What Do The Red Dot Stickers On Dollar Tree Items Mean?

A great joy of shopping at Dollar Tree is the pricing clarity. It's the whole gimmick: What was once a store full of finds for just $1 is now an emporium with items that (mostly) cost $1.25. Shoppers seemed willing to handle that initial 25% increase, but there is a relatively new change happening at stores across the country that has some people scratching their heads. Dollar Tree fans are noticing small red stickers covering up the $1.25 price tag on certain items and are wondering what it all means for the final cost at the register. The red dot means — sorry to break it to you — that the price of the item has increased.

Now, shoppers already know that not every single thing at Dollar Tree actually costs $1.25. Over the last year, prices have gone as high as $7 for some items. Loyal customers are shelling out more and more to create DIYs that make Dollar Tree decor look more expensive or budget-friendly Dollar Tree hacks. The problem with the red stickers, though, is that no one can tell what the marked-up price actually is. 

In the absence of clarity on what new price the red dot indicates, shoppers are confused and some are sharing rumors passed through the grapevine. One theory suggests that a red dot means the price hasn't changed yet, but will soon. Another idea circulating is that the stickers indicate a new price of anywhere from $1.50 to $5.  

The price of an item with a red dot won't be immediately clear if there isn't an alternate number on the tag. The best course of action, then, is to find an employee and directly ask. If the staffer doesn't know, they'll be able to scan the bar code at the register and share the item's price. It's possible that this pricing shift is a result of tariff-based price increases at Dollar Tree, but shoppers will need to keep an eye out to see if the red dot policy sticks around long-term or is just a passing fad.