Fellow Shoe Box packers,
Don't we all want to pack those boxes full of gifts that come from Toys R Us, specialty soaps from Bath & Body Works, designer clothing from Macy's and so forth? Of course we do, we are a giving society and if we could give these kids homes with air conditioning and five course meals, we would. But alas, some things are easier said than done. A shirt from clearance might look easier than the shirt from Macy's for $12 and a three pack of name brand soap from the Dollar Tree looks better than soap that costs $5 per bar; that's why I'm writing this because I saw something on a blog, I can't remember the name of it, but it sort of bashed the "Dollar Store Shoe Box Shoppers".
It had gone into the basics like a doll from the Dollar Tree looks a lot worse than those specialty $13 Barbies at Wal-Mart and a ball from the 99 cent store fails in comparison to the balls you can get at Big 5. Whatever the comparison, they constantly bashed the idea of using things from the Dollar Tree in your boxes.
So, I stopped reading the blog for a moment and took some time to think about what they said. Yes, it would be nice if I could afford to put the best of quality things in my boxes but then I'd be limited to maybe two boxes if I was lucky. This year I am able to send twenty boxes with both Wal-Mart and Dollar Tree brand products, therefore reaching twenty children. So after thinking about this, I continue to read the blog and see what they had put in their boxes before they started putting glitzy products in the boxes. It was a box, of course, filled with what looked like something coming out of a Happy Meal explosion. The products were sub-par, like a "dollar tree" box would look. But here's the thing, readers, we can make a dollar tree box look like a Wal-Mart/Target box!
The first thing you need to really look for when you are searching the Dollar Trees and Bargain Stores are the "Holy goodness! I can't believe they have this at the Dollar Tree!" items. When I have been scouring the store aisles, I look at everything (sometimes I go down the same aisle twice!) but every time I go, I am able to find great finds that make my parents wonder how in the world I was able to afford them...HeHe. I was able to go to a Bargain Store and get three boys polo shirts for $10 and I saw the same brand at Target while they were sold separately for I believe $5.
Second, look at quality. There are many great objects at the Dollar Tree and Bargain Stores that you can find in actually stores for much more. I understand that you probably don't want to go up and down EVERY aisle at the Dollar Tree but you just might find something a child wanted but gave up on in the candles aisle. I found a giraffe Beanie Boo (the circle ones with big eyes) in the storage aisle where the plastic bins were. Packers, search high and low because you will find something worth your while if you look.
Third, Dollar Price items aren't just at Dollar Trees anymore. Go to a Bargain Outlet, Walmart, Target and so forth and you will find many great shoe box items to put in your boxes of more likely than not, better quality. I recently bought two packs of building blocks at Target and they will fill up about 8 boxes with 20 blocks in each box. Packers, there are so many places to find dollar items of better quality and I'm not bashing the dollar tree, I go there a lot, but we can manipulate the way we shop, the way we look for items and so forth to make sure these boxes are filled with nothing but love and great items that will make those boys and girls smile without it looking like it was half-a**ed.
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