Sunday paper price is one hot ticket at Dollar Tree

Among the best deals at Dollar Tree stores, at least in about half of them, is a Sunday newspaper for a buck.

For many daily newspapers, including The Virginian-Pilot, the Sunday edition costs $2 or more. Dollar Tree, based in Chesapeake, sells everything for a dollar or less, including newspapers in about half of its 4,335 stores.

In a few Dollar Trees, including in Fort Worth, Texas, the Sunday paper has become such a hot commodity that the retailer limited sales to three copies per person, said Chelle Davis, Dollar Tree's spokeswoman. Customers were coming into those stores as soon as they opened and buying their entire stock of newspapers, she said.

"In a few isolated instances, we set a limit," Davis said. "It's really so as many customers as possible can take advantage of the great deal."

Other than Fort Worth, Davis would not identify locations where this has happened.

Mark Quan, circulation director for The Virginian-Pilot, said he has heard that customers are emptying displays of the Sunday paper in some local Dollar Trees.

Dollar Tree pays a wholesale rate of "less than a buck" for Sunday copies, Quan said. After 7-Eleven stores, he added, Dollar Tree sells more copies of The Pilot than any other retailer.