Comments
Superjondude t1_j5hf9jw wrote
Their business plan is to build new stores in areas where the do not expect economic growth. They assume people in these ares will not realize that they are actually spending more.
jabbadarth t1_j5i2p9m wrote
They are also selling convenience. They don't build near grocery stores or wal marts. They build in small towns where there are few shopping options or where stores are relatively long drives away. I watched a video on dollar general a while back and they jave a very specific set of standards on where they build based on total population, population density and proximity to other retailers. They have grown massively over the last few years using this location model.
killerk14 t1_j5i8bv0 wrote
It’s a good thing. Not a lot of businesses are willing to spend the extra transportation costs and suffer lower access to labor and customers, but luckily this model can thrive in this environment. It provides jobs where otherwise there aren’t any, the excess costs for customers is offset by less gas spent traveling and getting their valuable time back. Any kind of economic stimulus in the areas DG serves is a godsend. Property managers and developers, for example, often don’t touch rural areas.some communities of 5k and under haven’t seen new builds since the 80s.
jabbadarth t1_j5i8zwq wrote
Yes and no. They also thrive by understaffing stores and pay is pretty low overall. So they really only bring a handful of jobs to any area they are in and those jobs generally aren't great. There is an argument to be made that they are providing a service where others aren't but its not all positive and great.
FireHeartSmokeBurp t1_j5ieyi9 wrote
Yeah our Dollar General looks like the staff is paid generally a dollar. Shelves are never reorganized, abandoned stocking equipment blocking the aisles, don't restock for weeks. I can't blame them, I doubt they're being paid well but you can glaringly tell by the quality of the store management
ImmodestPolitician t1_j5j6tda wrote
"don't restock for weeks"
Dollar stores business model is to buy remnants and excess inventory. They buy whatever they can get a deal on.
They can't restock until they can find another deal.
Aldi is similar for many of their products. Sometimes they have pork loin ribs, most of the time they don't.
aoskunk t1_j5iuzpv wrote
It’s the same at mine. And it’s only another mile to Walmart. It’s somehow seems busy though, I guess a lot of lazy people. I went in for ice cream once and the only mint chocolate chip they had was this horribly dented one that for some reason had a gritty texture. I actually ended up throwing it out. It wasn’t expired either. They’re so short staffed that they’re easy to steal from I imagine.
WayneKrane t1_j5l4jpb wrote
I bought a candy bar there and it disintegrated when I opened it up. Never have I bought food from one again.
notsureifxml t1_j5l0dne wrote
at least yours is open. im never sure if mine will be.
toastymow t1_j5jb342 wrote
>They also thrive by understaffing stores and pay is pretty low overall.
I agree. The thing is, in my experience, most large-scale retail/food service chains operate with this model. If Dollar General didn't do this, it would just be some other corporation.
The problem is we simply do not have good economic laws, worker protections, etc. There is nothing stopping Dollar General from staffing every store with 1 or 2 people and running them ragged, especially if those people have very limited employment options.
TbonerT t1_j5jeb2z wrote
I saw someone at a Dollar Tree wearing their 5 Below pullover. It made sense to me that they probably didn’t get paid very well.
CampaignOk8351 t1_j5joqwg wrote
Is it understaffing if they're thriving?
If they're understaffed, wouldn't they be failing?
jabbadarth t1_j5jp0qx wrote
No, they make profits by forcing people to overwork. People take the jobs because they are desperate.
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killerk14 t1_j5iag3k wrote
Unless the business you’re shopping at is owned by somebody literally living in your town or city, you’re giving money to a corporation who runs the same unethical margins and profiteering. Corporations aren’t charities. I’m not a fan of this system but that’s the world we live in. If you typed your comment on a phone or computer that wasn’t entirely built in your neighborhood, a corporation underpaying and overcharging people was involved somewhere in the process. This is the system. Any economic activity is better for those communities than none.
jabbadarth t1_j5ib3s3 wrote
>any economic activity is better for those communities than none.
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This assumes these areas have zero economic activity
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That ignores everything I pointed out
I fail to see how paying a handful of people minimum wage is much of an economic boost to a small town. How does that benefit the thousands of other people?
Also I wasn't making some self righteous don't give money to corporations stand I was merely pointing out that your comment, which made it seem like having a dollar general is a guaranteed net benefit to an area, was not completely true. One could easily argue that dollar general is growing by taking advantage of people in a tough economic position by paying little and charging more to suck as much money out of an area as possible.
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danielravennest t1_j5jxzbt wrote
The Family Dollar in my town is literally across the street from the small-chain supermarket. But they carry items like clothing that the supermarket doesn't. Meanwhile, the big chain stores like Kroger and Walmart are 4 miles away. I almost never shop at Family Dollar.
MoreLikeCANSasCity t1_j5k3w11 wrote
Same in my town. Dollar General a quarter mile from our locally owned grocery store. The nearest Walmart is a solid 25-minute drive, however. I have still never shopped at Dollar General, though. Just the disorganization of it gives me anxiety, and if we lose our grocery store then we lose our produce section and I won't stand for that.
WayneKrane t1_j5l44xi wrote
I’ve gone into those stores on occasion and almost always leave without buying anything. The shelves are disheveled, the cashier is busy stocking so you have to wait for them to come to the front and the prices are not that cheap for what you get. I bought some plasticware for an office party and they were so flimsy they were useless.
smuckola t1_j5quiqu wrote
And Family Dollar has some of the identical staple foods cheaper than my grocery chain located next door in the same parking lot. Such as bottled water, sauces (Hunt’s marinara, my fave), and milk. We have the good name brand milk from multiple regional bottlers that’s cheapest at Family Dollar. The only places cheaper for other high quality milk brands are Aldi and Costco.
Other items at the dollar stores are cheaper because they’re smaller from shrinkflation.
Jilltro t1_j5knssg wrote
They put one near my dads a few years ago. He lives in a suburb and if you need something right away it’s either go to Dollar General right up the street or take a 40 minute round trip to the huge Walmart. Much more convenient and still cheaper than trying to find what you need at a gas station.
notsureifxml t1_j5l01dn wrote
i live in a town that got a dollar general in the last couple years. I am a knowledgeable frugal grocery shopper. In a pinch, I am glad we have DG though (when they can actually staff it) because the grocery store is a hike and paying $0.59 more for a gallon of milk or loaf of bread is worth not having to make an hour long round trip to the grocery store
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Secretofthecheese t1_j5i68kn wrote
Food deserts.
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WhatsUpWithThatFact t1_j5gmtbi wrote
they are baby wal-marts for places that are too small for a wal-mart
This_is_my_phone_tho t1_j5hzms7 wrote
I have to pass 4 dollar generals to get to the Walmart. It sucks.
mpwalters t1_j5gq3sg wrote
My anecdata: I'm in a high population suburb of an East Coast city. The local Walmarts, while plentiful, have become difficult to shop in. Plus, since my separation, I just don't need as much.
Dollar Trees are a good size for me to get through efficiently. I don't buy food, but I'll pick up Arizona Arnold Palmers: 33oz for $1.25, which is pricey compared to gallons at WM but I don't need more. Took me five minutes to scoot in and get wine glasses for a date last month.
Even their OTC drug prices work for me. I know there are reports on their drugs being subpar, but the cold meds have been perfect for the short time I needed them.
What I'm saying is that what they're offering fits my now-single lifestyle.
If I need food, I can go to Aldi and if I need bulk I can go to Walmart or Costco. But I don't find myself needing or wanting to store bulk. Call it a lifestyle choice.
bn1979 t1_j5hmhtt wrote
There are certain things I specifically go to the Dollar Tree for. Pop/Energy Drinks are frequently in stock that cost 2-2.5x as much as the grocery store. General cleaning supplies are cheaper. Hell, the toothpaste I buy is $1.25 vs $4.50 at Walmart for the exact same variety and size.
A lot of their stuff is straight garbage, but there are some good deals to be found.
knitmeriffic t1_j5hpw5j wrote
Pregnancy tests. They have to meet the same accuracy standards as the expensive kind but you’re not paying for plastic housing on the strip. They’re easier to use than a covid test and perfect if you’re TTC or just want to have one on hand for peace of mind.
thegreatgazoo t1_j5i1w42 wrote
Greeting cards. 50 cents or $1 vs $5 for printed cardstock anywhere else.
hotmessexpress44 t1_j5i8bg1 wrote
…isn’t that something you would want to pay more for?
[deleted] t1_j5ibiqe wrote
Not necessarily. The high end ones, you are mostly just paying extra for a large plastic container to hold the test strip. All you need is the test strip. Its worth about $0.50. One line or two is all you need to know. I used to buy mine in bulk off Amazon.
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LadyK8TheGr8 t1_j5jfkec wrote
My FIL can shop in dollar tree much easier than a grocery store. He can’t walk well. He would take his wife there as an activity. She had dementia but she would out run him with her walker to get beer and cigarettes at Kroger. It was easier to control that at dollar tree.
TbonerT t1_j5jehbb wrote
> Plus, since my separation, I just don’t need as much.
It is very frustrating that some items are only sold in the large “Family Size”.
dra_cula t1_j5hx8pn wrote
Dollar General is quite expensive, like a gas station. Dollar Tree is pretty cheap. So it depends.
beartheminus t1_j5ir2s6 wrote
It also depends on the product. Epoxy in a tube is like $7 at Walmart. It's $12 at home depot. It's $2 at the dollar store I go to.
Knofbath t1_j5jg9az wrote
But you have to keep in mind that the tube the dollar store sells is never the same size as the tube at Walmart or Home Depot. $2 tube is maybe enough for a single repair, but always check the quantity you are getting for each price.
Another thing to be wary of is "fillers", cheap non-reactive ingredients that increase volume/weight, but aren't considered the primary product. In the case of ice cream, the amount of air whipped into it during mixing can be significantly different for different brands, and ice cream is sold by volume.
MissCellania t1_j5jafjc wrote
Food is overpriced at both. Dollar Tree seems cheap because everything is $1.25, but the same can of beans is 60 cents at a supermarket. But if you don't have a car to get to the supermarket, you have little choice.
Manforallseasons5 t1_j5hwpsp wrote
Most people realize that its not the best pricing, but if you live 10 miles from the next store, you consider it paying for the convenience factor. Its not an entirely exploitative setup.
TerminationClause t1_j5it4kq wrote
Correct. Let's assume a can of soup at wally world costs $1. Dollar General sells it for $1.25. But you're in a rural area and Dollar General is only a mile away while wally world is 10 miles away and any real grocery store is farther. Adding in the gas, if you're only going for that can of soup, Dollar General is cheaper, despite the markup.
TheKhaziOfKalibar t1_j5j2g2h wrote
A can of soup for a buck? It’s $4 here in NorCal.
CampaignOk8351 t1_j5jp1qi wrote
It's $0.49 for a can of soup here in Illinois
Try Aldi
TheKhaziOfKalibar t1_j5nnprd wrote
I wish we had an Aldi. I shop at Trader Joe’s mostly who are owned by Aldi but we don’t have the parent company here yet. They are heading west though so hopefully we will get one eventually!
dirtymoney t1_j5ixb5x wrote
They carry things that walmart doesnt. That's prettymuch the only reason I go there.
One thing I hate about walmart is that they often change what they carry. Used to be I could get otis spunkmeyer muffins at walmart then they suddenly stopped carrying it. Now I can only get them at one grocery store out of the three ones (not including the two different dollar stores here) in my town. Walmart stopped carrying multiple kinds of jumex juice and only carry one variety and only in cans. I can go to dollar tree (or is it dollar general) and get the jumex juice I want but in the larger cartons.
Walmart really pisses me off with their limited grocery options. You can't rely on them to keep things in stock in the long term. Other grocery stores you generally can.
Knofbath t1_j5jgoop wrote
That's because Walmart is squeezing the suppliers for a lower unit cost. Don't want to play ball, lose half your market.
StitchDaSavage t1_j5jb6lz wrote
It’s wild to me that people would rather spend more money instead of going to a bigger chain, too. I live in a semi rural tourist stop town in Florida, and Within a 15 mile radius where I am, there is one Walmart and 7 dollar generals… why do we need so many damn dollar generals?! I prefer to go to walmart for the price and I’ve got 3 dollar generals within 3 miles of my house
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murderedbyaname t1_j5gyhsl wrote
Dollar General beats Walmart every time I have ever compared prices in three states.
carcerdominus1313 t1_j5gnude wrote
The problem is all they sell is highly processed low grade foods. One more step in the obesity epidemic in the US.
shiruken OP t1_j5golub wrote
Yup. This was a motivating factor for this research and addressed in the discussion.
>The concerns surrounding dollar stores and food access center around selection and healthfulness.^(13) The selection of foods available in dollar stores is typically both less diverse and less healthful than what is found in grocery stores. Historically, dollar stores have only carried shelf-stable beverages and snacks, but now many also carry eggs and dairy, and, more recently, select locations also carry fresh produce.^(14) Such changes may also partially explain the observed increase in household food purchases at these outlets. Public health advocates have raised concerns that the foods sold in dollar stores are mostly packaged, higher in calories, and lower in nutrients.^(15,16) Several studies support these claims; they have found that the foods and beverages sold in dollar stores tend to be lower in nutrients and higher in calories.^(2,4)
an-otherjames t1_j5gu7u7 wrote
I don't know how this is to be addressed. 99% of the products in these stores should not be consumed with any regular frequency if at all.
It's unethical to place unreliable food sources to capitalize on those without the reasonable means to know or obtain otherwise.
Poor diet means poor everything else, and at the bottom their main access is to shit and sugar.
SeeMarkFly t1_j5jgaxj wrote
When one opened up in this town, I watched my 2 kids' school grades go down one grade each. SUGAR.
an-otherjames t1_j5jjvsc wrote
What makes it frustrating is that sugar shouldn't be the end of the world; treats have their place.
But the quanity of cheap sugary snack items available in any American grocery -- for example, let's say a Chewy Bar. Is it bad by itself? Well, maybe not the worst alone. But overall, it's an insignificant amount of food. It's nothing + sugar. There isn't ever really a reason to eat one.
Extended from that. Soda, pizza, burgers: these things aren't a meal by any stretch of the imagination. More akin to a lite-drug than a form of nutrition. But so often this could be considered "lunch" instead of "once a friday night" thing -- optimally after a healthy breakfast and lunch.
The problem isn't exactly that sugar and junk food exists. The problem is that junky items are presented as a legitimate solution to "in case the students/staff/ are hungry," which could then become "in case I'm hungry." If your body and brain have been working and playing, pouring sugar on top of the exhaustion is a harmful practice.
Hell, drinking water and training your ability to wait out until you can find a sufficiently large healthy meal is good for adults. For kid's nutrition though, often out of one's hands, but if we water our gardens with trash don't be surprised when things don't grow correctly. American schools, businesses, communities... there needs to be much stricter nutrition protocols as to what can be presented as food.
UrbanDryad t1_j5hosxn wrote
It's what they want to buy, though. That's why it's carried.
kilranian t1_j5izqb1 wrote
You have it exactly backwards. They stock what they can make the most profit from, not what the customer wants to buy. It's the myth of "voting with your dollar."
GracefulxArcher t1_j5il5q0 wrote
Should anyone have access to anything they want to buy? Or could we, as a society, discourage consumption of goods that are universally harmful to society.
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toastymow t1_j5jbpew wrote
That's really not fair or accurate. Modern processed food tastes pretty decent, but its not healthy at all and most actual properly prepared food tastes better, certainly fresher, and has a wider variety of flavor instead of the same just overwhelming amounts of salt and sugar.
People who have grown up on a processed diet will obviously prefer it. Many of them would be unable to properly prepare many fresher ingredients, because they were never taught, or they lack the supplies and skills (most cooking videos I watch, people have easy access to expensive stovetops/smokers/grills and they have knife skills that means its trivial to cut and prep a large amount of vegs or meat). Meanwhile the working poor in the USA sometimes only have a microwave, and certainly don't have much space, many tools, and few skills, when it comes to prepping raw ingredients.
So we really need to focus on educating people not only what to eat but how to cook it. We also need to provide people tools to make tasty food. If you only have a microwave, its gonna be hard to make a baked chicken, you might have to settle for reheated chicken tenders. We also need to encourage stores to stock better ingredients, even in places where this is not "profitable."
But of course, tell people we should tax soda or products with excessive amounts of sugar and they call us socialists.
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PMmeURbeagles t1_j5hbs9c wrote
And putting every small town grocer out of business as well.
VaultJumper t1_j5igf5r wrote
In the part of Oklahoma my grandparents are in the local grocery was run into the ground long before the Dollar General showed up and now they are getting a dollar tree/family dollar. So it has been a boon to the town of Quinton.
jupiterkansas t1_j5h77ge wrote
I can't get a banana at the dollar store, but I can at the gas station next to it.
lurkerfromstoneage t1_j5ibmxn wrote
At Dollar(+$.25)Tree, their “honey” bears are corn syrup + honey
cybercobra t1_j5irt4h wrote
Doesn't even mention "honey" on the main label, so at least it's truth-in-advertising in that respect.
lidko t1_j5m8txm wrote
DT is good for some import products which won’t have HFCS. Also good deals on tissues, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, first aid, etc. Most of the products are garbage and the remaining portion is overpriced but there are worthy goods there.
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reddituser567853 t1_j5h3w2p wrote
So go hungry instead?
MiloTockandtheHumbug t1_j5hcgy9 wrote
Food deserts suck.
All_Hail_Space_Cat t1_j5gs6yk wrote
Food deserts man. For a suoer rich country it's criminal how many areas of the country have little to no acess to grocery stores. Even when they do the health options are priced out.
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GratefulForGarcia t1_j5jegt2 wrote
Are you talking about the Ingles in West Asheville? We call that one Shingles too and it’s right down the street from a Dollar store
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HKChad t1_j5i3fyt wrote
These dollar stores drive out grocery stores that sell fresh food and good for you food and cause the food deserts because grocery stores use the processed food to keep the doors open, once they get undercut they can no longer stay open thus close and the only did option becomes processed food, it really should be criminal.
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the_real_abraham t1_j5j1ho6 wrote
Not "my falcons fly first class" rich, Just Matryoshka Yacht rich.
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p00ponmyb00p t1_j5jlsz3 wrote
I feel like it’s not that wages have gone down so much as there’s a large multiplying of unskilled dumbasses in the population. Sure “wages have gone down” because instead of being 200 million people with only 70 million of them working with 50% being skilled, now there’s 350 million with 200 million working but only 20% of them skilled
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themagicbong t1_j5gfuzg wrote
The dollar store expansions are indicative of a larger trend, imo. You see a lot of businesses catered to a wide range of classes/the middle class dying out, while dollar stores are expanding, and luxury brands are also doing great. This trend isn't limited only to retail, and is probably just the beginning. You can see a similar sorta idea in videogames, where "cheaper" games are rapidly climbing to the top, things like among us, or even at the extreme end, something like vampire survivors. I saw someone discussing this somewhere that had described it far better than I am right now, but suffice to say, the middle ground options in a lot of industries are dying.
BeyondElectricDreams t1_j5hdnr3 wrote
> You can see a similar sorta idea in videogames, where "cheaper" games are rapidly climbing to the top, things like among us, or even at the extreme end, something like vampire survivors.
Part of this is the industry's fault on the whole.
The AAA gaming industry has seen how much money can be made with abusive monetization and "Live services". This has effects on gaming on the whole, to the point where games are explicitly developed as monetization vessels before they're designed as games.
This affects game quality - game developers are making games not to be as fun as they could be; but to encourage spending. This often means making games annoying or frustrating to ensure people spend money to make the game fun again.
Indie games like Vampire Survivors don't do that - they're usually made by artists with a cool or fun idea or a vision. Sure, monetizing is a worry for them, but it isn't their starting point like it is for the AAA execs.
I know a lot of people who've made the jump to mostly indie titles becuase it's the only place they can buy a game and actually own said game and not just a license for the permission to log into a framework to spend more money on something they never even own.
themagicbong t1_j5ma97m wrote
Late reply, sorry.
Definitely not disagreeing, and I also think in various industries the reasons why this is happening can vary greatly. Generalizations aren't usually apt to describe specifics, but I believe they stem from similar factors/forces.
For games, its a question of why those AAA publishers felt they should increase monetization in that way, or could be, for example. For instance, you can also point to the growing cost of developing larger games, and the expectations that come along with those scope increases. Albeit, you, as a publisher/dev or whatever they happen to be, have a choice in whether to spend that much on any given thing. Obviously you don't need to necessarily have a gigantic budget to make a good game.
I've heard various people talk about it from the position of investors with a seemingly small appetite for risk, plowing money into large games. This was successful for a while, and still can be, but there have also been some notorious flops that weren't great. But another question that would come to mind is whether the market can even support having so many high value productions going on at once for the same market.
Then, throw in that the portion of society that has been historically growing and spending lots on games is shrinking, and possibly seeking cheaper alternatives. I dunno, maybe I'm wrong, but it seems partially valid that a combo of poor bets and losses, combined with a shrinking share of the market, and even more factors I haven't touched on, are on the right path to an answer as to why we are seeing smaller/indie blow up a bit more. These factors alone, I feel, could lead to these companies feeling like they need to shift to a different monetization strategy. I also agree with not wanting to be beholden to a million different companies each deciding to give me as little as possible as far as my rights as a consumer goes.
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KodakStele t1_j5hgts5 wrote
Pretty sure games like among us and animal crossing were popular because everyone was stuck indoors that year, nothing was normal
PinkSlipstitch t1_j5ggn7y wrote
There are more Dollar General locations in the USA than Walmarts.
The Dollar General may be the closest store in rural towns, and the grocery store is 45+ minutes away.
Brokenspokes68 t1_j5gp5pa wrote
We often talk about food desserts in urban areas but we've pretty much ignored the same for rural areas. It's good to see research shining a light on this issue.
shiruken OP t1_j5gclkf wrote
Direct link to the peer-reviewed study: W. Feng, E. T. Page, and S. B. Cash, Dollar Stores and Food Access for Rural Households in the United States, 2008‒2020, American Journal of Public Health (2023)
>Abstract
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>Dollar stores have rapidly expanded their food offerings in recent years. These foods tend to be higher in calories and lower in nutrients, raising public health concerns, especially in rural and low-income areas where food-access challenges are often greatest. However, there is limited empirical evidence evaluating the impact of this expansion on household food purchases on a national scale.
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>Using data from a yearly, nationally representative panel of approximately 50 000 households, we estimated the share of food purchases from 2008 to 2020 by store type and evaluated the role of dollar stores as food retailers in the United States.
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>We found that dollar stores were the fastest-growing food retailers by household expenditure share (increasing by 89.7%), with rural growth outpacing growth elsewhere (increasing by 102.9%). Though dollar stores still represent a small share of national household food purchases (2.1% in 2020), they play an increasingly prominent role in food-at-home purchases for certain disadvantaged and rural communities. Understanding the quality of the foods they offer and how this may affect diet-related health outcomes is warranted.
TequillaShotz t1_j5i3ea6 wrote
I recently walked through one looking for any food product that didn't contain added sugar - couldn't find a single one - even the snack nuts.
yankeefoxtrot t1_j5jgfqi wrote
By design. Can’t have a healthy population thats more able to rebel against the bourgeoisie.
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fricku1992 t1_j5ibctr wrote
Drive through southern US. These stores keep little communities stocked up. Every small tiny tiny town in Tennessee had one of these.
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Pennypacker-HE t1_j5ifmeu wrote
They don’t make money cause they’re cheap. They make money cause they set up in small areas and are convenient alternative to driving 30 minutes to your nearest wal mart
jbc420 t1_j5gxl14 wrote
Some even offer fresh produce
lissabeth777 t1_j5hw31p wrote
Yeah if a food producer is smart they have a contract to deliver to the dollar stores in an area. The dollar stores will accept less conventionally perfect produce than Walmart and they pay bottom dollar for it which allows them to sell fruit and vegetable really cheap. Just don't expect it to last as long as farmers market vegetables. This type of relationship is very beneficial for the environment and it lowers food waste!
LoanGoalie t1_j5hyvh2 wrote
Yeah they play a roll...in putting actual small town grocery stores out of business. It's terrible. Small towns with nothing but frozen and processed food from dollar general for options. my brother has to travel an hour round trip to get to a real grocery store, and has lost 2 closer grocery stores while "gaining" 3 dollar general stores in the last decade.
DidntWinn t1_j5h8iid wrote
Poor people need to eat?
silence1545 t1_j5imkoq wrote
A surprising number of people don’t realize Dollar General is not the same thing as Dollar Tree or the .99 Store.
Both Dollar General and Family Dollar are not “dollar” stores.
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SouthernUpstate t1_j5ifide wrote
We don’t need corporate monopolies to replace societal safety nets. Dollar general is a vacuum on local economies, not a boon. This is not a reliable source in food security
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nato2271 t1_j5iip7t wrote
These places are just full of crap, especially crap food..
Gerrut_batsbak t1_j5j8ypj wrote
paradoxically making poorer areas even more poor by comparison.
How do people not notice
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Motorcyclegrrl t1_j5gd5nb wrote
It's nice to stop at small store to get a few things especially when a larger store is far. The cost in time and fuel makes the dollar store worth it depending on what they mean by dollar store.
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MissCellania t1_j5jbojg wrote
It's not just that people are lazy and don't want to drive to a supermarket. It's also because they don't have cars.
My neighborhood is close to downtown, where there are no grocery stores left. My street has a few apartment buildings, one specifically for people in wheelchairs, a lot of elderly people, and one slum complex tucked away that rents to people with no credit rating. The IGA that catered to them burned down, and was replaced pretty soon with a Dollar General and many are grateful. They are still being charged a premium, even though the "convenience" is absolutely necessary for them.
LiteratureNo4594 t1_j5jco2o wrote
There are very few products at £1 in our poundland or other £1 stores, should change the name to £2 land or something
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x8T6 t1_j5k7dz6 wrote
I suggest that shoppers pay attention to the "use by" dates on any food / drink. I only purchase such items from any dollar type stores if I'm going to immediately use them (chips, candy, etc).
Although not dollar stores I once purchased a few pantry items from Bargain Hunt and Ollie's only to realize there was only a week or two left.
Dollar stores have their place for me with the occasional novel need (small brushes, gift cards and wrapping). I have a decent glass decanter that I use for coffee.
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IowaHawkeyeState t1_j5o9xc7 wrote
And they’re actually terrible for the community. Most Rural communities can only afford to have one grocery store. Dollar Generals swoop in and put the Ma and Pa shop out of business and don’t circulate that money in the community.
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that_noodle_guy t1_j5ijrj6 wrote
Yea cause about 10 of them have been built in every rural county the last 2 years. They suck and are expensive but people are lazy and or don't wanna drive 30 mins into town to go to Walmart or Aldi.
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DekeCobretti t1_j5i7jcz wrote
Lots of fresh veggies fruits and leafy greens. Safeway, and Stater Bros bags go for about three times the price. It's a no brainer.
murderedbyaname t1_j5gyb6g wrote
They're great for care packages for service members too.
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strolpol t1_j5gf20d wrote
Ironically they have some of the highest pricing compared to Walmart or Aldis.