I love a Dollarama run as much as the next girl, but I couldn't shake a thought: Could Dollar Tree be better? On the hunt for Canada's best bargain store, I decided to shop at both discount spots and see who comes out on top. The results were unexpected!
I'll admit I rarely shop at Dollar Tree, mostly because there are more Dollarama locations near me and I'm happy with what I find there. But for the sake of journalism, I headed out for a visit to Dollar Tree — an American company with stores across Canada.
The products are similar but not always identical (more on that later), so the real question was: which store is cheaper?
To find out, I compared 19 shopping-list staples sold at both stores, using identical items or the closest match when products weren't exactly the same.
Here's what I found...
Colgate toothpaste
Colgate Total Active Prevention toothpaste.
Colgate Total Active Prevention toothpaste is sold at both stores, but the tube sizes differ. Dollar Tree's is bigger and 75 cents cheaper.
Dollar Tree: $3 for 170 millilitres
Dollarama: $3.75 for 130 millilitres
Best price: Dollar Tree
MONDAY shampoo
Monday haircare bottles on a store shelf, including clarifying shampoo, shampoo, and conditioner.
MONDAY shampoo is sold at both stores, but the sizes and prices differ quite a bit. Dollar Tree's bottle is bigger and $1 cheaper.
Dollar Tree: $4 for 354 millilitres
Dollarama: $5 for 200 millilitres
Best price: Dollar Tree
Dawn dish spray
Dawn Platinum Plus Powerwash bottles displayed on a store shelf, with a $5 price tag.
Dawn Platinum Plus dish spray is available at both stores, in the same size (473 millilitres) and for the same price. The only difference I noticed is that Dollarama carries several scents, including Fresh Clean, Apple and seasonal ones too, whereas I only saw the Fresh Clean scent at the Dollar Tree I went to.
Dollarama: $5
Dollar Tree: $5
Best price: Tie
Dove soap bars
Two Dove beauty cream bar packages compared.
Dove soap bars are sold at both stores, but the pack sizes differ. Dollar Tree's two-pack looks cheaper on the shelf, but Dollarama's four-pack costs less per bar.
Dollar Tree: $3.50 for two bars (about $1.75 per bar)
Dollarama: $5 for four bars (about $1.25 per bar)
Best price: Dollarama
Betty Crocker food storage containers
A shopper holds a red Betty Crocker two-piece storage container set in a store aisle.
Both Dollar Tree and Dollarama sell Betty Crocker food storage containers in slightly different sizes. Dollar Tree has a two-pack of 650-millilitre containers, while Dollarama sells a four-pack of 690-millilitre containers.
Dollar Tree: $1.75 for two containers (about 88 cents each)
Dollarama: $3.75 for four containers (about 94 cents each)
Best price: Dollar Tree, but it's nearly a tie because Dollarama's containers are slightly bigger
Glass baking dish
Two glass baking dishes from Libbey and Betty Crocker displayed in a store.
I couldn't find a Betty Crocker baking dish at Dollar Tree, but I did come across this Baker's Basics blue-tinted 1.7-litre glass dish. At Dollarama, I found a Betty Crocker square baking dish that holds 1.8 litres.
Dollar Tree: $4
Dollarama: $4.75
Best price: Dollar Tree
Disinfecting wipes
Clorox and Lysol disinfecting wipes displayed side by side on a store shelf.
The Dollarama I went to only had Lysol disinfecting wipes, while Dollar Tree had Clorox. Both come in 35-count tubs, but Dollar Tree's costs 50 cents less.
Dollarama: $3.50
Dollar Tree: $3
Best price: Dollar Tree
Gain laundry pods
Two packages of Gain Flings! laundry detergent pods displayed side by side.
Both stores sell the same Gain Flings laundry pods in the original scent and the same 213-gram package, but Dollar Tree's is 50 cents cheaper.
Dollarama: $5
Dollar Tree: $4.50
Best price: Dollar Tree
Resolve Oxi Action fabric stain remover
Resolve Oxi Action Crystal White stain remover tubs on a store shelf.
If you've ever purchased Resolve Oxi Action at Dollarama, you've probably been overpaying. A 500-gram tub of the stain remover costs $4.25 there. At Dollar Tree, not only is the price lower at $3, but you also get more product, with 625 grams.
Dollar Tree: $3
Dollarama: $4.25
Best price: Dollar Tree
Cashmere toilet paper
Cashmere toilet paper rolls displayed on a store shelf.
I was curious which store has the cheaper four-roll pack of Cashmere toilet paper, but both sell it for the same price.
Dollar Tree: $2.50
Dollarama: $2.50
Best price: Tie
Bounty paper towel
A shopper holds a Bounty paper towel pack beside shelves stocked with more rolls.
A two-pack of Bounty paper towels costs $4.75 at both Dollarama and Dollar Tree.
Dollar Tree: $4.75
Dollarama: $4.75
Best price: Tie
Spices
A shopper holds everything bagel seasoning beside garlic spices on a store shelf.
The spice selection at my local Dollarama isn't always very well stocked, so I was blown away by the variety at Dollar Tree, which had everything from thyme and parsley to rosemary, Italian seasoning and even everything bagel seasoning. Dollar Tree wins for selection, but Dollarama's spices are cheaper.
Dollar Tree: $1.75
Dollarama: $1
Best price: Dollarama
Dare Veggie Crisps
Two bags of Dare sea salt veggie crisps held in a grocery store.
I love Dare Veggie Crisps, so I was happy to see them at both stores. Luckily, the Dollarama bag I've been buying is the cheaper one, at 75 cents less than at Dollar Tree.
Dollar Tree: $3
Dollarama: $2.25
Best price: Dollarama
Honey Nut Cheerios
Two boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios displayed on a grocery store shelf.
Honey Nut Cheerios come in the same 292-gram boxes at both stores, but Dollarama's is 25 cents cheaper.
Dollar Tree: $3
Dollarama: $2.75
Best price: Dollarama
Dare Breton Bites
Dare Breton Bites veggie snack crackers displayed on a grocery store shelf.
Dare Breton Bites crackers are sold in the veggie flavour at both stores, in the same 200-gram box, but Dollarama's is 50 cents cheaper.
Dollar Tree: $3
Dollarama: $2.50
Best price: Dollarama
Kraft Dinner
KD Original macaroni and cheese boxes displayed on a grocery store shelf for $1.50.
Dollar Tree and Dollarama both sell the same 200-gram box of Kraft Dinner for $1.50, so you're getting the same deal either way.
Dollar Tree: $1.50
Dollarama: $1.50
Best price: Tie
Betty Crocker cake mix
A shopper holds a Betty Crocker lemon cake mix beside boxes of Rainbow Bit cake mix on a store shelf.
You'll find Betty Crocker cake mixes in a variety of flavours at both stores, but Dollar Tree's are $1 cheaper per box.
Dollar Tree: $2
Dollarama: $3
Best price: Dollar Tree
Advil
A shopper compares Advil caplets priced at $4.50 on the pharmacy shelf.
You can find a 24-pack of Advil caplets at both discount retailers, and sold for the same price.
Dollar Tree: $4.50
Dollarama: $4.50
Best price: Tie
St. Ives facial cleansing wipes
St. Ives facial cleansing wipes.
Both stores sell St. Ives facial cleansing wipes in 35-count packs for normal and combination skin, and Dollar Tree's are 50 cents cheaper.
Dollar Tree: $4
Dollarama: $4.50
Best price: Dollar Tree
So, which store is cheaper? Dollar Tree came out ahead, with lower prices on nine of the 19 items, compared with five for Dollarama and five ties.
Dollar Tree won most clearly on cleaning and personal care, like the stain remover, MONDAY shampoo and Colgate toothpaste, while Dollarama was cheaper on food with items like Honey Nut Cheerios and Dare crackers.
Price isn't everything, though. In my opinion, Dollarama has a better selection of cleaning supplies and beauty products, with more brand-name items and good dupes. It also wins in the kitchen aisle and for glassware, where I just couldn't find the same quality at Dollar Tree.
The surprise was Dollar Tree's food selection, which has plenty of brand-name items and pantry staples like lentils, broth, sauces and snacks.
I'll always be a Dollarama girlie, but after comparing prices, I'll be buying a few things at Dollar Tree from now on.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.