We shopped at 3 of the biggest dollar-store chains in America to see which one offered the best experience, and the winner was clear

We visited Five Below in Queens, New York.

Everything in the store cost $5 or less, and there were a few sales being advertised on top of the already low prices.

There were wheelbarrows filled with school supplies for $5 or less at the front of the store ...

... and backpacks, notebooks, and other back-to-school essentials throughout the store.

Five Below carried a ton of electronics like headphones and phone chargers.

An entire section of the store sold toys, games, and craft supplies.

Near the toys and games, there was plenty of fitness and sporting equipment.

Five Below carried a lot of home decor, which was surprisingly high quality for only $5.

It also carried decent quality clothes and shoes for only $5 ...

... and a ton of cosmetic products from drugstore brands and smaller brands. Like the clothing, the cosmetics were surprisingly high-quality for the price.

Near the front of the store were essentials like toothbrushes, first-aid supplies, and tissues.

Five Below didn't sell any food, but it sold a ton of candy and soda by the register.

Dollar Tree was the next store we went to, also in Queens.

Seasonal Halloween products were displayed near the entrance.

There was a ton of school supplies towards the front of the store, similar to what we found at Five Below.

But much of the store was a complete mess.

There were a lot of electronics for $1, but the selection wasn't as big as at Five Below.

There were toys and games, but it didn't have as big a selection as Five Below, and the aisle was an absolute mess. There were boxes everywhere, toys left on the floor, and pages torn out of coloring books.

Dollar Tree sold basic clothing items like socks and plain T-shirts, but it was hard to shop in this particular aisle because of how messy it was.

Almost every aisle in the store was equally as messy.

It had a small selection of cosmetics, and even though nothing cost more than $1, it didn't offer as much as Five Below.

It did, however, offer a lot more essentials than Five Below. It had a big aisle of first-aid supplies, over-the-counter medications, vitamins, and other products you would find at a drugstore.

It also carried a lot of canned food and basic baking products, in addition to snacks and frozen foods. Everything was $1.

Finally we went to Dollar General, which was down the block from Dollar Tree.

The front of the store had a clearance table with seasonal summer products.

Dollar General didn't have nearly as many school supplies as the other two stores did ...

... and the electronics it offered were nearly double the price of Dollar Tree and Five Below.

It had a handful of toys and games for under $5 ...

... and it had an aisle of inexpensive and seasonal home decor.

The makeup section at Dollar General was nearly identical to what you would find at a drugstore, and the prices were about the same as well.

Dollar General definitely had the most food out of the three stores, though it was a bit more expensive than Dollar Tree.

After visiting all three stores, it seemed that Five Below had the best deals. The biggest drawback was that it didn't sell food, but it was, all in all, much cleaner. It offered the best shopping experience of the three, and the products were higher quality.