FORM 8-K


                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                              WASHINGTON D.C. 20549




                                 CURRENT REPORT
                       Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
                       the Securities Exchange Act of 1934


                         Date of Report: April 27, 2000

                 Date of Earliest Event Reported: March 31, 2000


                            DOLLAR TREE STORES, INC.
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

                         COMMISSION FILE NUMBER: 0-25464

            VIRGINIA                                      54-1387365
 (State or other jurisdiction of                       (I.R.S. Employer
  incorporation or organization)                       Identification No.)

                                500 Volvo Parkway
                              Chesapeake, VA 23320
                    (Address of principal executive offices)

       Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (757) 321-5000





ITEM 5: OTHER EVENTS

On April 25,  2000,  Dollar Tree Stores,  Inc.  (the  "Company")  issued a press
release reporting earnings results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2000. A
copy of the press  release is attached  to this Form 8-K as Exhibit  99.1 and is
incorporated herein by this reference.

Sales in 2000 for the Dollar Express stores have been modest; however, we expect
the merger to be  accretive  to earnings in 2000,  excluding  merger  costs.  We
believe the  expected  merger  costs of $6.0 to $7.0  million  will be partially
offset by the financial synergies we expect in 2000.

The  statements in the preceding  paragraph  concerning  the expected  accretion
effect of the merger on our business,  as well as the expected  merger costs and
financial synergies are forward-looking statements. These statements are subject
to certain risks and  uncertainties  that may cause the Company's actual results
to differ materially from anticipated results or other expectations described in
such  statements,  including  (a) a variety of factors that may cause the merger
not to be  consummated,  (b) the failure of the  combined  company to  integrate
successfully  and (c) the factors  discussed in the  Company's  Annual Report on
Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 17, 2000.

ITEM 7: FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, PRO FORMA FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND EXHIBITS

        (c) Exhibits

Exhibit #         Description

99.1              Dollar Tree  Stores, Inc.'s  press release regarding  earnings
                  results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2000.


SIGNATURES

Pursuant  to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Exchange  Act of  1934,  the
Registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned, hereunto duly authorized.

DATE: April 27, 2000

                                          DOLLAR TREE STORES, INC.


                                          By: /s/ Frederick C. Coble
                                              --------------------------------
                                              Frederick C. Coble
                                              Senior Vice President,
                                              Chief Financial Officer