Dollar Stores

Dollar stores popped up a few years ago based on the premise that everything would be the same price, and that price would be One Dollar ($1.00).

Three such stores popped up in Brattleboro:
Family Dollar on Putney Rd,
Dollar General on Marlboro Rd,
Dollar Tree on Canal St

Of the three, only one, Dollar Tree, is still loyal to the original premise, but inflation has forced an increase to $1.25.
The other two sell at market prices.

Don’t be fooled.

Comments | 2

  • there are a few inaccuracies in the post that are quite misleading

    The notion of dollar stores is not a few years old–try a few decades.
    As a child in Greenwich Village in the 1970s there was a 69 cent store on 8th Street east of 6th Avenue. The rampant inflation of that era caused it to become (I hazily recall) an 89 cent store, and then a 99 cent store. I vividly recall that there were items on sale there that cost more than the “original premise”, but were nonetheless a bargain found nowhere else.

    One sign of the times is that the symbol for cents is quite absent from the modern keyboard. Another sign was the doubling of price for a lottery ticket several years ago.

    A buck just doesn’t go very far in the early 21st century.

    It’s quite true that almost all of the offerings at all three dollar stores are more than a buck. However, for a few select items, you can actually pay just a buck (but then there’s tax).

    “The other two sell at market prices.” – balderdash

    I had the opportunity to head out to West Bratt yesterday and decided to see what’s what at the Dollar General. It’s true that a substantial majority of the offerings cost several bucks. However, they are cheaper than “market prices”. For example, a couple of weeks ago I went to the quasi-local Walmart in NH and discovered (and bought for 8 bucks) Cool-Dri T-shirts–I was pleasantly surprised to find that the garment works as advertised.

    I got the same product for 6 bucks at Dollar General. 25% less than Walmart is not “market price”.

    Family Dollar is fairly “loyal to the original premise” but at the inflationary cost of $1.50. There are many items that cost more, but again they are cheaper than one will in a local brick-and-mortar store (if you can find them at all).

    The exemplar which refutes the “market price” assertion is the cost of Gatorade Zero (G0). In the past few months G0 suffered shrinkflation–a unit that was 32oz is now 28oz. There’s no escaping that loss of value while maintaing the same cost.

    Within the past ten days, the Co-op jacked up the cost of G0 from $1.69 to $2.69. The clearly foreseeable consequence is that they’re going to be stuck with inventory as the new price is outlandlishly out of line with the local competition.

    Family Dollar sells G0 for $1.50; that’s the going price for what used to be a buck.
    Dollar Tree doesn’t offer it; however, next door at Market32, G0 is on sale for $1.25 a unit through the 18th of the month. I don’t recall what the the cost will revert to, but I’m sure it’s less than 2 bucks.
    Hannaford’s has far and away the most variety of G0 but the cost is around $1.70 a unit.
    The best deal I found was at Dollar General–$1.25 a unit with a buy 4 get 1 free. 5 units cost 5 bucks, so the unit price is one singular buck.

    “Market price” my backside.

    Don’t be fooled: the dollar stores still offer savings, but the regrettable truth is that the savings are not what they used to be.

    Nevertheless, price-sensitive consumers are well-served by frequenting these businesse. One needs to pay attention to the exceedingly well-labelled price of the item, just as a a price-sensitive consumer is compelled to do at any other store.

  • update

    The sale at Dollar General is over; G0 now costs $1.35/unit.
    On Sunday 19 June 2022 Market32’s sale ends and G0 will run you $1.69.

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