Some of you reading this have probably already tapped into this treasure well. Wonderful!

Some of you probably don’t have any idea what I’m talking about. Let me show you a beautiful sight!

The Thrill of the Chase (*A little ranty so you can read starting from the next heading if you’d like.)

I’m always reiterating how expensive the cost of books can be. And while I do support buying a book at full retail price, for me, I just like the thrill of the chase of finding a good physical book at a library, thrift shop, used bookstore, dollar tree, books friends’ are going to throw away, Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, you name it. E-books are another ballgame and maybe I’ll write a future post about where I source free e-books (most of which have been amazing!).

Not only does it help me discover authors I might enjoy, but I also don’t tend to like reading books that are hyped up and heavily advertised. Everyone’s reading it (which is great) but I want to find books that I want to read without the powerful unconscious influence of ratings and reviews and fancy posters and ads. I believe all writers deserve an equal chance (ahem, motto of my whole darn website). And I love when I find my “treasure” and I get to read a book from an author I realize I truly connect with, even if they aren’t necessarily best sellers, well-known, or are just starting off in their professional career.

But then again, I never really follow what’s trending for books, so I may obliviously pick up a book that’s actually a trending book. Whoops! Ha ha.

Either way, I’m happy for each moment destiny decides to connect me to a book I fall in love with.

Books from Dollar Tree/Dollar Store

Truth be told, the dollar store doesn’t just carry kids coloring and activity books and Bibles, you know? I don’t know about you, but I love a good treasure hunt. Yes, that’s what I call my book search at the dollar store. It’s like walking into a thrift shop or used books store except none of these books are used before.

Condition of Books

I think they are mostly overstock books that warehouses dispersed to other venues for sale since they need to make room for new releases. And they’re all ONE DOLLAR. I’ve gotten several books (HARDCOVER – ahem the expensive shit) for a dollar which normally retails for $20 – $30.

Most, if not all, the books I’ve seen at my dollar store were in impeccable shape. Like they aren’t the deformed, mauled up copies that the publishers are eager to toss out. But still check the book if you’re particular about how it looks – flip through it in the store to make sure it’s the condition you like.

For me, I just care more about the story. So I don’t really take much time to see how the books really are.

Kinds of Books

I’m a fan of fiction, especially science fiction, romance, and thrillers. Shocker, so is like probably 75% of the bookworm population. These types of books are in abundance. So I do get my pick of books I love.

That being said, they also offer nonfiction books, like autobiographies, self-help, and cookbooks to name a few. Though in my specific store, I haven’t seen too many of these. I could just be overlooking it because these aren’t what I’m sniffing out for.

There are also a few children’s fiction books, like beginner readers books. I’m not a mommy blog, so again I don’t look out for these types of books, but I have noticed them on the shelves of my dollar store. I feel like thrifty mom blogs can probably speak more to this.

All this to say, I find many of the books to be young adult or adult fiction. Just a heads up.

Caveat though. Every single dollar store is stocked differently. It’s basically like a used books store except it’s a really-heavily-discounted-new-books bookstore. Some dollar stores stock more books. Some don’t have a great selection. Some are messily shelved, like a kid throwing a tantrum decided to toss books on a shelf and it miraculously landed somewhere. Some are gorgeous displays to look at, like walking into a Barnes & Noble without the random shoppers sitting in the aisles and the skyscraper-high retail prices.

Will you always walk away from Dollar Tree with a book you want/love? No.

This is the beauty of the treasure hunt. Embrace this. If a particular dollar store doesn’t have what you like, feel free to visit other ones! Have faith that destiny will point you to a book you enjoy that you never sought out for.

Best Time to Shop for Books at the Dollar Tree/Store?

Before COVID-19 (if my intent was to go to Dollar Tree solely for hunting books), I’d pop in seasonally or quarterly. AKA every three or four months to check if they have any new books. I’ve noticed my store brings out new stock like about every quarter but for sure every six months.

If I’m already at Dollar Tree for other reasons, I swing by the book aisle to see if there’s anything new in stock.

I’ve also found that many of the books I’ve found are within a five year time period from whenever they’re stocked in the dollar store. For example, if you’re shopping now (2021) for these books, the dollar store might carry books dated back to 2016 or so. Basically, not all of them are super old releases.

Bookworm Warning!!

Since these books are one dollar each, you have to wrestle with the most challenging part of this process. It’s a problem we all encounter and I just want you to be thoroughly informed before you partake on this journey.

You may over-shop. You may spend more money than you intended because these books are a dollar and you’re stocking up books like you’re trying to rival Library of the U.S. Congress.

Fight this urge. The whole point was the save money on books. Not spend money on books you may never read. I don’t believe in that. I don’t believe in unintentional spending. Granted, I have been guilty of this on many occasions (I’ve gotten better at controlling my impulse shopping).

The books I find at the dollar store I do use to write my book reviews or for photographs for this website. So I see my books as multi-functional employees. After you’re done reading these books, you could even sell them back online (if you want some money back) or donate it (check first wherever they’re accepting book donations).

Happy treasure/book hunting!

And remember, “Every story is worth the read. Someone (some overworked and ink-stains-on-the-clothes lovely soul) took the time to write it.”