There are certain things that I won't buy the generic version of—tampons, mayonnaise, and laundry detergent, to name a few. I'm also not a fan of off-brand dishwasher pods. The dishes just don't get as clean with anything other than Cascade! But those handy little pods are usually the most expensive option on the shelf—unless you know about this new Dollar Tree secret. Shoppers are saying that the store has "Cascade disguised" inside its generic-brand tubs of dishwasher pods, and if it is, in fact, true, it's going to save you serious money.
RELATED: 7 New Dollar Tree Cleaning Products So Good Shoppers Will "Fight for Them."
Shopper @tiffb1980 posted a video on TikTok in which she went to Dollar Tree, found the viral dishwasher pods, and brought them home to compare side by side with Cascade. "They look identical," she concluded.
But she didn't stop there. She also shared the results after running a dishwasher cycle with the Dollar Tree pods.
"That spoon is clean; I had used it to make spaghetti," she said, holding up the sparkling utensil. "The same for the spatula I had used for Italian sausage; nothing left over on it."
She then held up a perfectly clean drinking glass and a pan with no residue.
@tiffb1980 Cascade dishwasher packs for $1.25 ?!? #dollartreefinds #dollartreedupe #fyp #budgetfriendly
Another TikToker, @momsfullplate, also shared a demo with her followers after loading her dishwasher up with dishes that were "pretty gross."
"Some of these were grimy when I put them in, and they look perfect now," she shared. "It smells good, it looks good."
@momsfullplate Replying to @MrsLeBel621 They work really well! There is no way to be certain but my dishes look and smell clean just like Cascade. #dollartree #dollartreefinds #dollartreehaul #dishwasherpods #test #fyp
But perhaps the best part about all this is the price. A tub of 35 pods at Dollar Tree is just $1.25. A 36-pack of Cascade pods from Amazon is $14, while at Walmart, a 32-pack of Cascade is $19.
So, how is this possible?
One commenter on @tiffb1980's video said, "I’m an engineer in a manufacturing plant. We have to sell product that don’t meet spec (color, shape, etc.) for pennies on the dollar to other buyers outside of our major contracts."
"I used to work at a company that packaged and shipped stuff like this, the ingredients were the same but the labels were different. no joke you are mainly paying for name brand," added another commenter.
To this point, shopper @dollar25treegirl went to her local store and opened up a few of the lids of the dishwasher pod tubs. She found that each one, despite the packaging being the same, had different-looking pods inside.
"They look different because some are the Cascade 'Complete' and some are the 'Original," someone commented on her video. "Cascade discounted these pods recently so I thinks that’s why they’re selling them at [Dollar Tree] now."
Of course, these explanations can't be verified, but for now, shoppers seem thrilled to save so much on dishwasher pods.
