Man Shows How ‘Poor People’ May Be Getting Ripped Off If They Shop At Dollar Tree: ‘Poverty Tax’

As the price of groceries continues to grow, some are looking for creative ways to save money while filling up their refrigerators.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the cost of food has increased by 3.1% from May 2025 to May 2026. While this increase seems modest on the surface, it’s paired with rising prices for other consumer goods—as well as comparable increases in the cost of housing and other necessities like healthcare. These increases, in total, can make it very difficult for many to make ends meet.

Consequently, many are finding ways to lower their day-to-day bills. Some have turned to meal prepping. Others say that they’re shopping at certain stores or at specific times to score deals.

Now, a user on TikTok says that those making these cuts could find themselves receiving less than what they paid for.

What’s Wrong With This Dollar Tree Meal?

In a video with over 717,000 views, TikTok creator Tim Campbell (@timcampbellsms) asks, “Dear Dollar Tree, why do you hate poor people? Regal Kitchen Foods USA LLC. You, too. Why do you hate poor people?”

The reason for his dismay is due to a project he’s currently undertaking. The project is called “Dollar Store Dinners,” and it’s a photo series documenting “people in poverty, people who are low income, do to eat.”

To that end, he recently purchased a package of packaged fried rice from Dollar Tree. The package was manufactured by Regal Kitchen Foods.

“This is mainly brown rice,” he says, holding the cooked product. “There are some peas that are like the palest green you’ve ever seen. There’s a couple pieces of corn and nothing else in here.”

“But look at this picture for a second,” he continues, holding up the package in which the rice was held. The package has a picture of a fried rice bowl replete with vegetables. “That rice don’t look like this kind of rice. I’m a photographer, and let me tell you, it would take some wishful thinking to edit even this rice to make it look this orange.”

He further notes that, even though the ingredient list contained carrots and red bell peppers, he could not see any in the final product.

“I think my biggest concern for this is that it strips people who would have to be buying this—it strips dignity away,” Campbell says. “It’s false advertising. It’s also kind of exploitative.”

Is This True?

Now Toronto investigated Campbell’s claims. To do this, they obtained a report Regal Kitchen Foods sent in response to the TikToker’s complaints.

“Based on our investigation, including the evaluation of retention samples from the same production batch, no deviations were identified. The retention samples complied with the approved product specification and formulation,” the report read in part.

The report went on to say that the red pepper was added in paste form. Therefore, it was unidentifiable in the final product. As far as the carrots are concerned, the company claims they were present as they are “added as solid particulates during automatic batch mixing.”

What About The Observed Issues?

Problems, the company claims, could be due to its sterilization process. According to the company, their products are commercially sterilized at around 121°C. This can cause vegetable shrinkage as well as changing colors.

“We sincerely regret the concern caused regarding the product’s appearance,” the company shared. “Considering the customer’s feedback, we have initiated a review of the product image to ensure that it provides a clear and appropriate representation of the prepared product.”

Campbell told BroBible that he is not satisfied with the company’s behavior.

“I want Dollar Tree and Regal Kitchen Foods to be more honest about what is in the package; and if they’re unhappy about what’s in the package, to change it. People, businesses, organizations and governments, including Dollar Tree and Regal Kitchen Foods know people who are more likely to be low income or food insecure are buying these products from their stores, and having something misleading or so low quality is insulting to already-disadvantaged people. I want both companies to do better,” he said.

People Are Upset

In the comments section, users said that this problem was not unique to Dollar Tree.

“Honey, this isn’t just dollar tree, this is EVERY SINGLE frozen meal or prepackaged food, in existence,” wrote a user. “I’ve never seen anything look the way the picture does.”

“This is not limited to discount/dollar store food items. You can buy the same type of rice packet from a large grocery store for 3x the price and it still looks nothing like the product advertised on the package,” added another. “Just like the commercials for Big Macs that look perfectly prepared, compared to the way they actually get thrown into the box when you get one in real life.”

Further users simply expressed their disgust at the state of modern grocery shopping.

“And people say ‘what do you expect for $1.25 etc.’ and that’s the problem,” declared a commenter.

“Ive noticed dollar tree sells things for a few cents higher than walmart, with fewer ounces… its very upsetting bc i know people sometimes ONLY live near dollar tree or dollar general (which is EVEN worse),” wrote an additional TikToker.

BroBible reached out to Dollar Tree and Regal Kitchen Foods via email.