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A Dollar Store Backlash Has Begun

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Re: A Dollar Store Backlash Has Begun

#121

Post by peteretep »

icelancer wrote: post #119
peteretep wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you explain why that's true of leftist/Democrats and not true generally of all people?

I mean these articles in general. They aren't written by Republicans; they're written by leftists who feel they should do better and this and that. Most of the time they've never experienced poverty and why poor people make the decisions that they do, like shop at Dollar General, for example.

I think you’ve taken the right-wing bait a little too to heart here. In the US, most young people, most women, and most ethnic minorities are Democratic-Learning, and I’m speculating those are also the groups most affected by poverty.

Re: A Dollar Store Backlash Has Begun

#122

Post by creato »

kungtotte wrote: post #106
selimthegrim wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There was a Bloomberg article from not too long ago where one real estate analyst described the dollar store companies as betting on the existence of a permanent underclass in America. That might be the subtext this article is driving at.

I make really good money for my area (I'm not in the US), but I still prefer to buy some things at dollar stores or the cheap store brands at regular stores. Some things it's just not worth paying twice as much for name brand things. There's a brand of microfiber cloths I buy to clean my truck and car and it's the same exact brand in the dollar store and the supermarket that are next door to each other but it's liter…

> It's pieces of fabric that will end up covered in grime and grease, why should I pay twice as much?

I know you said it's the same product so this doesn't apply directly, but I was reminded of something that happened to me.

I was buying sponges, and the store-brand knockoffs were about half as much as the name brand sponges. They had the same yellow/green design, and they're just sponges... why not get the cheaper ones?

When I got home and used the sponges, I noticed that they were leeching green dye onto everything I used the sponges on, even for at least a few days after using a new sponge. I never noticed significant staining from the sponge runoff, but it's also not worth $3 every few months to not have to wonder if my sponges are going to dye my food/dishes/whatever I'm cleaning green.

Anyways, I don't really have a point here, it's just really annoying that I think of these sponges every time I'm buying the cheaper knockoff products.

Re: A Dollar Store Backlash Has Begun

#123

Post by iguy »

dorchadas wrote: post #93
jeswin wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The next time you visit a Dollar Tree, compare the actual amount that you get for something like flour, oatmeal, detergent... really anything, to the sizes sold at normal stores. Many financially constrained people have a cash flow problem - they often end up spending more as you said. However, buying larger quantities is still not an option because the money is simply not there. Being able to plan out a month is a…

Exactly. It's one of the biggest issues in trying to help people out of poverty. As Sam Vimes's "Boot Theory" sums it up: >The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money. >Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for…

I like the boot story as much as the next guy, but is this actually true in the real world? By which I mean something like this: In what categories of products do rich people actually spend less than poor people? Are there any?

It's certainly true that top-end clothing lasts longer than cheap stuff. But the people who buy it like nice things, and variety. Maybe car repairs? But probably a trick of counting the new-car service plan as part of the purchase price.

Re: A Dollar Store Backlash Has Begun

#124

Post by danmaz74 »

icelancer wrote: post #101

These articles definitely make me think the average leftist/Democrat in the United States has no idea what it's like to be poor and reliant on many public services. They'd understand not only why Dollar Stores exist, but why they are primary choices for many impoverished Americans. Source: Been destitute and on public assistance with a child and limited access to a car.

Trying not to be snarky: you don't compute averages by reading "these articles".

Re: A Dollar Store Backlash Has Begun

#125

Post by rofo1 »

pascalxus wrote: post #3

You really have to differentiate between the food that's offered at a dollar store and everything else. I shop at the dollar store for things like shampoo, deodrant, toothpaste and it's superb deal, not in any way making me poorer. on the contrary it saves me money. for groceries, you should shop somewhere else, unless your looking for dog food. the reason there aren't more grocery stores selling good food is because…

An oatmeal recipe that I also consume for years: oatmeal, chocolate pillows (less than 5g sugar in total; that means around 10 of them (with the brand I use at least)), nuts, chia seeds, flax seeds, and some milk - not a lot of milk, though.

To me, it tastes perfectly and has high content of fiber, protein and carbs, keeps you full for quite some time.

Generally healthy and cheap.

Re: A Dollar Store Backlash Has Begun

#126

Post by briandh »

WildGreenLeave wrote: post #120
kijin wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dollar stores are like fast food franchises. They're cheap and probably unhealthy, but their inventory is highly predictable.

Is a Dollar store in the US comparable to a 7-eleven from Asia? I don't live anywhere where they have either a Dollar store or a 7-eleven, I've only learned about the 7-eleven concept on my last trip to Bangkok.

Dollar General has a much larger selection than an Asian 7-Eleven. It has "real groceries" (albeit a small selection) and many non-food goods like detergent, toys, shampoo, even cell phones and a small variety of clothing. It's kind of like they got a list of the top 10% best-selling items at Wal-Mart and made a store out of it.

Dollar Tree (and Family Dollar IIRC) are a bit different because unlike Dollar General each item is actually a dollar. They're a bit more akin to Daiso, if you visited any of those in Thailand, though again with a bit more food (though less than Dollar General, and in smaller packages).

Re: A Dollar Store Backlash Has Begun

#127

Post by NicoJuicy »

vraylle wrote: post #9

I don't know about other areas, but here in the middle of Oklahoma the Dollar Generals have been a real positive. There's a lot of rural areas where a Walmart came in, then folded later. It left a 1-2 hour drive to get buy any kind of "real" food. The DG stores here have been expanding to include an actual grocery section, including fresh produce and (limited) fresh meat. More is available frozen. They have excellent…

Aren't there any local (small) stores? I can't believe everything has to be a big "chain".

Here in Europe, there are a lot of SMB's that fill in the gap of "fresh food". Although they are a little bit more expensive, they are always good enough to fill this requirement.

Re: A Dollar Store Backlash Has Begun

#128

Post by dtech »

webmaven wrote: post #95
0db532a0 wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t remember the last time I died from eating loose fresh fruit and veg.

These things do in fact happen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_United_States_listeriosis...

So the worst outbreak since tracking began in the 70's, left 33 people dead with a median age of 78.

When compared to decreased life expectancy from high-calorie high-salt processed foods I think I'll take the risk.

Re: A Dollar Store Backlash Has Begun

#129

Post by Noos »

peteretep wrote: post #121
icelancer wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean these articles in general. They aren't written by Republicans; they're written by leftists who feel they should do better and this and that. Most of the time they've never experienced poverty and why poor people make the decisions that they do, like shop at Dollar General, for example.

I think you’ve taken the right-wing bait a little too to heart here. In the US, most young people, most women, and most ethnic minorities are Democratic-Learning, and I’m speculating those are also the groups most affected by poverty.

He's talking about how the rich young twitteratti of the knowledge class have no idea what poverty is, and yes, most of them are politically leftist. The people affected by poverty aren't writing articles bewailing dollar stores, it's the rich people in the process of gentrifying small towns who hate them.

Re: A Dollar Store Backlash Has Begun

#130

Post by reidjs »

brianwawok wrote: post #46
scythe wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I love oatmeal and eat loads of it, but we really need to avoid telling poorly-informed people that the path to cheap nutrition is to eat bland goo. You might think about it as a rhetorical example, but you need to remember that people won't remember what you say, only how you make them feel. The salient imagery in your post is living on unflavored oatmeal, and that's not appealing to anyone.

Oatmeal is not bland goo. It’s the black hoodie of breakfast. Gets the job done for a decent price to let you focus on stuff that matters.

Tell somebody who’s staring down a box of fruity loops its not bland goo. I 100% agree with your analogy, though, I used to eat oatmeal every morning cause it’s so easy, cheap, and filling. Nowadays it’s a blueberry muffin instead, making bad life choices over here.
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