So this is how Dollar stores are pushing out local grocery stores in poor areas

[JEDI]

Dollar Stores Are Taking Over the Grocery Business, and It's Bad News for Public Health and Local Economies

A new report shows growth of dollar stores in low-income and rural communities furthers inequity and pushes out local businesses.

civileats.com

Profiting Off Customers in “Food Deserts”​

Two companies, Dollar Tree (which acquired Family Dollar in 2015) and Dollar General, have expanded their footprint from just under 20,000 stores in 2010 to nearly 30,000 stores in 2018, with plans to open yet another 20,000 stores in the near future. Dollar General alone opens roughly three stores a day.
Most of these new stores are in urban and rural neighborhoods where residents don’t often have access to fresh fruits and vegetables.

Despite their reputation, dollar stores don’t provide the best deals either [on food].
They often sell products in smaller quantities to keep a low price tag and draw in cash-strapped buyers.
But when comparing per-ounce prices to a traditional grocery store, dollar store customers tend to pay more. Reporting by The Guardian found that the prorated cost of dollar store milk cartons comes to $8 per gallon, for example.


They move into small communities that are too small for Walmart and push out the local grocery store.
Instead of keeping $ in the community like a local grocery store, profits from the Dollar stores goto corporate thus draining the community.

Whereas Dollar stores make their profit off food, local grocery stores make their profit off paper goods and dry goods.
Unfortunately, Dollar stores do actually give a better value at these products thus cutting into the bulk of the local grocers profits.
it’s typical for sales at local grocery stores to drop by about 30 percent after a Dollar General opens.

 

[Zim Hosein]

Don't forget the numerous OSHA violations:

The Problem With Shopping at Family Dollar and Dollar Tree

 

[VirtualLarry]

There was once both a dollar general and a dollar tree in this town, but the dollar general closed.

We have a fairly thriving community, thought, with a number of competing grocery stores (Hannford's, now Shaws, Stop&Shop, and a market basket further down), along with a few convenience stores, one right across from Shaws.

Although the Dollar Tree ("Everything's a $1 $1.25") does decent business, with all of the older women around these parts, the grocery stores all seem to be making it thus far. Plus there's a super Walmart down the street too, trying to steal their biz.

 

[JEDI]

Although the Dollar Tree ("Everything's a $1 $1.25") does decent business, with all of the older women around these parts, the grocery stores all seem to be making it thus far. Plus there's a super Walmart down the street too, trying to steal their biz.

in my area, theres a buck 25 tree next to a super walmart in the same strip mall.
i have no idea how it's been surviving for years (before covid)

 

[pete6032]

Its a trend that's well known for the last few years. Some smaller communities have organized to try and stop dollar stores from entering their areas. But what can you really do? If people prefer to spend their money at Dollar Tree rather than the grocery store, shouldn't they be allowed to do that?

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

DT and FD have been opening joint stores like TacoHell and KY Fried Diarrhea

They should not be trusted for food as far as pricing. As noted, sizes are intentionally smaller. Hot Dogs may be in a 4 pack. Cheese blocks are 4 or 6 ounces instead of 8. Canned foods may be 10 ounces or less instead of 15.

You can find some good values, but you really have to shop carefully.

DG on the other hand is OK. Sizes are mostly normal and prices compare to bigger grocery stores, sometimes less. Milk was in the $3.50/ gallon range last time I was there a week or so back.

 

[Stiff Clamp]

Dollar General sells my preferred energy drink for $.95.

Whereas Walmart sells the same drink for $1.28.

That said - don't trust a dollar store to have the best price.

 

[Captante]

Family Dollar in particular served its purpose for me during peak-pandemic by allowing me to almost completely eliminate the need to visit the petri-dish supermarket and a lot of their "store-brands" are actually identical to big national brands.

Having said that, containers are often smaller plus are not actually full when opened plus the odds of getting old/improperly stored/spoiled/inferior quality food products is exponentially higher than at a real supermarket.

There are a few DG and DT stores in my area but I don't patronize either one.


EDIT: Honestly it's been 6 months (or more) since I went in the local Family Dollar either.

 

[Captante]

DG on the other hand is OK.

Yeah.... if you like supporting total scumbags.

 

[lxskllr]

I stop in dollartwentyfivetree every so often. They get interesting stuff from time to time. I've gotten decent climbing gloves cheap, and they get pretty good packaged food from smaller companies you don't generally see in normal stores.

 

[Torn Mind]

The only thing worth getting in dollar stores WERE the canned fish. But even that has been shrinkflation'd.

Also, 90% of the stuff in the grocery store is ALSO garbage while it's 99.9% for the Dollar store.

Also, my local "community" inflict fines on people just fine. I'm not supporting them. (Doesn't mean I'll buy at a Dollar Store though).....

 

[Captante]

The only thing worth getting in dollar stores WERE the canned fish. But even that has been shrinkflation'd.

Also, 90% of the stuff in the grocery store is ALSO garbage while it's 99.9% for the Dollar store.

Also, my local "community" inflict fines on people just fine. I'm not supporting them. (Doesn't mean I'll buy at a Dollar Store though).....

Last time I bought tuna @ Family Dollar, despite it being major-brand StarKist it still had a bunch of "sketchy" stuff in that can that I don't notice when I get the same LOOKING product at Stop & Shop.

Btw while there's still plenty of unhealthy processed crap to be found, in no way is "90%" of the food on the shelves in Stop & Shop "garbage". (more like half... not much better!)

 

[lxskllr]

They carry BeachCliff kippered herring on occasion. It used to be really good. The cans were packed full, and the flavor was better. I think they were "seconds" from Brunswick production, where a can might not be uninterrupted fillets, but the flavor was just as good. Now they taste like the shitty "golden smoked" variety of Brunswick, and have extra liquid in the can. I don't blame the dollar store for that, but the old ones would still be a good deal at $1.25. The new ones aren't worth getting.

 

[nakedfrog]

Last time I bought tuna @ Family Dollar, despite it being major-brand StarKist it still had a bunch of "sketchy" stuff in that can that I don't notice when I get the same LOOKING product at Stop & Shop.

Btw while there's still plenty of unhealthy processed crap to be found, in no way is "90%" of the food on the shelves in Stop & Shop "garbage". (more like half... not much better!)

You just don't have a highly-tuned biology like he does, responding almost immediately to dietary changes, sensitive to the smallest imperfections in a food item's nutritional profile 😏

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

Wait, people actually shop at these places? I always assumed they were just used as money laundering fronts.

 

[Captante]

A few years back the Dollar Tree (now $1.25 lol) in the same shopping center as my local Stop & Shop must have received a truckload of Valentina hot sauce so I stocked up .... I'm halfway through the last bottle now!

Was pure chance that brought me in there too and I just happened to spot it!

 

[Torn Mind]

Last time I bought tuna @ Family Dollar, despite it being major-brand StarKist it still had a bunch of "sketchy" stuff in that can that I don't notice when I get the same LOOKING product at Stop & Shop.

Btw while there's still plenty of unhealthy processed crap to be found, in no way is "90%" of the food on the shelves in Stop & Shop "garbage". (more like half... not much better!)

I was referring more to the Pampa Mackerel or Sardines.

Pretty much, the simple general rule is that the only good stuff is "unsweetened"/"starch-free" or in moderation, the "fruits". In addition, anything with "vegetable oils" might as well be treated as contaminated as well.

My "local" store is Giant Food. Funny enough, they share almost the same "new" logo with Stop and Shop.

International...99 Ranch, Great Wall, Lotte, some others....


But every grocery store's foundation is still essentially the same: Sugar and Starch.

The bakery might as well be akilling machine. The Safeway usually heavily featured things like chips out in the front a few weeks back.

If anything, Chinese stores got the upper hand over American stores in terms of sugary junk.

 

[Captante]

I was referring more to the Pampa Mackerel or Sardines.

Pretty much, the simple general rule is that the only good stuff is "unsweetened"/"starch-free" or in moderation, the "fruits". In addition, anything with "vegetable oils" might as well be treated as contaminated as well.

My "local" store is Giant Food. Funny enough, they share almost the same "new" logo with Stop and Shop.

International...99 Ranch, Great Wall, Lotte, some others....


But every grocery store's foundation is still essentially the same: Sugar and Starch.

The bakery might as well be akilling machine. The Safeway usually heavily featured things like chips out in the front a few weeks back.

If anything, Chinese stores got the upper hand over American stores in terms of sugary junk.

Pretty much everything in the "frozen meals" section too and 90% certainly applies to the cereal and bread aisles.

Also I'm pretty sure Giant, Stop & Shop (and several other chains) are owned by the same corporation.

 

[skyking]

I don't shop at those places or Walmart. If they can't provide a decent job for people, with medical benefits they can fuck right off.
Out at Ocean Shores the Dollar General is taking a run at the only grocery store. It's a lose-lose proposition but people don't see it coming until they are stuck fucked over with one mediocre store that can now raise prices with impunity.
That's the Walmart model.

 

[Torn Mind]

I don't shop at those places or Walmart. If they can't provide a decent job for people, with medical benefits they can fuck right off.
Out at Ocean Shores the Dollar General is taking a run at the only grocery store. It's a lose-lose proposition but people don't see it coming until they are stuck fucked over with one mediocre store that can now raise prices with impunity.
That's the Walmart model.

The Walmart I know basically does a loss leader in Cheese and Milk(like $2.62 a gallon) but their other items are generally slightly above the "sale price par" of the local stores.

The place I've totally soured on is Aldi. Cheap can only go so far when the food tastes suspect.

 

[lxskllr]

I like aldi. That's my primary store. No real complaints.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

Aldi's prices jumped so far so fast they made it not worth going in. Their one store here is too far away and I only get to that area once every few months, but even at that I stopped going in there when I pass by.

 

[lxskllr]

Their prices have been slowly going down. There's a lot of 'price cut' labels on products. I'd prefer aldi even if they had price parity with typical stores. I like that stock changes from week to week, and there's always something new to look at. Disappointing when something good goes away, but you appreciate it more when you have it.

 

[pete6032]

Aldi's prices jumped so far so fast they made it not worth going in. Their one store here is too far away and I only get to that area once every few months, but even at that I stopped going in there when I pass by.

All grocery prices jumped...

 

[Torn Mind]

I like aldi. That's my primary store. No real complaints.

Milk tasted water down=cheapening(Both mother and I tried)
Cheese = off taste
Berries = not that sweet

Then there's my mom experience in the past
Ice Cream way back in the day(5+years ago)= tasted off compared to name brands.

Where we're at, there's a Safeway, Giant(Flexible rewards is usable and can net "free" things like water and milk), Harris Teeter, and sometimes we travel to the Walmart when heading northwards, so there's a plethora of options for "on sale" hunting.