Is Dollar General really considered a Dollar Store? When I think Dollar Stores, I think as bit lower on the product scale like Dollar Tree and its ilk. Dollar General is basically a compact Walmart.
Dollar stores make up nearly half of all new store openings in the U.S.
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Re: Dollar stores make up nearly half of all new store openings in the U.S.
#152Earlier quoted context omitted.
If Dollar General is not in that neighborhood that has limited choice (or DG closes down/pulls out), is that community made better or worse? I think it's made worse.
Well if the choice is nothing or DG, of course everyone is going to pick DG. And you're right that's the choice many communities are facing. But it wouldn't take much tweaking at a policy level (civic, state, federal) to change that equation and bring business that actually support the community (jobs, high-nutrition and more local products, a venue for community building events, etc). The fact that the choice is DG…
What policy changes would "fix" the problem you're portraying? I see nothing simple, and definitely nothing that would just be a tweak to existing policies.
Re: Dollar stores make up nearly half of all new store openings in the U.S.
#153Earlier quoted context omitted.
Amusing. My personal experience is that DG is awesome. Before DG in the town I'm familiar with if you wanted to buy basic office or school supplies, basic OTC medical supplies that were not a gas-station 2-pack of aspirin, essentially any cookware, or a better variety of packaged goods than the local mediocre grocery store (like detergent, snacks, juice, sauces) you had to drive over 20 miles. The produce that DG doe…
If there are two underrepresented groups in HN comments its poor folks and people that live in rural communities. This article is just scapegoating 'dollar stores' for scenarios where their growth intersects with environments suffering from incompetent leadership and shitty education as if a) it's the only place these stores exist and b) they are the root cause for the problems being outlined.
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Re: Dollar stores make up nearly half of all new store openings in the U.S.
#154It's not clear to me what the problem is that the article is outlining. The Dollar General near me has the exact same brands as you would find in any larger retail establishment, they just have found a way to stock the 80% that folks typically need. They are filling a niche between the gas station convenience store and traditional grocery/big box retail. They don't have a produce section, just a bit of fruit. Is that…
One weird thing I've noticed about Dollar General is that they seem to get special versions of many products. Like sizes of food items/containers that I've never seen anywhere else.
I wonder if there are other differences in what they're shipped. Like how "outlet stores" get shittier versions of brand-name clothes.
Re: Dollar stores make up nearly half of all new store openings in the U.S.
#155Earlier quoted context omitted.
Dollar General comes in and offers local consumers a bargain that local consumers strongly prefer. Accordingly, local consumers vote with their feet. Unless the master plan is to run competitors out of town and then change to "Two Dollar General", it seems like Dollar General is good for consumers (at least if you judge by consumers' own revealed preferences).
This is indeed the master plan; DG will flood an area with conveniently located stores, drive out the bodegas and grocery stores, then close DG stores to reduce redundancy (and leave the existing stores to rot). The result are food deserts that encompass inner city neighborhoods where the only thing you can find to eat is hyper-processed and comes from a box. Dollar General is at the crossroads of a bodega and a groc…
My father-inlay lives in a small town of roughly 2k. The local grocery store continually goes out of business since it can't compete with the Walmart and national grocery store that's roughly 15 miles away. In the winter time, that's can be a pain to drive.
So he's had to rely upon the two local gas stations, and their meager and overpriced groceries much of the time. DG opened up last year in town, and now he has a much better place to shop. The store also pays better than the gas stations. I think it's a win win.
And can you point to where I can read about DG's "master plan?"
Re: Dollar stores make up nearly half of all new store openings in the U.S.
#156Earlier quoted context omitted.
The problem as I understand it is that products aren’t priced in a grocery store to all have the same margin. So the prepared foods and toiletries get marked up to make up for low margins on fresh fruit. Wealthier customers are fine with this as they want to not have to make two trips and they will pay for the fruit. Dollar stores ditch the fresh stuff and just take a lower margin on the toiletries and prepared food…
The root problem is the populace being too poor to afford fresh fruit. Blaming dollar stores is a waste of time.
Well, Walmart's produce isle is cheaper than most prepared food. I would say that a lot of people don't buy it because of inconvenience not price.
Re: Dollar stores make up nearly half of all new store openings in the U.S.
#157Earlier quoted context omitted.
Dollar General comes in and offers local consumers a bargain that local consumers strongly prefer. Accordingly, local consumers vote with their feet. Unless the master plan is to run competitors out of town and then change to "Two Dollar General", it seems like Dollar General is good for consumers (at least if you judge by consumers' own revealed preferences).
This is indeed the master plan; DG will flood an area with conveniently located stores, drive out the bodegas and grocery stores, then close DG stores to reduce redundancy (and leave the existing stores to rot). The result are food deserts that encompass inner city neighborhoods where the only thing you can find to eat is hyper-processed and comes from a box. Dollar General is at the crossroads of a bodega and a groc…
> the only thing you can find to eat is hyper-processed and comes from a box.
Maybe my area's DGs are atypical, but their selection of food that doesn't fit this description is barely better than a decent gas station's. If your only option is a DG then you may already be in that situation, without their needing to close the store to make it happen.
Re: Dollar stores make up nearly half of all new store openings in the U.S.
#158It's not clear to me what the problem is that the article is outlining. The Dollar General near me has the exact same brands as you would find in any larger retail establishment, they just have found a way to stock the 80% that folks typically need. They are filling a niche between the gas station convenience store and traditional grocery/big box retail. They don't have a produce section, just a bit of fruit. Is that…
I have the same experience with dollar generals, they tend to go in places where the only "competition" was driving further. And their prices tend to me pretty good, it's almost like a mini Walmart.
Putting "dollar" in the name makes everyone think of the dollar trees (everything $1), so I guess the author wants this to be a bit of a commentary on how this is catering to the poor possibly? But the other chains are essentially just well stocked stores. Who doesn't want to shop somewhere that's both convenient and cheap?
Re: Dollar stores make up nearly half of all new store openings in the U.S.
#159Earlier quoted context omitted.
The root problem is the populace being too poor to afford fresh fruit. Blaming dollar stores is a waste of time.
Well, Walmart's produce isle is cheaper than most prepared food. I would say that a lot of people don't buy it because of inconvenience not price.
Spoilage if you don't eat it fast, which is part of the convenience factor you mention. Harder to protect fresh fruit & veggies from pests, than anything in a sealed package, which I think is a factor that doesn't get enough attention. And the smell of them will attract more pests. Once you're out of precious fridge space, assuming your fridge is well-functioning and its seals are intact enough to keep pests out, you'll need extra, reusable containers that seal to protect anything else... which can lead to even faster spoilage, with lots of fruits and veggies.
Meanwhile, the store-brand pop tarts can deliver 2,000 calories/day for like $3, and come with sealed-per-serving packaging. Sure, they'll give you diabetes and malnutrition, but....
Re: Dollar stores make up nearly half of all new store openings in the U.S.
#160Earlier quoted context omitted.
Dollar General comes in and offers local consumers a bargain that local consumers strongly prefer. Accordingly, local consumers vote with their feet. Unless the master plan is to run competitors out of town and then change to "Two Dollar General", it seems like Dollar General is good for consumers (at least if you judge by consumers' own revealed preferences).
Here is a wild guess: a new kind of store sells only the top, say, 50% of items in terms of sales numbers, and sells them for a little less. People out shopping for things all from that group go there. But everybody needs the bottom 50% sometimes, and when they do, that store is no longer around.
This was a better argument before the internet. Nowadays I don't think it's worth paying a 30% markup on everything so that one thing you sometimes want is always within driving distance.
At the end of the day people shop where it's convenient and cheap, with a bit of a tradeoff between those too. Some people like spending more at a locally owned place, but most would rather pocket that extra cash.