the store also offers a three-piece set of mesh laundry bags for only $1.25.

If your goal is to protect your wallet as well as protect your delicate laundry, we think that buying mesh laundry bags from Dollar Tree makes more sense than purchasing them from your local Walmart.

While you might think everyone frequently buys and uses shampoo and conditioner, that's not always true. According to statistics shared by YouGov, while 86% of Americans shampoo their hair at least once per week, 21% never use conditioner. Meanwhile, 27% to 33% of Americans who have wavy, curly, or frizzy hair report using conditioner two to three times per week. Regardless of how often and why Americans use shampoo and conditioner, one thing that 43% of those surveyed have in common is they frequently purchased their hair care products from grocery stores.

With this in mind, it's not surprising that many American shoppers buy shampoo and conditioner from Walmart. YouGov determined the average spending range for these products is $5 to $15. When we checked Walmart for its lowest priced shampoos, we did find a single in-store product priced as low as $1.26. However, none of the available products we saw started as low as Dollar Tree's $1.25 price. This was also true for Walmart's available hair conditioners, which started at $1.26. 

Not only does Dollar Tree sell a greater range of shampoos and conditioners that are cheaper than Walmart equivalents, but the store also offers options from recognizable budget-friendly brands like V05 and White Rain. Likewise, if your kids are fans of Bluey, Dollar Tree also sells berry and strawberry-scented three-in-one shampoo, conditioner, and body wash products for $1.25. Overall, Dollar Tree's the better choice for cost-effective shampoos and conditioners.

Did you know that porcelain dishware can cost as much as $400 per plate? If you were ever worried about overspending to stock up on dishware, odds are you're not spending nearly as much as you could compared to the pricier options on the market. That said, if you're looking for more budget-friendly ceramic dishware options, Dollar Tree is a surprisingly safer bet than Walmart.

We looked online at Walmart for in-store options and found the cheapest porcelain plates cost $3.58 each.  We also saw that the lowest-priced ceramic bowls were $2.12. While some would consider these Walmart options to be budget-friendly, alternatively, you will consistently find ceramic, stoneware, and glass plates available for $1.50 each at Dollar Tree . We also confirmed via a walkthrough video posted by NJShoreBeachLife on YouTube that, in addition to stocking very affordable types of dishware, Dollar Tree offers these items in different colors. Some of them themed and seasonal, but still priced at $1.50.

 While you do have the option to buy your plates and other items in bulk, it's more usual to buy dishware at Dollar Tree individually. Regardless, we feel confident that you'll be able to build an affordable collection of dishware through Dollar Tree much faster than you would at Walmart.

According to the National Candle Association (NCA), more than a billion pounds of wax used for candle making in the United States is sold each year. The NCA also found that while 35% of candle purchases happen around the holidays, non-seasonal purchases account for 65% of candle sales. As for how people are getting their candles, a significant portion of sales are made through mass merchandisers, which typically includes stores like Walmart and Dollar Tree.

Where the bargain lies is generally in the type of candle you're trying to buy. Should your goal be to buy colorful, scented, seasonal candles, you'll find yourself spending more per candle at Walmart than you would at Dollar Tree. For instance, when we searched for Walmart's cheapest scented candles, the most affordable option was a seven-ounce Mainstays one-wick candle, priced at $3.96. Likewise, Walmart shoppers interested in a Better Homes & Gardens glass pumpkin jar candle can expect to spend $4.78 per candle.

Heading over to Dollar Tree, we found a range of scented candle options with some costing as little as $1. Should you want something a little more fun and unusual to smell, Dollar Tree offers licensed candy scents like Blow Pop, Swedish Fish, Junior Mints and more, all priced at $1.25 each.

Whether you're looking for combs and brushes to style your hair or clips and bands to keep it in place, you shouldn't expect to break the bank for these items. You can find affordable hair bands, ties, and clips at Walmart, but you might be surprised to find that you'll get greater value for money by choosing to buy these products at Dollar Tree.

For instance, we found 45-count packs of Goody bobby pins at Walmart priced at $1.18. Yet at Dollar Tree, we spotted 60-count and 90-count packs of bobby pins that cost $1.25. Not only that, but for this flat $1.25 price, we saw salon-quality, decorative, and fashion bobby pins. If you want hair scrunchies, you can find single or three-count items in a variety of colors and textures at Dollar Tree for just $1.25. Yet when we checked for the cheapest scrunchies at Walmart, the lowest-priced option cost $3.47.

Hair ties and bands aside, Dollar Tree offers a wide range of hair combs and brushes, suitable for practically every hair type, starting at $1.25. With Walmart having limited options priced below $1.36, yet again, we determined shoppers can find budget-friendlier hair brush and comb products through Dollar Tree, where you can pay as little as $1.25 for multi-count hair styling tools. Generally speaking, those who want better value for money when buying hair styling products should opt for Dollar Tree over Walmart.

According to the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 48% of American households do not keep emergency supplies in the event of a disaster, including something as simple as a first aid kit. This is up from the reported 44% in 2023. 

While this statistic is kind of alarming, there may be a reason that Americans don't keep up with first aid kits. Namely, there's a tendency for these kits to include items most people don't use. That and certain items expire over time, whether it's alcoholic wipes drying out, adhesive strips losing their grip, or disposable gloves degrading. Even if you feel that you won't need too many of the items included in a standard first aid kit, you should still make it a point to have a few first aid items handy in the event of a minor emergency.

We think that for value for your money, Dollar Tree is going to be the best place to get a cheap first aid kit. Walmart, for instance, offers a range of kits, with the cheapest choice being a $2.63 Band-Aid brand first aid kit. While this may initially seem like a bargain, there are first aid kits and packets at Dollar Tree for half this price. Not only that, but if you want to purchase first aid kits for a child, Dollar Tree has cute Barbie and Avengers kits for just $1.25 each. You can also choose among 15-, 21-, and 36-piece sets, making it easy to purchase according to what your household will need.

Plastic Oceans International estimates that humans produce 380 million tons of plastic every year. What's even more startling about that figure is that apparently, 50% of that plastic gets made solely for items that will get used once and then thrown away. Statistics like this are why the rising popularity of reusable water bottles actually matters. It's one way to combat the wastefulness behind buying single-use grocery items.

You might think that Dollar Tree, where items cost so little, isn't a great option to find useful, long-lasting water bottles. However, that's not the case. Dollar Tree is a great alternative to Walmart for anyone who wants to buy cheap water bottles for themselves or their whole household. 

For instance, Dollar Tree offers cute flip-top water bottles with Disney and video game characters for only $1.25 each. While Walmart has reusable plastic bottles with fun characters, they tend to cost $5 to $6. If shopping at Dollar Tree, you can also find a range of themed and translucent reusable bottles, some of which include reusable straws, that start at just $1.25. Though Walmart has a few comparably priced water bottle options, we found the variety wasn't as great as what you'll find at a local Dollar Tree.

If you're someone who struggles with a lack of storage space, you're not alone. Talker Research conducted a 2024 survey on behalf of the Container Store and found that half of Americans feel that one room in their home is too cluttered to salvage. The same survey revealed that 34% of respondents feel cramped in their homes. Meanwhile, 55% regretted having to throw things away to create space.

For those who feel cramped by clutter and yet resist throwing things away, storage bins and organizers could be the secret weapons you've been missing all along. But perhaps you want to start small and not spend too much money to get organized.  You might be surprised to know that Dollar Tree offers a respectable variety of storage and organization products to help you get your home in order.

If, for instance, you want to begin by organizing your garage, you can buy a 9-by-6-inch tool bench hardware storage case at Dollar Tree for $1.25.  The cheapest hardware storage equivalent we spotted at Walmart was a two-pack plastic organizer that costs $10.64. That works out to $5.32 per storage kit.  For those organizing a home office, you'll find a range of small storage containers, some with lids, for as low as $1.25. With Walmart, we found that the cheapest small storage items either weren't as large as the items sold at Dollar Tree or were priced higher than Dollar Tree's storage products. Either way, Dollar Tree ends up as the better option.