Dollar Tree shopper reveals secret price hike signal
A shopper has revealed the secret way to tell if prices at Dollar Tree have been hiked — look for a small red sticker. Brittanie Pyper, who posts as SimplisticallyLiving on social media, recently noticed that items at her local Dollar Tree were creeping up in price.
She then did some snooping around her local store and discovered how shoppers can spot if items have seen a price rise. She spotted red dots on artificial flowers that had jumped to $1.75 from their previous $1.50.
The same sticker showed up on storage bins, cleaning supplies, and bathroom essentials, all now priced at $1.50 instead of $1.25. Pyper even found a store cart stacked with red-dot stickers and signs warning that $1.50 toys were about to rise another 25 cents.
Her findings come as shoppers reacted with fury to Dollar Tree's broader plans to raise prices. CEO Rick Dreiling has confirmed that the discount chain will lift its price ceiling to $7 at more than 16,000 stores nationwide, a move he says has boosted sales and attracted more affluent customers.
Dollar Tree has long struggled with rising costs, which have forced bosses to raise prices. The chain first raised its iconic $1 baseline to $1.25 in 2022, calling the move necessary to 'materially expand its offerings, introduce new products and sizes, and provide families with more of their daily essentials.'
In April this year, it emerged that some locations had begun selling products with starting prices at $1.50. Stores have also been adding $3 and $5 items as part of the Dollar Tree Plus concept.
The price rises sparked outrage on social media, with threats of boycotts from longtime fans But the price hikes haven't slowed business. Dollar Tree reported an 11.3 percent jump in first-quarter sales, crediting the changes with helping it compete more aggressively with Walmart by offering upgraded seasonal and everyday goods.
Dollar Tree has also declared war on Walmart by offering high-quality summer essentials . Meanwhile, Dollar Tree has been reshaping its store portfolio.
Its $ 8.5 billion purchase of Family Dollar once looked like a win, but that chain has struggled with declining sales and customer dissatisfaction. Earlier this year, Dollar Tree announced plans to close 600 underperforming Family Dollar stores.
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