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Even dollar stores have a presence online. If you haven't already done so, you should check out Dollartree.com. I like it because you can see what items are featured this week right on the home page and sign up for a newsletter that keeps you informed about what's new for a $1.

This week they are featuring kid's summer fun toys like pool noodles, sand castle shaped pails and water guns. My favorite dollar store here is Dollarama, but its website consists of one page that is a picture of shoppers at a checkout. That's it. No buttons to push, no product to see, just a whole lot of nothin'. It's not worth the cyberspace it hangs in. That being said, Dollarama has many of the same or similar items available in-store as Dollar Tree. I'm mentioning that for the benefit of any fellow Canadians who may be reading.

Marlene Alexander is a freelance writer and dollar store diva. She writes about decorating with items from the dollar store on her website www.dollarstorestyle.com.