[lbo-talk] Dollar-store economy

[snit snat]

At 10:50 AM 8/17/2004, B. wrote:
>Dollar Tree is one of the larger ones around my area
>[Dallas]. There was also a chain called Greenbacks,
>but Dollar Tree bought them out. As well, there's a
>variety of what appear to be independently-owned
>dollar stores. Dollar General is ubiquitious, but it's
>"fake" dollar store in that most of the items inside
>are actually over $1.
>
>I've often been surprised at what you can actually get
>in these places. In some ways, it's comforting to know
>that for $2 you could a jar of peanut butter and a
>loaf of bread at one of these places and feed yourself
>for a week or two, if you had to.
>
>B

Outside of inner city stores, you can buy generic brand white bread and 
store brand p.b. for that pretty much anywhere.

Talking to my poor friends, what we like about 'em is that there are no 
surprises. You find something you like, that's a good deal, or that you 
need. It's a buck. You don't have to pick it up and find out they want 2.49 
for it. _That_ is fucking depressing. Same thing with the stores that sell 
everything for 5/7/10/15 bucks. You may paw through the five dollar rack 
and find nothing you like, but at least you don't have to paw through the 
racks to find nothing you can afford.

The one I can't stand is called Family Dollar. First of all, very little in 
those stores is a dollar. Oh, maybe a candy bar, which is going for .49 at 
the Winn Dixie next door. IOW, they are disgusting rip offs that take 
advantage of the fact that most people who live in those neighborhoods 
don't have transportation that will take them to a Walmart where they can 
get the same junk (and sometimes significantly better-made stuff) at 
Walmart for half the price. You know, the kind of place that sells 3 
subject notebooks for--WOW! big yellow star burst signage--$5.00!!!

Kelley