Dollar stores are seen by many as cheap alternatives to better quality products.  This perception is not without some merit, but the truth is there are a lot of great deals you can find at a dollar store.  The three biggest chains are Family Dollar, Dollar General, and Dollar Tree.  Of the three Dollar tree is the only true everything is a dollar store.  The other two have a majority of their products priced at a dollar but also have many others that are priced higher.

The statistics for these stores pretty much mirrors Wal-Mart who has seen almost double digit gains in year over year sales.  The really astounding numbers are the number of new stores they are opening in the next year.  Dollar General is looking to add 450 new stores and Dollar Tree has plans to open 235 new stores.

This is astounding growth in a down economy and it shows that many Americans have found these stores to be a great deal.

I am leaving for vacation shortly but plan on doing a more in depth study of how much you can save at these locations using a combination of their sales flyers and coupons.  How rowdy could it get?  So far I have seen some really amazing deals flying out due to coupon use at these stores.