March 30 2022 - Dollarama Deals or Not

 

It seems like Dollar Stores such as Dollarama have been with us a long time.  The first all-dollar store began in Montreal in 1910.  Salim Rassy (later Rossy) was the founder. His son George took over in 1937 and then grandson Larry assumed the lead after George's death in 1973.  The first store with the Dollarama name happened in 1992 and has grown to over 1400 stores in Canada.  We have the most in Ontario. I have a notion that Dollarama products are significantly lower quality than their counterparts in traditional retail and grocery stores.  Things like detergent - is the product watered down? Do the products follow our food and safety standards?  I decide to find out what the situation is. This is one of the sorts of internet topics that many people have weighed in on. From Reader's Digest to Bob Villa.  Here's what they say about Dollarama (we're excluding Dollar Tree in the US).  This is what not to buy: Electronics - PVC content Plastic cooking utensils - BFRs Canned goods - BPA in the lining Toys - untested for consumer safety Tools - poor quality Knives - poor quality, i.e. not sharp Batteries - poor quality Back-to-school - poor quality Pet food or treats - pet safety due to expiry and ingredients Makeup, toiletries, medicine - expiration dates, contents  What might the good deals be?  Household products and cleaning supplies  Party supplies Seasonal decor Brand name candy Notebooks, colouring books Home storage and organizing supplies Vases and decorative bowls Greeting cards So I am safe on the vast amounts of Christmas decorations (for the Fantasy of Trees), the greeting cards, and all those plastic containers storing the decorations. I had previously questioned how Dollarama could sell name brand items at big discounts. A MacLean's article from 2017 HERE outlines their knock-off practices which infringe on patents.  The contents or quality of these products cannot be assured.  Dollarama says it is not trying to "trick customers".  So much for some of the "good deals". Today's image is our April calendar - a multiple exposure picture of the garden around the corner at the end of April last year.  These multiple image pictures are created in the camera which has a setting for this.  Somehow when they are merged in the camera they appear more abstract than if 6 images were taken separately and merged in Photoshop.  It seems like magic to me.

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The Bright Side of Mother's Day

Here in Niagara, Mother's Day is also a blossom day.  Where it is the Niagara orchards or the ornamental crab apples, there are always blossoms on Mother's Day. The next picture is what a garden club/horticultural society plant sale looks like 5 minutes before 200 people descend in a feeding frenzy.  There were about 1,200 plants from member gardens and wholesale donations.   One may think of all the member hours that go into a plant sale.  But there are a lot of Dollarama products that go into it too.  The pretty green table clothes,  the metal sign stands, the dots on the pots that indicate the price point, the popsicle sticks with the plant names.  Perhaps Plant Sale day is our Dollarama appreciation day too. We've traced the roots of Mother's Day in previous years.  Anna Jarvis., the founder, had to work hard to get it established.  The U.S. created it with a bill that was signed in both houses in 1914.  President Woodrow Wilson was given credit for the idea of the official Mother's Day at the time. How did the commercialization happen?  Hallmark Cards and their greeting cards, made it happen.  Where are we now with this commercialization? Sign onto Google today and see the Google Doogle:  a series story of a pregnant cactus and her journey as a mother from giving birth to her baby cacti, to taking care of it and finally living a settled life with the grown up babies.  I consider this one a bit weird. Enjoy your family gathering today!