The Real Reason You Shouldn't Buy School Supplies At Dollar General

Dollar General can be a real lifesaver, offering a wide range of products at reasonable prices, and with so many stores across the country — over 17,000 according to Dollar General themselves — you can't help but drop in every so often for something or other. However, for some things, it might be worth giving them a miss and looking elsewhere instead. Take some of the food they sell, for example, or household tools. Remember: just because a product is being sold by a low-cost store, it doesn't mean that you're getting the best deal, or value for money!

School supplies are another type of product that you shouldn't buy at Dollar General (via Insider). Sure, it might be tempting to pick up some pens and paper when you're there, but you're better off going elsewhere. In particular, there are certain places where you should be going instead. Here's the real reason you shouldn't buy school supplies at Dollar General — check out the other aisles while you're there instead!

According to Insider, the price of school and office supplies will be higher at Dollar General than at an office supply store, where prices are lower and there's often more choice too! Reddit users claim that when it comes to school supplies, Dollar Tree is much better than Dollar General. "They have more interesting seasonal decor, party supplies, and craft supplies. I've actually bought several good books at DT," one said.

If you really want to be a savvy shopper, head to the back-to-school sales — even if the supplies are for the office or the home study — as you can expect supplies to be even cheaper. There's just one caveat: when you shop at office supply stores, you might have to buy in bulk to make the most of the cheaper prices. While you can always buy a single pen or a notebook at Dollar General in a pinch, the price per unit is almost definitely going to be lower when you buy a whole load of them at an office supply store.

So, next time you need to get some supplies, whether it's the end of summer or you're working from home and just need to stock up, it pays to head to an office supply store instead.