I just read a few articles on shopping at various dollar stores.
Here is a compiled list of the deals and duds and what to watch out for.

Deals
Cleaners
Shampoo, soap
Spices
Kitchen utensils and gadgets
Party goods, wrapping paper, gift bags, cards, ribbon

Duds
Vitamins (near expiration dates, or manufactured in outside the USA)
Toothpaste (may be tainted or has a label look alike to a major company, read label)
Batteries (drain fast, low life)
Electrical products, Christmas lights (shoddy manufacturing could cause overheating, may not be UL compliant, or made in other countries)
Jewelry and lunchboxes (may contain lead)

Comparing
Some of the snack food is priced accordingly, meaning, you will get less at the dollar store than if you bought the package at the grocery store.
For instance -- a store brand 16 oz jar of nuts would cost $1.60 at the local grocery store.  At the dollar store, for one dollar you would get 10 oz of the same type of product.  If you had a coupon, that $1.60 jar could cost less and you would get more.

BUT . . . in smaller packages, the price per oz or pound is usually higher so you may actually only get 8 oz for a dollar.

Read labels carefully and compare prices.

There have been many items recalled by the dollar type stores due to lead, small parts (especially in toys) or some other safety reason.

You can check on recalled items at:

The Consumer Product Safety Commission

Recalls.gov

For those who need some new spring cleaning ideas to make your house sparkle and dazzle:

1. Store chalk with silverware to slow tarnishing.

2. Add a packet of Lemonade Kool Aid to your dishwasher to help clean and eliminate water lime and iron stain buildup from time to time.

3. Use binder clips to hold cloth napkins of the same pattern/color together. (I would think you would have to iron the mark the binder will leave before you use them.)

4. Use broken egg shells with water and a little dishwashing detergen t to clean the bottom of vases by swirling the concoction around a bit.  The egg shells act as an abrasive.

5. WD-40 helps removing crayon off of most anything. Rub on and buff off.

6. Remove sticker adhesive with mayonaise.

7.  Use a laundry bag as a dishwasher save item -- put the small stuff in there (like lids, sponges, or baby items) so they don't get lost or lose in the dishwashing process.

Find all these new ideas with more explanation here in a slide show.
Other useful articles on cleaning there too, if you are in the mood.

WOW -- I have heard some people mention this but have not seen if on my tblog or anyone else's.  Maybe it is because I have an ad blocker or use Firefox?

Some members are mentioning "linked word ads" in the posts?

Do you see this on your blog or anyone else's?
What about my blog, do you see this?
When did this start since I have not seen it.

I will go check this out on the library computer. 
If this is the case, then I think my blog must be a mess but I just don't see it. Poor visitors.

Happy April Fool's Day!