The One Buck Store Dilemma

I admit freely that I have fought the dollar store craze for as long as they have been in existence, until recently.
I have a wonderful friend who swears by anything with the word "dollar" in the marquee, as she suggests it is the best place on the globe for deals.
I have always just seen the plastic this or that for a dollar, and it will break/crack/crumble into lego pieces within moments of purchase.
BUT.
I had been into Dollar Tree -- not my best choice, but they had these great little plastic poop bags, originally intended for pet waste disposal, that fit around my son's diapers just perfectly. What is it they say about mothers and inventions, or something...
Family Dollar -- a bit crowded, a bit messy, not so clean in my perusal. Good for paper products, though, such as wrapping paper or those cute little bags to stuff the gifts into. Handy and non-messy, as you know.
Then I visited a Dollar General and the chorus of angels began to sing with the opening note of the doorbell as I walked into the store. Name brands everywhere, for almost every product, as well as the generic choices. But this was stuff I'd heard of! And a little cheaper than the other variety stores. Bonus!
My son, three years old, found a bargain aisle of summer products marked even less than a dollar! That is a parental coup if every I've heard of one. He was happy amongst the kid chotchka and I was thrilled that he was happy and a cheap date!!
We walked out of that store with enough cleaning supplies to last at least a month (maybe less if I have spaghetti for supper anytime soon) and an orange plastic rake! (Don't ask.) And my son is ecstatic.
Good store. Sit, stay, and we'll be back!