At least three or four times a month I shop at one of the five Family Dollar stores located in Hartford, Connecticut. For years I have been going there mainly for health and beauty aids such as plastic bandages and hair gel.
Now I also do some of my grocery shopping at Family Dollar on a fairly regular basis. The selection of food merchandise at Family Dollar stores has really evolved over the past few years. In addition to a broad spectrum of normally stocked items a constantly changing assortment of special sale-priced food items are offered. It helps to grab one of the free sales circulars usually located near the entrance.
While reading one of their circulars which is mailed to everyone in the local area I read that more than 2,000 food items are now stocked at Family Dollar stores. When I first started shopping at the store where I usually shop, their food section was fairly small but it has grown considerably and is now quite large.
An extensive line of Family Dollar private label food products is provided and they are comparable to similar name brand products only lower-priced. Not all of their stores necessarily carry full lines of food products.
Several different types of Family Dollar cold cereals and toaster pastries are available at roughly half the price of similar name brand cereals and pastries. So far, I’ve tried the Family Dollar frosted flakes and raisin bran and find them to be very close to name brand cereals in flavor and texture. A host of name brand cereals are also usually available at very low prices.
Kitchen staples such as ketchup, mustard, relish and barbecue sauce are usually priced lower at these dollar stores than at most other retailers. Prices on name brand mayonnaise and salad dressings are always low at Family Dollar stores and little five ounce bottles of hot sauce are usually in-stock.
Large selections of canned, jarred and boxed foods are always featured at Family Dollar stores. Their regular prices on items such as baked beans, canned pasta, rices, canned meats, boxed dinner helpers, canned tuna, seafood and chicken, soups, pasta, fruit cups, noodles, sauces and puddings are consistently low.
Perishable or refrigerated foods at Family Dollar stores include hot dogs, cheeses, smoked sausage, cold cuts, shortening, dairy products and many other items
Among the frozen foods that can usually be found at Family Dollar stores are hamburger patties, chicken wings, fried chicken, ice cream, pizza and more.
Lots of snack items are stocked on a regular basis at Family Dollar stores. These include chips, cookies, crackers, snack cakes, cake and cookie mixes and candy.
Family Dollar stores are also great places to purchase beverages from. They regularly stock extensive selections of juice drinks, sodas, drink boxes, waters and milk. The milk prices at the store where I shop are usually substantially lower than those offered at other area retailers. The same high quality brands that are offered at local supermarkets are available at Family Dollar stores.
The amount of money that I usually save by purchasing certain items at Family Dollar makes it a very worthwhile endeavor. If there is a Family Dollar store located near you try to stop in and check-out the excellent food selections that are offered at many if not most of their stores.
Sources :
Personal experience with grocery shopping at Family Dollar stores
