It stands to reason Dollar Tree is the cheapest price that you can find. The “dollar” is right there in the name. But one TikToker is pointing out that there are better bargains to be had at Walmart if you just know where to look.
Jenny Luna (@jenny_luna01) tells her viewers, “It’s official. Walmart has cheaper things than Dollar Tree,” at the beginning of her Nov. 22 video. The video now has 65,000 views and counting as of Monday.
Luna goes on to show a string of bargains she finds on the shelves of Walmart including plain bread crumbs ($1.22), cornbread mic ($1.12), blueberry and strawberry muffin mix ($1.12), a 14-ounce bottle of ketchup for 98 cents, and an 8-ounce bottle of mustard for 60 cents.
“I just got f***ing hungry looking back at this video,” she tells her viewers before beginning a new list of cheap deals.
“Nothing wrong with bagged mashed potatoes 98 cents,” she points out. “A whole pound of beans for $1.24.”
Luna did point out one place where the Walmart bargains were thin on the ground: the cookie and snack aisle.
“We made it to your favorite aisle,” she announces. “But guess what, nothing here,” she tells her viewers, giving the aisle an actual thumbs down.
“I keep saying this to my dollar tree and Aldi lovers,” Amber Lovins (@amberlovins1990) wrote in the comments.
“Wow, you just shut Dollar Tree up. I love everything about your video,” another viewer added.
“Not going to lie…I bought the ketchup yesterday,” another confessed.
@jenny_luna01 Walmart Food Cheaper Than 1.25!🍔🍟 Let me know if you want a Part 2! #dollartreevswalmart #cheapmeals #dollarfinds #walmartfinds #walmartfood #fypツ ♬ I’m So Hungry – Karter Zaher
However, one commenter noted that many customers rely on Dollar Tree because they cannot easily get to a Walmart or other grocery stores.
“I work at Dollar Tree and most people get food from there because Walmarts are far from where they live,” they wrote.
According to one theory published by UCLA Anderson Review, “discount” stores such as Dollar Tree help to contribute to so-called “food deserts” where access to fresh produce and healthier foods becomes difficult if not impossible for people living in them.
“The exit of existing grocery stores and the entry of large numbers of dollar stores … have significant impacts on food purchases and availability,” the working paper on the theory states.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Dollar Tree via its website for a statement.
Is Walmart actually cheaper than Dollar Tree, though? The answer, according to grocery and savings blog Living on a Dime, depends on what you are shopping for. For instance, they noted that party supplies tended to be cheaper at Dollar Tree but spices and herbs were cheaper at Walmart.
“Don’t assume that Dollar Tree is cheaper just because things cost $1,” the site advises.
“Dollar Tree is not cheaper on everything, but it can be on some things. Walmart is cheaper for a lot of other things. So if you shop wisely and pick the right store for the right items, you can get good deals.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Luna via email for further comment.
