I know that Dollar Tree raising prices from $1 to $1.25 is old news at this point (they rolled out that company-wide change back in 2021), but something weird has been happening with Dollar Tree prices lately that we need to talk about. And it's not last summer's buzz about some Dollar Tree items going back to $1.
The latest news is that we're finding prices as high as $15 - $20 in some Dollar Tree stores — yes, $20! — as of October 2024. And lots of other items have been rolling out that cost a lot more than $1.25.
"I've seen less and less name brands and 'deals' at Dollar Tree lately in the regular $1.25 stuff," says KCL deal hunter Casey C.
Without much press coverage or fanfare, Dollar Tree has been quietly raising prices on a handful of items — sometimes by as much as 40% - 60% — as well as introducing new items at even higher price points. If that sounds a little shocking and overly sensational, hear me out. I visited my local Dollar Tree store to confirm every single price increase on this list, from the 1.25-liter sodas to the helium balloons. Then I did the math to calculate how much each price went up.
Even though we're big fans of Dollar Tree couponing, price increases are never good news, especially when they're introducing items up to $15 like the ones we share below.
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Dollar Tree Price Increases in 2024
While the vast majority of Dollar Tree products are still $1.25, we've spotted a handful of items that are more expensive this year — sometimes by as much as 60%.
Helium Balloons: $1.50
Helium balloons used to be $1.25 at Dollar Tree, but no more. Now they're $1.50 each (helium included, if your store has it in stock).
How much the price went up: 20%
Reading Glasses: $1.50
People on Reddit first noticed back in October 2023 that Dollar Tree's prices for reading glasses increased from $1.25 to $1.50. At my store, the new price is indicated with a big red "$1.50" sticker on the display. But you can totally see that it's just covering up the old $1.25 price circle right underneath.
How much the price went up: 20%
Sunglasses: $1.50
Just like the reading glasses, sunglasses at Dollar Tree now cost $1.50 — even for the smaller kids' styles.
How much the price went up: 20%
Coca-Cola and Pepsi in 1.25-Liter Bottles: $1.75
As recently as January 2024, I paid $1.25 for Coke and Pepsi in the 1.25-liter size at Dollar Tree. But as of February, a 1.25-liter of Pepsi, Coke, Sprite, or Seagrams is up to $1.75.
At my store, they first used custom-printed signs to announce the new price, which looked a little unofficial. But another KCL staff member spotted the same signage at her store (in another state), and they also list the new $1.75 price on DollarTree.com.
How much the price went up: 40%
KCL TIP: Dollar Tree is actually not the best place to buy brand-name 1.25-liter soda bottles. You'll pay less at Walmart, where a 1.25-liter Coke is $1.52 and a 1.25-liter Pepsi is $1.48. And don't even think about buying the generic soda 2-liters at Dollar Tree — they're a prime example of what not to buy at Dollar Tree.
Ice: $2 (7-Pound Bag)
The exact poundage at your store may vary — mine keeps 7-pound bags in the cooler — but expect to pay $2 for ice at Dollar Tree this year.
They blame this price hike on the vendor, though, according to comments made by Dollar Tree’s chief merchandising officer in 2023.
“We were on the verge of losing the ice program at $1.25,” he said. “It was custom-made. The vendor […was…] raising the price, and we had nowhere to go."
How much the price went up: 60%
KCL TIP: The cheapest places to get ice are typically the Sonic Drive-In, Burger King, Chick-fil-A, and some grocery stores. You’ll need to look to beat Dollar Tree’s $0.29 per pound price.
New Dollar Tree Items That Are More Than $1.25
It's not just price increases that we're tracking at Dollar Tree. They're also rolling out tons of new items lately that are priced higher than the usual $1.25. This is all part of their new "multi-price expansion strategy."
When we asked Dollar Tree about these price hikes, they told us "We have not raised prices on any existing $1.25 items. Instead, we have expanded our selection to include items in a variety of price points."
The main categories that will see the higher-priced items are food and snacks, beverages, and pet care for now. Here are a few examples our team has spotted:
Artificial trees: $20
Last year, Dollar Tree's artificial trees were capped at a $5 price point. But in October 2024, we're finding trees priced up to $20. Options this year at Dollar Tree include a 4-foot unlit tree for $5 (same price as last year), a 3.5-foot pre-lit tree for $10, and a 6-foot unlit tree for $20.
Personal Heater and Fan: $15
Deal hunter Casey spotted a $15 personal heater and fan on a recent shopping trip to her Dollar Tree store in October 2024. Finding an item priced this high was a little shocking, as Casey added, "We're up to $15 items now?!"
Party Serving Kit: $10
We found this new item at our local Dollar Tree store in August 2024 — with a price tag of a whopping $10. You do technically get 11 pieces within the set, so it's like you're paying $0.91 per individual piece, I suppose.
Even though the price tag is way more than $1.25, this catering kit isn't a terrible deal compared to similar kits. For example, in early 2024, I found a 33-piece Party Serving Kit priced at $33.99 at a Costco Business Center, so the price per piece was actually more expensive at Costco ($1.03 per piece).
Energy Drinks: $2.50 - $3
In early March, I found 8.4-ounce cans of Red Bull marked for $2.50 in the drink coolers at Dollar Tree. But at that price, they're 20% - 37% more expensive than Walmart. That's because Walmart sells single 8.4-ounce cans for only $0.80 each online — or $1.83 per can if you buy the 12-pack for $21.98.
My Dollar Tree also has 12-ounce cans of Red Bull for $3, but you can get a better deal on those at Walmart ($2.75 per can for a 4-pack) or Amazon ($2.50 per can for a 4-pack).
Red Bull, $2.50 - $3
Celsius, $2.50
Coffee and Tea: $2 - $3
I found 13.7-ounce Dunkin' Iced Coffees priced at $3 at Dollar Tree — but Walmart has the same size drink (in the Mocha flavor) for as low as $1 each. The other flavors sell for $2.98 at Walmart, so you can see that Dollar Tree's price still isn't the best.
Dunkin' Iced Coffee, $3
Gold Peak Tea, $2
Bottled Water: $1.75 - $2.50
Another newcomer to the drink case at my Dollar Tree is a 23.7-ounce Smartwater sport cap bottle for $2.
But compare this to $1.67 per bottle with a 6-pack on Amazon, and you'll see that you're paying 20% more for the same size at Dollar Tree.
Gatorade, $2.75
BodyArmor Flash IV, $2.50
Propel, $2.25
Smartwater, $2
Vitamin Water, $1.75
Miscellaneous: $3 - $4
History of Dollar Tree Price Hikes
In March 2024, Dollar Tree revealed that some items will be priced up to $7 in 3,000 stores.
Yes, you read right. Dollar Tree shoppers can expect to see items priced as high as $7 in 2024 as the retailer expands their "multi-price assortment," according to Dollar Tree CEO Rick Dreiling on a March 13 earnings call.
Dreiling says that customers will soon find "$5 bags of dog food next to our traditional $1.25 pet treats and toys, and our $3 bags of candy will be found in the candy aisle."
While it's not clear exactly what products will cost $7, Dollar Tree plans to add a variety of food and snacks, beverages, pet care, and personal care to their future lineup, and that's where you may find those higher price points mixed in with $1.25 items.
Beyond 2024, they're considering going up to $10 on some items.
On their March 13 earnings call, Dollar Tree CEO Rick Dreiling gave an update on their $10 target price point, saying, "We continue to believe in the $10 target that we announced ... and we're continuing to march toward that goal."
But for now, "the path is to get to $7 in 2024, and we're intently focused on that," he said. So don't be surprised if this is just the start of a price trend at Dollar Tree.
And sure enough, in August 2024, we spotted our first $10 item on shelves (an 11-piece catering set).
The first big Dollar Tree price increase happened in 2021 - 2022.
Dollar Tree first raised their prices (from $1 to $1.25) back in late 2021, with all stores converted to the new price tag by the early part of 2022. The announcement marked the first time in 35 years the chain increased the cost of their budget-friendly items. The initial response from shoppers was lukewarm, and that’s putting it nicely.
But the company’s head honchos didn’t make this decision on a whim or even just to combat inflation.
At the time, company execs said that Dollar Tree raising prices was to help reduce volatility — so that they could keep expanding the company with remodels, new Dollar Tree Plus concept stores, and additional products.
More $3 and $5 Dollar Tree Plus items started arriving in 2019.
Dollar Tree has been low-key experimenting with even higher price points than $1.25 for a while now. As early as 2019, they were putting Dollar Tree Plus sections inside some stores, testing the waters with just how much their customers would pay. (The items in the Dollar Tree Plus section typically cost $3 – $5.)
Obviously, that test of Dollar Tree Plus went well. As of early 2023, about one in three Dollar Tree stores now carries Dollar Tree Plus products. And they continued that expansion, rolling out to 4,300 store locations by the end of 2023.
But you can still use coupons at Dollar Tree to drop prices lower.
Despite the price increases, the Dollar Tree coupon policy hasn’t changed. In-store Dollar Tree coupons aren’t really a thing since their prices are so low to begin with, but they’ve long accepted most manufacturer coupons.
Note: While you can use coupons worth more than the product itself, Dollar Tree will just adjust the amount down to $0 (so don’t expect any moneymakers at the Dollar Tree checkout line, unless you're using cash-back rebate apps).
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