Updated Dec. 4, 2025, 10:37 p.m. ET
The dollar store is getting closer to becoming the “dollars store” as the discount chain continues to inch up its prices, online discount enthusiasts have noted on social media.
Dollar Tree appears to have raised its $1.25 baseline price to $1.50 on a growing number of key items, and some of the items that were previously priced at $1.50 have increased to $1.75, they said. The company started changing its products’ price points over the summer, according to TheKrazyCouponLady.com, a website dedicated to helping shoppers stretch the value of every dollar.
But it seems to have taken shoppers a few months to notice.
The chain, though, remains a budget shopper’s paradise, especially during the holidays, analysts said.
“Consumer sentiment has fallen to historic lows as financial strain and inflation fatigue take their toll,” said Bracha Arnold at research firm Placer.ai. “Yet some retail categories continue to see steady visit growth, and dollar stores are among the standouts.”
TheKrazyCouponLady.com affirmed that the “vast majority” of its in-store products are still priced at $1.25.
During its November earnings call, Dollar Tree chief executive Michael Creedon emphasized, “we still have 85% of our stores at $2 or less. Think about that. You walk in and you’re finding value around every corner. We think our customer is really pleased with that.”
When did the dollar store stop being the $1 store?
Dollar Tree started to introduce higher price points back in 2019, introducing “Dollar Tree Plus” stores that sold items at $3 and $5 price points. These stores’ success led to the company expanding the concept in September 2021.
But the discount retailer didn’t raise its base price point of one dollar until November 2021. Citing inflation, Dollar Tree announced on Nov. 24, 2021, that it was rolling out a price increase to $1.25 for many of its items in stores.
Dollar Tree announced another price increase in March 2024, increasing the price of some of its products from $1.25 to $1.50 and raising the prices of its “Plus” items to $7.
Now, budget-conscious shoppers have reported that Dollar Tree has quietly raised its prices on a handful of items to $1.75 from $1.50 throughout 2025, according to TheKrazyCouponLady.com, which published an exhaustive look at which prices have increased.
Why is the dollar store raising prices?
During the summer, Dollar Tree warned its investors that tariffs and price volatility could take a massive bite out of its quarterly profits. That forced the company to negotiate with suppliers, opt for new products, drop others, buy them from other countries and raise its prices to deal with tariffs, it said.
A variety of new, more expensive products also prompts more impulse spending by shoppers who come in for basics and attracts higher-income shoppers, analysts said. So even as foot traffic falls, spending at each visit is higher.
“Dollar Tree has managed to offset some of this softness (from lower-income, financially constrained shoppers) by the continued acquisition of new customers from higher income groups and by some existing middle-income shoppers spending slightly more,” said Neil Saunders, managing director at researcher GlobalData.
Medora Lee is a money, markets and personal finance reporter at USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected] and subscribe to our free Daily Money newsletter for personal finance tips and business news every Monday through Friday morning.
