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Dollar-stores overcharge customers while promising low prices

theguardian.com

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Re: Dollar-stores overcharge customers while promising low prices

#191

Post by zeroonetwothree »

venturecruelty wrote: post #161
mschuster91 wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Unfortunately, this type of conflict can only be adjudicated by courts, which low-income people don't have the time and money for. Here in Europe, we have consumer protection agencies. Get wronged? Shoot them off an email and they'll take care of it. And overcharging at the cash register? That gets handled by the responsible authorities. Again, call them, tell them what happened and it can get real messy real fast.

We have those agencies as well. They've been steadily gutted since their inception, and the courts (well, the Court) don't care.

You may be referring to the CFPB but states tend to have their own agencies that have nothing to do with SCOTUS or the federal government.

Re: Dollar-stores overcharge customers while promising low prices

#192

Post by antonvs »

regera wrote: post #116

Dollar stores are private equity with a checkout lane. In 2025, Dollar Tree sold Family Dollar to a group of private-equity firms: Brigade Capital Management, Macellum Capital Management and Arkhouse Management Co. https://corporate.dollartree.com/news-media/press-releases/d... It’s a business model cosplaying as poverty relief while quietly siphoning money from the people least able to lose it. They already run on a…

> cosplaying as poverty relief

Does it really? Who says this, and who believes it?

Re: Dollar-stores overcharge customers while promising low prices

#193

Post by venturecruelty »

zeroonetwothree wrote: post #191
venturecruelty wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We have those agencies as well. They've been steadily gutted since their inception, and the courts (well, the Court) don't care.

You may be referring to the CFPB but states tend to have their own agencies that have nothing to do with SCOTUS or the federal government.

And yet, here we are, with the terrible state of affairs for consumers.

Re: Dollar-stores overcharge customers while promising low prices

#194

Post by bluedino »

parpfish wrote: post #44

an interesting contrast that i think about a lot: - in rural america, there are dollar stores everywhere that overcharge for small items. people treat them as a necessary evil and begrudgingly shop there. - in nyc, there are corner bodegas everywhere that overcharge for small items. they are generally seen as beloved neighborhood institutions. so... what's the difference? corporate owned vs family owned? length of ti…

Hey, Starbucks charges $3.50 for a cookie, I could buy 4 at the local bakery or two at the farmers market for that much (and get a better cookie).

Re: Dollar-stores overcharge customers while promising low prices

#195

Post by jkaplowitz »

dotancohen wrote: post #165
joshuaissac wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> NC law. Does it have an "invitation to treat" practice [...] rather than a legally-binding offer? Are there any common-law jurisdictions in the world where having products on sale in a supermarket is not generally considered invitation to treat but as an offer to sell?

What is an invitation to treat, and how does a store with items on the shelf not constitute an offer to sell?

The invitation to treat is the store inviting potential customers to treat (engage in commerce) with the store by submitting an offer to buy the displayed items at the listed price, which they usually do by bringing the items to the register or (for more specialized purchases) telling a store employee that they want to buy the item. When the buyer makes the offer, the cashier accepts the offer on behalf of the store by ringing up the purchase, and the buyer performs their end of the contract by paying the price, thereby contractually gaining ownership of their purchase.

One reason it works this way is that treating displayed items as an offer to sell would leave it unclear to whom the offer to sell would be made. Clearly each item on display can only be sold to one of the many shoppers who sees it, so they can't all be offered the sale. There are several other reasons too, like different customers being offered different terms of sale based on loyalty program membership, promotions, student or senior discounts, etc.

Here is the Wikipedia summary: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invitation_to_treat

As the article says, the term in various US jurisdictions may be slightly different, like invitation to bargain, but the basic concept is the same. (I'm ignoring Louisiana entirely, which has a completely different legal tradition not derived from English common law.)

Re: Dollar-stores overcharge customers while promising low prices

#196

Post by venturecruelty »

dotancohen wrote: post #174
venturecruelty wrote: post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those prices aren't because of tax; even the highest sales tax wouldn't cause $10.99 paper towels to ring up as $15.50.

Yes, but the US consumers are conditioned to see one price and pay a higher price. You and I might see +40% and think "that's too high a percentage". Others see +something and think "just like every other time". If they even look - I'm sure these items are often in a cart with many other items.

I'm pretty sure the problem is "companies try to screw over poor people", and not "the sticker price doesn't include the tax".

Re: Dollar-stores overcharge customers while promising low prices

#197

Post by WarOnPrivacy »

antonvs wrote: post #192
regera wrote: post #116

Dollar stores are private equity with a checkout lane. In 2025, Dollar Tree sold Family Dollar to a group of private-equity firms: Brigade Capital Management, Macellum Capital Management and Arkhouse Management Co. https://corporate.dollartree.com/news-media/press-releases/d... It’s a business model cosplaying as poverty relief while quietly siphoning money from the people least able to lose it. They already run on a…

> cosplaying as poverty relief Does it really? Who says this, and who believes it?

>> cosplaying as poverty relief

> Does it really? Who says this

(search engine: 22 relevant results in 0.85s.)

    we’re here to provide affordable and convenient access to name brands,
    DG’s private brands, nutritious foods, household essentials and more.
ref: https://www.dollargeneral.com/hereforwhatmatters

Re: Dollar-stores overcharge customers while promising low prices

#198

Post by bombcar »

mynameismon wrote: post #183
michaelmrose wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you walk out and it goes to court you will surely lose. You may have started with the right to get it for nothing but you cannot realize that right by force. Self-help is almost always illegal in any case of disagreement between parties.

Yeah, but someone living paycheck-to-paycheck and shopping at dollar stores is likely not someone who can afford filing a lawsuit.

If it’s common enough it sounds like it could be some fun pastime for lawyers.

Re: Dollar-stores overcharge customers while promising low prices

#199

Post by gruez »

venturecruelty wrote: post #181
gruez wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>although at least a public company is, ostensibly, trying to make a good or provide a service (lol). /s?

No? Companies aren't about making things anymore, they're about stock buybacks and making as much money as possible while doing as little as possible (or selling our data). That's why the refrigerators have ads and break after two years. At least private equity is more honest about being vulchers, whereas Kohler is going to look you dead in the eyes and try to convince you you need a toilet with a camera in it. What…

>At least private equity is more honest about being vulchers,

Again, what's the basis of this? Half the people in this thread seem to take it for granted that PE is somehow "worse" than public companies, but can't seem to articulate why. The only legal difference between public companies and "private equity" is that the former has stricter reporting requirements and can be bought by non-accredited investors. There's nothing about "ostensibly, trying to make a good or provide a service" or whatever.

Re: Dollar-stores overcharge customers while promising low prices

#200

Post by sejje »

jkaplowitz wrote: post #188
hippo22 wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately, this type of conflict can only be adjudicated by courts, which low-income people don't have the time and money for. You couldn't just walk out of the store with the items. You'd need to either: 1. Buy the items and sue. 2. Take the items without paying, likely get the police called on you, and defend yourself in criminal and civil court.

Theoretically there is a third option, stay in the store near the cash register and call the police to come deal with it on the spot before the purchase. The problem is that they probably won't bother coming, and if they do, they won't come quickly enough to make it worth waiting for them given the amount of money at stake. Edit: Yeah, I did say before the purchase, but I should have said after the purchase when they…

Call the police to come deal with...mispriced items? That's not the job of police, sorry. Not in the US anyway.
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