Those Dollar type stores and effect on the surrounding businesses...

[Clarence Martin]

Has anyone had one of those Dollar type stores move into their area ? Has it been good or bad for the Town ?

[ray hampton]

Has anyone had one of those Dollar type stores move into their area ? Has it been good or bad for the Town ?

they been good for the stick-up artists , they get held-up often

[Mike Chance in Iowa]

It depends upon what they are selling. I have seen 2 dollar stores move into town over the last 15 years. One had lots of cheap kids toys like rubber balls, plastic dinsaurs, etc as well as really cheap kitchen stuff and useless knicknacks. We're talking the kind of stuff that will break before you even get home. That place did not last long. Another dollar store focused on stuff you can actually use like poster paper, school supplies, craft, office, etc. as well as gift & food items. Sure, the rubber bands would all snap & break, but you get what you pay for. The 2nd dollar store is still in business because it does have many items people are looking for when it comes to craft & office stuff and it gives the elderly a place to shop and walk around and buy a juice before they walk home. My mother-in-law walks over there at least once a week and gives her a reason to get some exercise. (Something we all need to do!)

[Biff Johnson]

I'd say it's good in the fact that you can buy wrapping paper, etc for $1. On the flip side, it seems to attract certain unsavory elements of the population. I don't know why meth addicts and non-English speaking folk it so appealing but they do.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Two went in, one has survived & is doing pretty well.
I look at it this way. Just about any store is better than an empty store.
An empty store doesn't serve the community at all.

[David Weaver]

There are tons of them here, in a pretty expensive retail corridor. I'm not talking about the kind of corridor that has a saks or gucci or any of the walking retail stores, but it is a high-tax area that makes the retail space very high rent. Every time I've gone into the one here, I've spent about $15 and really felt like when I left, i bought a bunch of stuff I wouldn't have otherwise gotten.

What is useful, though, is if I need an expendable plastic bucket to make soap or some other such thing, there is nowhere else I know of to get that stuff for a dollar. Places like home depot absolutely maul you on that 25 cent junk, charging 3 or 4 bucks for empty spray bottles, 2 gallon disposable buckets, etc.

As far as good or bad, they give you options, and they give old ladies who shop inexpensively for sport something to do (a lot of the customers in the one I go to are old ladies who spend a lot of time in the stores). If I can avoid the royal screwing that home depot and lowes give on some of the disposable accessories, then that makes me a happy customer.

And, as rich says, they have filled empty storefronts here. The 2008 collapse took a lot of marginal businesses out in our retail corridor - pet stores, small local carpet remant stores, etc. Auto parts stores and dollar stores seem to be what's filling those spaces, and they were empty for a while.

[Stephen Cherry]

Employing a few people, selling some things the people can afford to buy. How can that be bad?

Personally, I do my dollar type recreational shopping at the yard sales. Last week, I got a made in Japan Panasonic electric stapler for 5 dollars. This thing drives staples like there is no tomorrow, and it is super heavy. It seems like something that would not be available any more due to cheap chinese "stuff".

[Mike Wilkins]

There are lots of them around here in Eastern NC, and with the economy the way it is, they get lots of business. My thrifty wife loves these places, as this is where she gets household stuff like cleaning products. I remember reading some reports that advisers were recommending buying stock in these places for the very reason stated above-the economy. Money get tight and we seek bargains. Never seen any woodworking stuff however.

[Jim Rimmer]

In south Texas they are becoming the old general store for some lower income neighborhoods. They carry soaps, toothpaste, some dry foods, etc and at prices much lower than the signature stores of the major grocery chains.

[David Weaver]

They do the same here. Dollar Trees are popping up all over the place and they have canned foods, cookies, ramen etc, and tooth paste and such stuff, though sometimes the quantities don't work out to be such a great deal.

When I was younger, and I guess it's still the case, in the appalachian places around here you might see a town center with no shopping at all except a dollar general (which isn't really a dollar store, but the implications are the same).

I just made my way back here through appalachia last week and had to take a detour on one of the state highways and noticed in the small towns next to power stations, etc, the entire town may look old like an old coal patch town, but the dollar general stores were new and shiny.

[Art Mann]

There are two Dollar General stores within 5 minutes of my home. They don't sell a lot of things I want or need, but the things I do get there are cheaper than anywhere else - including Walmart. I hate shopping at Walmart and appreciate a cheaper and closer alternative.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Never seen any woodworking stuff however.The one by me sells silicone basting brushes for a buck. They work well for glue brushes.

[Clarence Martin]

I don't understand why they would want to set up shop in this little Town, since there are 4 Dollar type stores within 15 minutes drive in either direction. Not much business in Town, and I am concerned that it will hurt the local Hardware store and our only Pharmacy. I read that one Dollar chain has started into the Pharmacy business in addition to their dollar stuff.

[Kevin Bourque]

These dollar type stores used to sell overstock items and discontinued stuff. A store would fold and they would sell their inventory for cheap....now these stores sell items manufactured especially for them. Mostly a lot of junk.

[ray hampton]

These dollar type stores used to sell overstock items and discontinued stuff. A store would fold and they would sell their inventory for cheap....now these stores sell items manufactured especially for them. Mostly a lot of junk.


A new story that I seen today said that the dollar stores are recalling jars of Salsa BECAUSE of pieces of broken glass that the X-RAY machine could not see , I do not remember the names but the news give three names of dollar stores

[Ed Aumiller]

Good for business... so good for the town.... stuff is not necessarily a steal, but not bad for what you pay... every Walmart around here has a Dollar Tree in the same shopping center...

[Myk Rian]

We have one Dollar Store that seems to do OK. It's the Wal-Mart that is failing.
This small town is a bit higher class, and doesn't have many Wal-Martians.

[Brian Elfert]

I've never heard of any Walmart failing, but it is bound to happen I guess. I've been to probably 100 different Walmarts over the years and none seemed to be failing. In many cases Walmart has replaced or expanded an existing store to add groceries. Walmart has added groceries to at least three stores locally in the past year or two. Walmart is too successful here as they are constantly out of grocery items and I'm not going late at night or anything like that. The out of stock issue is nationwide as it has been reported in the media.