Many of us have turned to dollar stores in recent years amid inflation woes—especially when it comes to otherwise expensive grocery trips. But if you're thinking about stocking your pantry with Dollar Tree buys, you might want to take notes from someone like Melissa Houser, who has been shopping at the discount retailer for some time now. In a now-viral video posted to her TikTok account (@mhouser12), the self-proclaimed shopping haul queen revealed her grocery must-haves and skips from her local Dollar Tree store. Read on for six food products you should buy from Dollar Tree, and three you should avoid.
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1 | Buy: Coffee
TikTok/@mhouser12The first product Houser talks about in her TikTok is the coffee at Dollar Tree, which is a good, cheap option for caffeine lovers.
"Their coffee is great. I usually go with the K-Cups, and I usually get the hot chocolate [flavor] but it looks like they're out," she says, indicating that this might be a popular choice for other shoppers, too.
2 | Buy: Toaster pastries
TikTok/@mhouser12Houser also highlights a product called Toast'ems, which look like an off-brand version of Pop-Tarts (though they've been around just as long).
"I got these before for my daughter, and they taste just like Pop-Tarts," Houser says in the video.
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3 | Buy: Chocolate chips
TikTok/@mhouser12If you enjoy making chocolate chip cookies, you might want to consider buying some of your ingredients from Dollar Tree. While holding up a bag of chocolate chips in the store, Houser says they are "great for baking."
"The quality is super good, super chocolatey," the shopper notes.
4 | Avoid: Coconut flour
TikTok/@mhouser12Houser is not a fan of some of the flour sold at Dollar Tree stores, however. She warns other shoppers to avoid the organic coconut flour from the brand Nature's Goodness.
"This was terrible," she says. "Skip it."
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5 | Avoid: Pink Sauce
TikTok/@mhouser12Pink Sauce—a pink dipping sauce created by TikTok user Veronica Shaw that went viral in 2022—faced a ton of controversy over safety concerns. Dollar Tree is still selling the sauce, but that doesn't mean it's something Houser would endorse.
"This stuff looks disgusting," she says, while showing bottles of Pink Sauce on a shelf.
6 | Buy: Mustard
TikTok/@mhouser12Of course, not all the condiments at Dollar Tree are considered a skip to Houser. The shopper gives a big "yes" to both French's and Deli Market's yellow mustard sold at the store.
7 | Buy: Seasonings
TikTok/@mhouser12There are several Dollar Tree seasonings that Houser recommends to other shoppers. Some of her faves include Supreme Tradition's Garlic Pepper and Cinnamon Sugar, as well as Kingsford's various grill seasonings.
She also advises shoppers not to skip Colonna's Everything Bagel Seasoning. "It's a dupe for the Aldi and Trader Joe's [versions]," she explains.
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8 | Avoid: Jasmine Rice
TikTok/@mhouser12On the other hand, you may not want to run to Dollar Tree for your rice needs. Houser calls the Eat Regal Jasmine Rice at her store "gross" in the video.
"It was like really hard, and it would not break apart," she warns.
9 | Buy: Cookies
TikTok/@mhouser12And for anyone with a sweet tooth, there are plenty of cookies that get checked off on Houser's buy list at Dollar Tree. She says the Oven Baked Fudge Mint Cookies taste like Girl Scout Thin Mints. The store's animal crackers also get a shout out, with Houser saying the chocolate flavor is "the best."
