9 Items That Are a Better Buy at Target Than Dollar Tree

Dollar Tree built its reputation on low prices, but a small price tag doesn't tell you what you're paying per ounce. Many of the store's name-brand cleaning and pantry items now cost $1.50 or more, and the bottles and boxes are often much smaller than what you'd find at a big-box store.

We compared Dollar Tree's online prices with Target's regular prices on the same brands. Target came out ahead on several items, such as a 240-count box of Gain dryer sheets, a family-size bag of Frosted Flakes, and a 24-pack of Energizer AA batteries.

If you shop there often, these tips could help you stretch your Target budget even further.

Editor's note: Prices and availability are subject to change and may vary by location.

Price: $4.19

Plastic wrap is one of those things you only notice when the roll runs out in the middle of packing up leftovers. Target's Glad Cling Wrap roll holds 300 square feet, which works out to about 1.4 cents per square foot.

Dollar Tree sells the same Glad brand in a 45-square-foot roll for $1.50, or about 3.3 cents per square foot. You'd need nearly seven of those small rolls to match one Target roll, and they'd cost you about $10. Target guests rate this roll 4.5 stars across more than 2,300 reviews.

Price: $5.12 (on sale from $5.69)

Holiday roasting season burns through foil fast. Target's Reynolds Wrap roll measures 25 yards long and 12 inches wide for 75 square feet total. At its regular price, that's about 8 cents per square foot, and it was marked down to $5.12 when we checked.

Dollar Tree's Reynolds Wrap roll is just 5 yards long, or 15 square feet, for $1.75. That's nearly 12 cents per square foot. Five of those rolls would cost $8.75 for the same amount of foil. The Target roll carries a 4.8-star rating from more than 3,000 guests.

Price: $7.19

Families who go through cereal quickly should skip the small boxes. Target sells Kellogg's Frosted Flakes in a 39.5-ounce bag, which comes to about 18 cents per ounce.

Dollar Tree carries a 10.9-ounce box of Frosted Flakes for $3, or about 28 cents per ounce. Buying the same amount of cereal there would take more than three and a half boxes and cost close to $11. Target's Frosted Flakes listing holds a 4.7-star rating from about 4,500 reviews.

Price: $7.49

If you take creamer in your morning coffee, the big canister is the better deal. Target's 35.3-ounce canister of Coffee-mate Original powder costs about 21 cents per ounce.

Dollar Tree's 16-ounce canister of Coffee-mate Original is $5, or about 31 cents per ounce. Two of those would cost $10 and still give you less creamer than one Target canister. That's roughly a third off something many households use every single day.

Price: $9.99

This is the biggest gap on our list. Target's 240-count box of Gain Original dryer sheets works out to about 4 cents per sheet.

Dollar Tree sells a 15-count box of Gain dryer sheets for $1.50, which is 10 cents per sheet. To get 240 sheets there, you'd need 16 boxes costing $24. One Target box covers roughly four months of laundry if you run two loads a day. It's rated 4.8 stars by more than 5,000 guests.

Price: $8.99 (on sale from $10.19)

Dawn is one of the most recognizable names on Dollar Tree's cleaning shelf, but the bottles are small. The listing calls them 8-ounce bottles, while its own spec sheet says 7.5 ounces. At $1.50 each, that's 20 cents per ounce.

Target's 67-ounce Dawn Ultra Original refill comes to about 15 cents per ounce at regular price, and it was on sale for $8.99 when we checked. You'd need about nine Dollar Tree bottles, or $13.50 worth, to match it. Keep the bottle by your sink and refill as you go.

Price: $10.99

Toilet paper is easy to overpay for when you buy it in small packs. Target's 12-roll pack of Scott 1000 comes to about 92 cents per roll, and each roll has 1,000 one-ply sheets.

Dollar Tree sells the same Scott 1000 rolls in a four-pack for $5, which is $1.25 per roll. Three of those packs would cost $15 for the same 12 rolls. Target's Scott 1000 listing has a 4.4-star rating from more than 21,000 reviews, so plenty of households already swear by it.

Price: $14.99

Tide Simply is the brand's budget line, and Target sells it in a 173-ounce jug rated for 138 loads. That's about 9 cents per ounce, or about 11 cents per load.

Dollar Tree stocks a 10-ounce bottle of Tide Simply Clean & Fresh for $1.50, or 15 cents per ounce. Matching the Target jug would take more than 17 bottles and cost about $26. Dollar Tree's bottle also can't ship from its warehouse, so you'd have to find it in a store.

Price: $17.99 (on sale from $19.99)

Batteries are where Dollar Tree's name brands get pricey. Its Energizer Max AA four-pack costs $5, or $1.25 per battery, and the eight-pack runs $8.50, or about $1.06 each.

Target's 24-pack of Energizer Max AA batteries comes to about 83 cents per battery at regular price, and it was on sale for $17.99 when we checked. Buying 24 at Dollar Tree in eight-packs would cost $25.50. It's a smart stock-up before the holidays, when new toys and remotes start eating batteries.

Dollar Tree is still worth a stop for some basics. In our comparisons, its store-brand paper plates and trash bags actually cost less per unit than Target's. But for name-brand household and pantry staples, those small sizes add up fast.

Before you buy, compare the unit price, which Target shows on its website. Also note that DollarTree.com sells most items by the full case, so single units are an in-store buy. To save a little more on every Target run, pay with one of the best cash back credit cards.