Dollar store gourmet

With food prices climbing higher, more grocery shoppers might give dollar stores a look. Here are a few common perceptions about dollar stores and what I found to be true:

Perception
Dollar stores are good only for bulk goods and pantry basics, such as pasta and canned ?tomatoes.

Dollar stores sell products that are damaged or have reached their expiration dates.

Dollar stores sell only obscure off brands.

Truth
This was the happiest surprise, as I found sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers and other gourmet products for great prices.

I found no evidence of expired goods. It did seem there were a few more dented cans than you’d find in a supermarket.

The products are a pretty good mix of name brands and others you probably won’t recognize. Some of the latter are regional brands or come from other countries, but all the ones we sampled passed the taste test.

Good deals
12-ounce jar roasted red ?peppers
12-ounce jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in water
2.5-pound bag long-grain rice
1-pound box Barilla pasta
9-ounce jar pimento-stuffed green olives
16-ounce jar salsa
1 bag (15 count) flour fajita-size tortillas

Dollar store drawbacks
Not everything is actually $1 and/or a good deal.

Products are limited and not always available.

Dollar stores sell packaged products with long shelf lives. There are no fresh sources of protein or produce, at least not for $1.

As for packaged goods, that great deal you found last week might not be on the shelves ?today.