December 16, 2025 • 7 mins
Amy talks to the host of ‘How to Money’ Joel Larsgaard talking about dollar stores and whether you get more when you spend more.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let's say good morning now to the host of How
to Money on KFI. You can listen to them every
Sunday from noon to two. It's a very own Joel Larsgard.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Morning Joel, Good morning Amy.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Okay, so people are tightening their budgets and maybe for
Christmas presents you might head down to the Dollar Store
this year. There's some good and some bad in that.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Yeah, I mean the Dollar Store.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
When the economy is in a rough spot, it sees
an uptick.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Right.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
People are like, this is this is where I'm going
to go to save money because it's just in the name.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
I'm not going to pay. I'm not gonna pay.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
As much as I would at most other retailers, is
what you assume. And the truth is, yeah, you can
get some deals at the Dollar Store, but the other
side of the equation is when you factor in price
per unit, the Dollar Store is often not the cheapest.
And then there was some data that just came out
(00:55):
recently about Family Dollar and Dollar general price inspections. And
so essentially, when you see the price on the shelf
at the Dollar Store and you're like, that seems like
a pretty good deal, Well, the price on the shelf
is not what it rings up at. And this is
not just a you know, maybe like one in one
hundred items, this is like almost a quarter of items
(01:16):
being sold at some of these dollar stores across the
country are not ringing up what you thought they would.
And so people were walking out and they're like, I thought,
I like would have paid a whole lot less, and
they started looking at their re seat and they're like,
holy mackerel, this is like so much more expensive than
what it said it was going to be. So dollar
stores are under fire from this from attorney generals around
the country.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Which is interesting because it really used to be that
everything was a dollar. Like you'd go in and you go, hey,
how much is that and they go a dollar? How
much is this a dollar? But that changed after COVID.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Sure, yeah, of course, right like as inflation ticked up
and everything got more expensive, dollar stores had to innovate,
and so it was well, like, let's do three for
five dollars, or it's a dollar and a quarter right
for certain things, And it's just it's impossible to hold
that line after a certain point, which I totally understand,
and I think consumers understand that too. They're like all right,
I'm still hoping to get a deal, even though I
(02:10):
know that when I walk in there, everything I look
at is not going to cost me a dollar. But
it's just really unfortunate that and part of this is
a staffing issue at the dollar Store, but they just
have to do with these different dollar stores.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
They just have to do better, though.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
They just have to find a way to ensure that
the prices on the shelves are the ones that consumers
are paying at checkout. And when you think about when, yeah,
this might happen occasionally somewhere else where you're like ringing
it up and you're like, wait a second, I think
it was lower on the shelf. Maybe you talk to
an employee and they help you figure it out. But
at the dollar Store, this is a perpetual problem that
(02:43):
you're going to run into, and I guess it just
makes me I just want to warn people that you
one that's a problem, and then two you might not
be getting as good of a deal as you think
you are, especially when you look at like the price
per unit, which I think is a good way to look.
Let's say you're buying a tube of toothpaste and you're like, oh,
this is a dollar and a quarter, that seems like
a good deal. But let's say it's three ounces and
at the grocery store, Yeah maybe maybe it's two dollars
(03:05):
and fifty cents, but it's an eight ounce tube, and
so you're actually getting more for your money if you
get the toothpaste at the grocery store. These are just
the kind of things that are ultimately going to save
you more than literally just going to the dollar store
and assuming that you're going to pay the least amount.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Okay, So just be careful and pay attention because you
have to do that at the regular store. Like I
almost always check my receipts now because like with at
my Pavilions, they've got the app with the coupons, and
sometimes you don't get credit for it, or something's on
the shelf and it looks like one price but it's
actually another one. So it's another place where you have
(03:38):
to be careful.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
That's right, all right.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Now, We know that you love to save money, because
otherwise you wouldn't be the host of how to money, oKFI,
But sometimes you should spend more money.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Yeah, this is this, that's it's so true.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Like there is the buy once crime once movement, which
I'm I'm a big fan of.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Wait, buy once, buy once, cry once.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
So it's like it's basically what it's insinuating is you
spend more money in one fell swoop on the nicer product,
and then hopefully that means you don't have to replace
the product for a really long time. Like I think
of something like Darn Tough Socks or even bomb of socks,
which are not as well made, but they still have
a similar like guarantee standing behind their socks, like they're
(04:25):
just amazing.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
They're such a good sock. They're really really expensive.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
Though people look at at me, the why am I
spending twenty dollars for one pair of socks when I
can get a twelve pack of socks for that same price. Well,
it's because they don't ever really get holes in them.
They're incredible, they feel amazing, and then you if you
ever have to replace them, if you ever do get
a hole in them, well guess what, darn Toff will
do it for free.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Like they're just like, hey, send us your old pair,
will send you a new pair.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
And and so I'm all about the buy once, cry
once thing, buy the nicer item and then never have
to buy, never have to replace it, hopefully. And what's
interesting is like that sometimes going cheap makes the most sense.
It just depends on what we're talking about. But I
think there's been a confluence. I mean, think about the
rise of Shean and Timu. There's been a confluence of
(05:09):
really cheap options for us to partake in recently. And
everybody knows that when you take the absolute cheapest route,
so much of the time you're either disappointed or that
item breaks in short order, and so be careful. There's
something like the Wirecutter just had a list of a
few items that really do make sense to spend less
money on. Like vodka they mentioned was one of those things,
(05:31):
like buy the cheap vodka, okay, especially like the vodka
from Costco. It's really good and it's gonna cost a
lot less money. You're not going to really notice a
big quality difference. The same thing is true with some
of the home electronics now. Maybe like there are cheaper
companies like Whys out there, who's making home cameras that
are pretty dang solid for like twenty five bucks, you
could spend one hundred and fifty bucks, But you're not
(05:52):
going to get.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
You're not going to get much better quality if you do.
Speaker 3 (05:56):
And so it's worth knowing when it's okay to cheap
out and when it's actually when it actually makes sense
for your wallet and you're not getting something massively in feor.
But then it also makes sense to do your due
diligence when we're talking about buying, especially, I think like
a mattress, like you do you want to buy the
two hundred dollars mattress or the two thousand dollars mattress.
I kind of land somewhere in between. I like some
(06:16):
of the costco mattresses. But so much of it comes
down to research, to knowing what you're buying so that
you're not ultimately just cheaping out getting getting the thing
that costs the least in the moment, but it is
going to cost you more over time.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Okay, So things to consider when you're going to invest. Yeah,
I mean, I think we've all found that we're like, oh,
that looks like such a good deal and then.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
It falls apart. So yeah, all.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Right, all right, Well it just means that we have
to do more research, Joel, and we can do that
by listening to your show on Sundays because you have
lots of great financial advice. It's how to Money with
Joel lars Guard every Sunday from noon to two right
here on KFI. You can also follow him at how
to Money jewelars Guard. Thanks so much. Do we get
(06:58):
to talk to you next week?
Speaker 2 (07:00):
I'd love to you.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Let's do it, okay, perfect, right before Christmas.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
We'll do some Christmas stuff that sounds great. Al right,
take care, okay, you too. Bye
Let's say good morning now to the host of How
to Money on KFI. You can listen to them every
Sunday from noon to two. It's a very own Joel Larsgard.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Morning Joel, Good morning Amy.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Okay, so people are tightening their budgets and maybe for
Christmas presents you might head down to the Dollar Store
this year. There's some good and some bad in that.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Yeah, I mean the Dollar Store.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
When the economy is in a rough spot, it sees
an uptick.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Right.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
People are like, this is this is where I'm going
to go to save money because it's just in the name.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
I'm not going to pay. I'm not gonna pay.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
As much as I would at most other retailers, is
what you assume. And the truth is, yeah, you can
get some deals at the Dollar Store, but the other
side of the equation is when you factor in price
per unit, the Dollar Store is often not the cheapest.
And then there was some data that just came out
(00:55):
recently about Family Dollar and Dollar general price inspections. And
so essentially, when you see the price on the shelf
at the Dollar Store and you're like, that seems like
a pretty good deal, Well, the price on the shelf
is not what it rings up at. And this is
not just a you know, maybe like one in one
hundred items, this is like almost a quarter of items
(01:16):
being sold at some of these dollar stores across the
country are not ringing up what you thought they would.
And so people were walking out and they're like, I thought,
I like would have paid a whole lot less, and
they started looking at their re seat and they're like,
holy mackerel, this is like so much more expensive than
what it said it was going to be. So dollar
stores are under fire from this from attorney generals around
the country.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Which is interesting because it really used to be that
everything was a dollar. Like you'd go in and you go, hey,
how much is that and they go a dollar? How
much is this a dollar? But that changed after COVID.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Sure, yeah, of course, right like as inflation ticked up
and everything got more expensive, dollar stores had to innovate,
and so it was well, like, let's do three for
five dollars, or it's a dollar and a quarter right
for certain things, And it's just it's impossible to hold
that line after a certain point, which I totally understand,
and I think consumers understand that too. They're like all right,
I'm still hoping to get a deal, even though I
(02:10):
know that when I walk in there, everything I look
at is not going to cost me a dollar. But
it's just really unfortunate that and part of this is
a staffing issue at the dollar Store, but they just
have to do with these different dollar stores.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
They just have to do better, though.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
They just have to find a way to ensure that
the prices on the shelves are the ones that consumers
are paying at checkout. And when you think about when, yeah,
this might happen occasionally somewhere else where you're like ringing
it up and you're like, wait a second, I think
it was lower on the shelf. Maybe you talk to
an employee and they help you figure it out. But
at the dollar Store, this is a perpetual problem that
(02:43):
you're going to run into, and I guess it just
makes me I just want to warn people that you
one that's a problem, and then two you might not
be getting as good of a deal as you think
you are, especially when you look at like the price
per unit, which I think is a good way to look.
Let's say you're buying a tube of toothpaste and you're like, oh,
this is a dollar and a quarter, that seems like
a good deal. But let's say it's three ounces and
at the grocery store, Yeah maybe maybe it's two dollars
(03:05):
and fifty cents, but it's an eight ounce tube, and
so you're actually getting more for your money if you
get the toothpaste at the grocery store. These are just
the kind of things that are ultimately going to save
you more than literally just going to the dollar store
and assuming that you're going to pay the least amount.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Okay, So just be careful and pay attention because you
have to do that at the regular store. Like I
almost always check my receipts now because like with at
my Pavilions, they've got the app with the coupons, and
sometimes you don't get credit for it, or something's on
the shelf and it looks like one price but it's
actually another one. So it's another place where you have
(03:38):
to be careful.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
That's right, all right.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Now, We know that you love to save money, because
otherwise you wouldn't be the host of how to money, oKFI,
But sometimes you should spend more money.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Yeah, this is this, that's it's so true.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Like there is the buy once crime once movement, which
I'm I'm a big fan of.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Wait, buy once, buy once, cry once.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
So it's like it's basically what it's insinuating is you
spend more money in one fell swoop on the nicer product,
and then hopefully that means you don't have to replace
the product for a really long time. Like I think
of something like Darn Tough Socks or even bomb of socks,
which are not as well made, but they still have
a similar like guarantee standing behind their socks, like they're
(04:25):
just amazing.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
They're such a good sock. They're really really expensive.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
Though people look at at me, the why am I
spending twenty dollars for one pair of socks when I
can get a twelve pack of socks for that same price. Well,
it's because they don't ever really get holes in them.
They're incredible, they feel amazing, and then you if you
ever have to replace them, if you ever do get
a hole in them, well guess what, darn Toff will
do it for free.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Like they're just like, hey, send us your old pair,
will send you a new pair.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
And and so I'm all about the buy once, cry
once thing, buy the nicer item and then never have
to buy, never have to replace it, hopefully. And what's
interesting is like that sometimes going cheap makes the most sense.
It just depends on what we're talking about. But I
think there's been a confluence. I mean, think about the
rise of Shean and Timu. There's been a confluence of
(05:09):
really cheap options for us to partake in recently. And
everybody knows that when you take the absolute cheapest route,
so much of the time you're either disappointed or that
item breaks in short order, and so be careful. There's
something like the Wirecutter just had a list of a
few items that really do make sense to spend less
money on. Like vodka they mentioned was one of those things,
(05:31):
like buy the cheap vodka, okay, especially like the vodka
from Costco. It's really good and it's gonna cost a
lot less money. You're not going to really notice a
big quality difference. The same thing is true with some
of the home electronics now. Maybe like there are cheaper
companies like Whys out there, who's making home cameras that
are pretty dang solid for like twenty five bucks, you
could spend one hundred and fifty bucks, But you're not
(05:52):
going to get.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
You're not going to get much better quality if you do.
Speaker 3 (05:56):
And so it's worth knowing when it's okay to cheap
out and when it's actually when it actually makes sense
for your wallet and you're not getting something massively in feor.
But then it also makes sense to do your due
diligence when we're talking about buying, especially, I think like
a mattress, like you do you want to buy the
two hundred dollars mattress or the two thousand dollars mattress.
I kind of land somewhere in between. I like some
(06:16):
of the costco mattresses. But so much of it comes
down to research, to knowing what you're buying so that
you're not ultimately just cheaping out getting getting the thing
that costs the least in the moment, but it is
going to cost you more over time.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Okay, So things to consider when you're going to invest. Yeah,
I mean, I think we've all found that we're like, oh,
that looks like such a good deal and then.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
It falls apart. So yeah, all.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Right, all right, Well it just means that we have
to do more research, Joel, and we can do that
by listening to your show on Sundays because you have
lots of great financial advice. It's how to Money with
Joel lars Guard every Sunday from noon to two right
here on KFI. You can also follow him at how
to Money jewelars Guard. Thanks so much. Do we get
(06:58):
to talk to you next week?
Speaker 2 (07:00):
I'd love to you.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Let's do it, okay, perfect, right before Christmas.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
We'll do some Christmas stuff that sounds great. Al right,
take care, okay, you too. Bye
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!