04.09.25 Dollar Tree Adaptations / Summer Travel - Gas Prices

Summary

The Clark Howard Podcast – Episode Summary Release Date: April 9, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of The Clark Howard Podcast, host Clark Howard delves into significant changes affecting two popular discount retailers—Dollar Tree and Five Below—and provides insightful guidance on navigating summer travel amidst fluctuating gas prices. Additionally, Clark addresses a range of listener questions covering topics from HOA special assessments to fuel choices, offering practical financial advice to empower his audience.

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Dollar Tree and Five Below Adaptations [00:56]

Clark Howard begins by discussing the evolving landscape of discount retail chains, focusing on Dollar Tree's recent shift from its traditional "$1.25" pricing model. Initially known as Dollar Tree, the store historically maintained a strict price point, but inflation and increased tariffs have necessitated adjustments.

Clark Howard [02:20]: "Dollar Tree forever was everything was a dollar and then inflation during COVID led to them breaking the buck and going to a buck 25."

Clark explains that Dollar Tree's high margins, driven by private label sourcing, have been under pressure, leading the company to experiment with varied pricing systems across different neighborhoods. The new pricing structure introduces items priced up to seven dollars, complicating the shopping experience as customers can no longer rely solely on the nominal $1.25 price signal.

Similarly, Five Below, traditionally targeting teenage and young adult females with products priced at five dollars or less, has broadened its product mix and customer base. Clark warns consumers to be mindful of actual prices, as both retailers have moved away from their original fixed-price models.

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Listener Questions

1. HOA Special Assessments Due to Insurance Increases [04:56]

Listener: Jackie and Emilio from California

Jackie and Emilio express concern over their Homeowners Association (HOA) imposing an emergency special assessment of $4,200 due to an 800% increase in condo insurance costs.

Clark Howard [06:00]: "Condominium owners in California are between a rock and a hard place... y'all are not alone with these very, very large special assessments."

Clark attributes the surge in insurance costs to the volatile insurance market in California, exacerbated by wildfire risks. He advises attending board meetings to scrutinize insurance policies and shopping efforts, emphasizing that such financial burdens are widespread among middle-class condo owners in high-risk states.

2. Tax Withholding Strategies [08:41]

Listener: Andrew from Iowa

Andrew inquires about the feasibility of adjusting his tax withholding to zero, aiming to save and grow the extra funds in a high-yield savings account.

Clark Howard [09:35]: "If you reduce your withholdings to zero and then wait till you file your return, the IRS is going to get you and the penalties are going to far exceed what you could earn on that money."

Clark cautions against this approach, highlighting the IRS's imposition of significant underpayment penalties for insufficient tax withholdings. He notes that only self-employed individuals might navigate similar strategies without penalties, albeit with complexities.

3. HomeServe for Exterior Waterline Protection [11:33]

Listener: Bob from Washington

Bob seeks Clark's opinion on whether HomeServe offers a reliable exterior waterline protection service or if it's a homeowner scam.

Clark Howard [11:44]: "It's neither of those two things... HomeServe... sells generally home warranty plans."

Clark explains that HomeServe provides home warranty and specialty products for issues like polybutylene waterlines. He shares personal anecdotes cautioning homeowners about the inevitability of polybutylene failures, advising informed decisions rather than categorizing the service as either good or a scam.

4. Gas Purchase Strategies Amid Changing Markets [16:00]

Clark provides an extensive analysis of the gasoline market's shift towards consumer-friendly practices. He highlights the diversification of gas stations, including supermarket chains, warehouse clubs like Costco and Sam's, and independent convenience stores. This increase in competition has led to significant price variations, sometimes as much as 60 cents per gallon, favoring consumers with more affordable options.

Clark Howard [16:45]: "The cheapest gas you're going to get is going to be at the warehouse clubs... a $10 a gallon from a major oil company station. And the Costco was top tier gas."

He advises listeners to avoid major oil company credit cards that may bias them towards pricier gas options and instead leverage independent chains for better deals without compromising on gas quality.

5. Costco Credit Card for Remote Users [20:46]

Listener: Christina from Wyoming

Christina asks whether to retain or cancel her Costco credit card, considering she lives two hours away from the nearest Costco store and only visits twice a year.

Clark Howard [20:58]: "I don't know why you would keep the card... it's a long drive to Costco."

Clark recommends cancelling the Costco credit card if the benefits do not outweigh the inconvenience and limited usage, especially given the infrequent store visits.

6. Using Unleaded 88 Gasoline [21:48]

Listener: Lee from Pennsylvania

Lee seeks advice on the viability of using unleaded 88 gasoline (E15), weighing its cost savings against potential engine harm.

Clark Howard [22:28]: "Unless your vehicle is what's known as a dual fuel vehicle that can also run on the E85, I would not buy the E15. I would stick with E10 because you don't want to take a chance of needing a major repair."

Clark warns that E15 can reduce fuel economy and potentially harm engines not designed for higher ethanol blends. He emphasizes sticking with E10 unless the vehicle is compatible with higher ethanol fuels.

7. One-Way Flight Booking with Unintended Return Leg [24:00]

Listener: Mike from California

Mike describes an issue with booking a one-way flight through Kayak, where an unexpected return flight to JFK in August appeared in his reservation.

Clark Howard [24:59]: "Buying from one of these unknown outfits on Kayak is very, very risky... They make their money essentially being a promotional vehicle for a lot of unknowns."

Clark explains that such booking anomalies can result from gray market ticketing strategies, which may lead to complications like unexpected return legs. He advises caution and awareness when booking through third-party platforms to avoid potential issues.

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Gas Prices and Consumer Choices [16:00 – 20:45]

Clark Howard elaborates on the transformed gasoline market, emphasizing the consumer benefits stemming from increased competition. He highlights the rise of warehouse clubs like Costco and Sam's Club, which offer significantly lower gas prices compared to traditional oil company stations. Clark underscores the importance of choosing top-tier gas from reputable independent chains to ensure fuel quality while saving money.

Clark Howard [16:00]: "Historically, buying gasoline for your vehicle meant that you were stuck at a major oil company station... But change started about 40 years ago, but really only accelerated... Now the price points... have spread so much..."

He also touches on the importance of avoiding oil company credit cards that could lead to higher overall spending despite nominal discounts, advocating instead for paying attention to actual gas prices and quality.

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Conclusion [25:03 – End]

Wrapping up the episode, Clark Howard reiterates his commitment to empowering listeners through actionable financial advice. He promotes his resources, including Clark.com, ClarkDeals.com, newsletters, and social media channels, all designed to help consumers save more, spend less, and avoid financial pitfalls. Clark teases the next episode, promising entertaining segments like "Clark Stinks," where he humorously critiques questionable advice.

Clark Howard [25:29]: "The whole purpose is to reach, teach and empower so that you'll learn ways to save more, spend less, and avoid getting ripped off. And you have my promise that everything we do is to serve you with advice and information you can trust."

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Key Takeaways

• Retail Pricing Adaptations: Dollar Tree and Five Below are adjusting their pricing models due to inflation and market pressures, necessitating more deliberate shopping strategies.

• HOA Financial Struggles: Homeowners Associations in high-risk states like California and Florida are facing exorbitant insurance costs, leading to significant special assessments for condo owners.

• Tax Withholding Cautions: Reducing tax withholdings to zero can result in substantial IRS penalties, making it an unwise financial strategy for most employees.

• Gasoline Market Benefits: Increased competition among gas stations offers consumers better prices and quality, with warehouse clubs like Costco leading in affordability.

• Credit Card Considerations: Holding credit cards tied to major oil companies may limit gas savings; evaluating the necessity of such cards based on personal usage is crucial.

• Fuel Choices Impact: Opting for higher ethanol blends like E15 can harm engines and reduce fuel efficiency unless the vehicle is specifically designed for such fuel types.

• Travel Booking Vigilance: Booking flights through third-party platforms like Kayak can introduce hidden complications, such as unintended return legs, highlighting the need for careful reservation management.

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For more personalized advice and to engage with Clark and his team, visit www.clark.com/askclark.

Transcript

[Sponsor Announcer]

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[Clark Howard]

It'S great to have you here on the Clark Howard Show. You know our mission is to serve you with advice and information that empowers you so you make better financial decisions in your life. In today's episode, Gosh, I'm trying to come up with a new name for $25. Tree used to be known as Dollar Tree because things are changing again. Also the summer travel seasons upon us. So for most of us that means we hit the road and I want to lay out what's going on at the gas pump. So it's getting easier and easier for you to get better and better prices on gasoline. Whatever the price average is on a gallon, it's much easier than it used to be for you to pay less than that average. The market has changed so much to your advantage. So the Dollar Tree changes are not to your advantage. Dollar Tree forever was everything was a dollar and then inflation during COVID led to them breaking the buck and going to a buck 25. And Dollar Tree has always had what's known as very high margins. You may be buying things for A$25, but they have a big markup, much bigger than a lot of other retailers because they source the stuff and so much of it is private label. But now because of the combination of inflation and tariffs, Dollar Tree has been experimenting with real running their stores different ways and they've been trying in different neighborhoods, different pricing systems and different merchandise mixes. Now they are going to a system that is going to be from a $25 to right now a cap of seven bucks. So when you walk in a dollar tree no longer can you just put Something and your those little carry around baskets is what most people use and know that, Well, I got 10 items is going to be 12.50 plus tax. It's not the way it's going to be. It's going to be not a price signal anymore that oh, it's only a dollar and a quarter, I'm going to buy it. You're going to have to actually know what the price is. It makes running the stores more complicated as well because now they have to properly price. You may have been in a dollar tree that has one aisle in the store that is items that are at different prices. And now it's going to be that way apparently throughout the stores. It'll take a while for them to do this universally, but it's just a clear indication that the price is no longer the price. If you're ever a five below shopper. Five Below was their whole shtick originally was to be a higher end discount store, more geared. Their primary customer historically had been teenage and 20 something girls and women is who they went after. Today their product mix is wider to attract males and females of different ages. And the five below is what the store is called, but the price can be a lot higher than $5. So the same kind of thing that the price is no longer the signal other than hey, we're trying to give you deals here. And again, a lot of it at 5 below private label. So pay attention to the price of an item you pick up in either chain because it's not 5 below only anymore and it's not $25 tree anymore.

[Listener]

I was just in one this weekend.

[Clark Howard]

How much did you end up spending while you were in the $1.25 tree?

[Listener]

Let's see, $1.25 times 6. 750, right? 750 plus tax.

[Clark Howard]

You were making fun of yourself, India.

[Listener]

I don't care.

[Clark Howard]

You're an English major, right?

[Listener]

Exactly.

[Clark Howard]

Yeah.

[Listener]

Working for you though. Joke's on you. Okay. Jackie in California says love the podcast. My husband introduced me to the show. We listen every day while we start our work day. We live in a condo in California and our HOA has increased our dues and charged some special assessments every year since 2021. Here is the kicker though. Our HOA is charging an emergency special assessment of $4200 to be paid in 10 months due to the HOA saying their condo insurance has gone up 800%. I know insurance has gone up in California, but 800% seems outrageous. Do you have any advice for us on how to Best navigate this. Thanks again. And it's Jackie and Emilio.

[Clark Howard]

Jackie and Emilio. Welcome to California. This has been principally a California and Florida problem. And condominiums, the particular thing going on in California is the insurance market. There has been broken because of the wildfires. So homeowners associations, condo associations that buy what's considered to be substandard condominium coverage for the parts the association is responsible for, the association, that condo becomes like a marked place. And no longer are people able to get conventional mortgages who might want to buy your unit. So they end up having to take out higher cost, hard to get mortgages to buy it, which then means your condo value drops. Condominium owners in California are between a rock and a hard place, just like condominium owners in Florida because of the risk levels that the insurers have faced. So the association, and if misery loves company, y'all are not alone with these very, very large special assessments to maintain proper condo insurance. So this is. Pick your poison. Because if the association instead buys substandard coverage, then the value of your unit declines. And if it has a catastrophic loss, the association doesn't have the insurance to rebuild the complex, to rebuild the condominium. So the market eventually, somehow will settle down. But that's why the board is not behaving badly. This is a problem not universal in California, but has become very common.

[Listener]

And if there's any mistrust, I'm sure you can ask to see the insurance bill, right?

[Clark Howard]

Yeah, I mean, you have a right to see the insurance policy they're buying. You should go to a board meeting and not in anger, but ask, you know, what has the insurance broker for the association done to shop our coverage around? Because this is a brutal amount of money and this brutal. And who it's hitting the hardest in California and Florida are middle class condominium owners, not the people who own rich condominiums, you know, rich people condominiums, but the mid market in the condominiums in California and Florida. This has been devastating. I'm sorry, I have, I have no great news there.

[Listener]

Okay. Andrew in Iowa says, I have a question about taxes for you. Most employers withhold taxes automatically, and a lot of them, including my job, allow you to change your tax withholding amounts. I, I'm growing into the perspective that tax withholding is essentially just paying taxes early instead of using that time to grow your money. My question is, would there be any unforeseen problems with changing my tax withholding on each paycheck to zero and just locking in that extra 25% or so in a high yield savings account until my tax bill comes due, as long as I'm not touching that money that's designated for taxes, it seems like a small raise I could be taking advantage of. A couple percentage points of growth would probably net me an extra few hundred in interest per year. Did I just find myself the money for free? New kitchen appliance or tech gadget every year? I could do some damage with that extra cash on Black Fridays.

[Clark Howard]

Well, do I wish there was a free lunch like that? Andrew, only if you're self employed can you really play this game Easily. So if you have not paid in withholdings throughout the year, you get hit with what are known as underpayment penalties by the IRS that are substantial. You are expected over the course of a year to have enough money withheld to be within shouting distance of what your tax liability will be. So if you reduce your withholdings to zero and then wait till you file your return, the IRS is going to get you and the penalties are going to far exceed the under underpayment penalties are going to far exceed what you could earn on that money over the year. Now, reluctantly, I'll tell you how you can actually play this game. And self employed people tend to do it. They do no withholdings through payroll the the first three quarters of the year and then the last quarter of the year. They make it up by just taking with holdings to the point they need to to fulfill what they would have done over the year. So basically you've got free use of the money for nine months and then the last three months of the year you're going to get a teensy tiny net paycheck because you're paying in all that withholding for the whole year in those 90 days. Because the IRS, if withholding is done through payroll, they don't do an estimate of what was paid each quarter. They take as long as what you put in was substantially enough over the course of a year you've met your obligation and there's no underpayment penalty. Can't wait to hear from the CPAs who do tax and say Clark, I can't believe you said that.

[Listener]

Bob in Washington says, what is your take on the company homeserve for exterior waterline protection service? Is it a good service or a homeowner scam?

[Clark Howard]

It's neither of those two things. So HomeServe, like many others, sells generally home warranty plans. Also because of all the problems people have had with polybutylene water service lines, it is a specialty product they sell as well. Now if you go online, the reviews of any of these home warranty companies are all over the place. And if you read the reviews that people post about homeserve, you'll see people that are very happy, you'll see people that are angry beyond measure, and you'll see people kind of in between. So it's not true. Peace of mind buying one of these things. But know this, if your yard service line is polybutylene, at some point that polybutylene is going to give out and you're going to have your own Old Faithful in your front yard. And you hope it does go straight up in the air because you know before you end up with a water bill that is a zillion dollars. So it is a problem. That's only a question of when, not if, the polybutylene is going to give way. I don't know if I said on the podcast or the YouTube show that my sister had interior polybutylene in her house and the polybutylene gave way and heavily damaged her house and she had to move out for I think eight months while her house was rebuilt. And I guess the only good thing is insurance paid and now she has essentially a brand new house. But it was a lot of disruption. Coming up ahead, we're going to talk about gas and buying gas is gas for your car, truck, suv. Wow. The market is going bottom bucket, top bucket. I'll tell you what that means straight ahead.

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To you by Progressive Insurance Fiscally responsible financial Geniuses, Monetary Magicians. These are things people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to Progressive and save hundreds because Progressive offers discounts for paying in full, owning a home and more. Plus you can count on their great customer service to help you when you need it. So your dollar goes a long way. Visit progressive.com to see if you could save on car insurance, Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary not available in all states and situations.

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[Clark Howard]

Market for gas to fill up your car continues to become more pro consumer. Historically, buying gasoline for your vehicle meant that you were stuck at a major oil company station, tended to have not very nice bathrooms if they had them at all, and very inconsistent convenience stores and very expensive prices at the pump, not set by the person who owns that location, but set by the major oil company in a cartel type arrangement. And this was really wonderful for the major oil companies for a long time. But change started about 40 years ago, but really only accelerated to where it is continuing to be more pro consumer in the last 10 years because now it's reached critical mass that oil companies now account for the sale of a teensy tiny percent of their own product that you as a consumer have so many choices. Supermarket gas stations, the warehouse club gas stations and the independent convenience store chains that are growing like gangbusters like Wawa and Sheets and Quick Trip, both versions of Quick Trip spelled differently and Racetrack, Maverick and on and on. So the price points, what's called the price buckets, have spread so much that now we're getting to a point in a lot of metro areas where the price going to a traditional oil company station and a discounter are now commonly 60 cents a gallon difference in what you pay. And you might be fooled by the oil companies into thinking, oh well, I'm only going to get good gas if I go to something that's blah blah blah oil company station baloney and if you want to know, going to an independent that the gas that you're putting in your vehicle is really good, buy from a station that sells top tier gas, Costco's top tier gas. A lot of the big chains, the independent convenience store chains, sell top tier gas and then you have none, nothing to worry about. But the generally safest places to buy your gas or what are known as pumpers, that's places that have huge number of pumps, get multiple, many, many fuel deliveries per day and the gas doesn't have a chance to separate, end up with water in your tank that could cause a problem, anything like that. And now the warehouse clubs, particularly Costco and Sam's are in an open hours war at the gas pumps. They are stretching the hours seven days a week that the gas pumps are open way beyond the hours. The stores, the warehouse clubs are open. And in most markets the cheapest gas you're going to get is going to be at the warehouse clubs. And I said 60 cents a gallon recently. I noticed when we were traveling that Costco was A$10 a gallon cheaper than the gas station right down the block from Costco. A $10 a gallon from a major oil company station. And the Costco was top tier gas. Major oil company, almost certainly not. So when you're thinking about buying gas, one thing you don't want is a credit card from one of the major oil companies because then you're much more likely to go there for their puny 5 or 10 or 20 cent a gallon discount you're getting for every gallon when you could have been buying much cheaper, potentially better gas somewhere else. And if you go to the independent convenience store chains, you're not going to save as much as you do Sam's or Costco, but you're going to save a lot. And then they're going to have potentially clean bathrooms, maybe good food too, as we've talked about prior. All right, what do you think? You think I'm really excited by the major oil company gas stations. It's hard to know sometimes how I feel. Right.

[Listener]

Very difficult.

[Clark Howard]

Yeah.

[Listener]

All right. Christina in Wyoming says we have the Costco credit card but now live two hours from the nearest store. Do we keep or close this card? We visit the store two times a year, roughly.

[Clark Howard]

I don't know why you would keep the card. I'm not even sure why you would keep the Costco membership unless where you are in rural Wyoming going to Costco is when you buy provisions in large numbers. Then I guess you could keep the card since has no annual fee and keep your membership because you're getting 2% cash back on everything you buy in the store. But man, that's a long drive to Costco. It reminds me of the first time I went to Alaska and I was shocked at people flying in float planes to shop. I think that was that Costco or Sam's from, from way in the rural interior of Alaska flying in. And they had a float plane airport right by the warehouse club. Now that's a long way to get your stuff right.

[Listener]

You do it. Recently Costco had my favorite Charmin Ultra toilet paper on sale. And so I went a couple of different times because it's like you get a limit of two per time. And my friend told me their daughter was like, they were out of toilet paper. And she was like, why don't you go get some from Krista? Did you see how much she has? Like, I have so much toilet paper right now. I was like, well, you're always going to need it. Okay, Lee in Pennsylvania says, I would like your thoughts on using unleaded 88 gasoline. Some people say it will harm your engine and others say that it's fine to use. I do know that it's good for your wallet at the pump. Thank you for all you do.

[Clark Howard]

So it's not necessarily good for your wallet at the pump, Lee, because it's ethanol. 15% ethanol historically was maxed at 10% at the pump unless it was a special one for a special blend of ethanol. That was E85 that certain large SUVs can run on E85. So Congress, in spite of the automakers being opposed to E15, Congress to try to help farmers out, raised the possibility, made it legal for you to buy this 88 octane. That's ethanol 15%. And unless your vehicle is what's known as a dual fuel vehicle that can also run on the E85, I would not buy the E15. I would stick with E10 because you don't want to take a chance of needing a major repair. But let me go to the thing, why you don't save money. Ethanol burns less efficiently in your gas engine vehicle than traditional gasoline. So your fuel economy is meaningfully reduced, which wipes out the savings you think you're getting per gallon. And if you were farmer who's in the ethanol business, I know you hate me right now.

[Listener]

Be some special. Clark stinks.

[Clark Howard]

Yeah.

[Listener]

Mike in California says we were searching for a one way trip from Copenhagen to Los Angeles on kayak. We chose a flight and booked it on sas Scandinavian Airlines for May. It was booked through a travel company. I gave you the name there. After a few hours they sent us the information. The price is what we expected. And when we put the booking reference number into the SAS website, it looks fine. And we have been able to choose our seats. The unusual thing is that there is a return flight booked to JFK in August. Nothing was ever mentioned about a return flight on that day or any other. Our question is, should we cancel the return leg after we take the first leg? Not cancel it at all, or handle it in some other manner? We have no home and live on the road. And I already have plans at that time, so we can't take that second leg. In fact, I think going back to Denmark at that time would make us overstay our Schengen limits.

[Clark Howard]

Is that how you say that? No.

[Listener]

Is it Schengen?

[Clark Howard]

That sounds good. I never.

[Listener]

I just tried to add confidence.

[Clark Howard]

Right. That was. It was really nice. All right. So Mike, in California at this moment, since you live on the road, anybody doing a search on Kayak needs to be aware that when you see unusually low fares from some UFO booking site that you are dealing in a gray market and they may or may not come up with a real ticket for you, a real reservation, they may run off with your money or they may do something that the industry considers to be sketch, which they've done in this case. So what they did is a round trip ticket was cheaper than a one way. And they have a database that was able to shop this UFO return. You said New York back to Europe return that you're never going to use. And that is a strategy to save you money. And you just what they call your no show segment, an NS segment on your return. If you cancel it, SAS is going to bill you a much higher price for only having gone one way on a round trip ticket. That then is recalculated as a one way. That's why you just no show. But buying from one of these unknown outfits on Kayak is very, very risky in this circumstance. Seems like you're ending up just fine. But be aware and be wary on Kayak searches because they make their money essentially being a promotional vehicle for a lot of unknowns. That could turn out to be a serious problem with the plane leaving and you not on it. Sounds like you were fine in this case. Have an absolutely wonderful day. And I want you to know we work so hard on Mondays. We have a long staff meeting and we talk about ideas that we're going to put on the podcast of the YouTube show or do on short segments like Clark Minutes or I'm putting our newsletter or whatever, everything we're Devoted [e-mail] clarkdeals.com Our newsletters, Social Media, are one on one free advice available to you through the Team Clark Consumer Action Center. What I do on TV stations, if you're in a TV market I'm on. Or radio, if you're in a radio market or you're in a newspaper town where I'm in your newspaper. The whole purpose is to reach, teach and empower so that you'll learn ways to save more, spend less, and avoid getting ripped off. And you have my promise that everything we do is to serve you with advice and information you can trust. And coming up on Friday, you get to hear Clark Stinks, where you feel like the advice I gave you absolutely stunk up the joint.