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strolpol t1_j5gf20d wrote

Ironically they have some of the highest pricing compared to Walmart or Aldis.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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notsureifxml t1_j5l0dne wrote

at least yours is open. im never sure if mine will be.

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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.

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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.

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CampaignOk8351 t1_j5joqwg wrote

Is it understaffing if they're thriving?

If they're understaffed, wouldn't they be failing?

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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.

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jabbadarth t1_j5ib3s3 wrote

>any economic activity is better for those communities than none.

  1. This assumes these areas have zero economic activity

  2. 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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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WhatsUpWithThatFact t1_j5gmtbi wrote

they are baby wal-marts for places that are too small for a wal-mart

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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.

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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.

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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.

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thegreatgazoo t1_j5i1w42 wrote

Greeting cards. 50 cents or $1 vs $5 for printed cardstock anywhere else.

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hotmessexpress44 t1_j5i8bg1 wrote

…isn’t that something you would want to pay more for?

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[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.

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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”.

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dra_cula t1_j5hx8pn wrote

Dollar General is quite expensive, like a gas station. Dollar Tree is pretty cheap. So it depends.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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TheKhaziOfKalibar t1_j5j2g2h wrote

A can of soup for a buck? It’s $4 here in NorCal.

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CampaignOk8351 t1_j5jp1qi wrote

It's $0.49 for a can of soup here in Illinois

Try Aldi

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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JpyroL t1_j5gzq2d wrote

yes the prices are lower but it you look at cost per oz its generally more apertly dg will have name brand companies make special packages for them

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