Senses

The dollar store is a cavern of opportunity for broke college students and people who are either very cheap or given up on life. It can be a helpful resource for anybody who wants to find Jesus figurines and Halloween decorations in the same place. However, you have to pick and choose which items are okay to buy, and which are definitely not. For instance, the greeting cards are free game. The dollar cards are simple, with classic messages and simple designs that catch your eye, without being too flashy and obnoxious like the glittery ones at other stores. Best of all, they’re a dollar (obviously), which is the way to go if you’re trying not to waste money at Wallgreens of Hallmark. The items that are definitely off limits are most of the edible products. The chocolate candy does not taste like it should. It tastes like a grotesque version of itself, like plastic and industrialization. Despite this, if you can stomach the smell of musty carpet and dusty shelves, many bargains will wait for you. Where else can you get cheap photo frames covered in a chalky film that coats your fingertips, mini Bibles in thin clingwrap, and surprisingly quality glow sticks, topped with neon blue tridents or dazzling pink hearts? Where else can you listen to fellow customers loudly playing terrible music out of portable speakers, or the cackle from the cashiers’ banter as they check out your coloring books and assortment of stickers? Though the dollar store is mostly unpleasant, it is a place of discovery and wonder, finding something new and exciting every time you go. Either that, or I just have very low standards. After all, no self respecting person would be caught dead in the dollar store. They would be in Five Below.