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"It&amp;#039;s no surprise that in this difficult economy everyone&amp;#039;s racing to dollar stores. In fact, according to the business pages, Family Dollar Stores Inc. is one of the few retailers that announced that they did better than expected so far this year.  We recently sent three experts from the Good Housekeeping Research Institute to several dollar stores, both in the city and the suburbs, to investigate what&amp;#039;s worth buying ...and not.  In general, the news was good--but you do need to exercise some caution. Here are some do&amp;#039;s and don&amp;#039;ts to keep in mind when shopping at dollar stores:  DO stock up on paper goods. We saw substantial savings on items like paper towels, napkins, and gift paper. DO buy cleaning products, such as laundry detergent and soap. DO check out pantry items, like cereal, crackers, and soda. DON&amp;#039;T buy food or beverages without examining the expiration labels. If there&amp;#039;s no date, don&amp;#039;t buy it! DON&amp;#039;T buy a product if the seal, cap, or packaging has been tampered with or opened.  DON&amp;#039;T buy a major brand if the packaging doesn&amp;#039;t look familiar. It may be a fake. (We found this was common with cosmetics.) DON&amp;#039;T purchase extension cords or power outlets without looking for the UL (Underwriters Laboratories) label. This symbol means the product has successfully met standards for safety compliance.  What saving strategies are you using in this tough economy? Keep us posted on your money-saving solutions. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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