Posted on 07/28/2014 6:19:46 PM PDT by ConservativeStatement
The battle for America's poorest consumers intensified Monday with Dollar Tree Inc. agreement to buy rival Family Dollar Stores Inc. for about $8.5 billion.
The chains thrived during the recession as the number of working Americans living in poverty increased by nearly 40%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The stores appealed to cash-strapped shoppers with bargain-basement prices and locations that were closer to their homes than many Wal-Mart supercenters. The smaller package sizes of everyday items like laundry detergent and cereal fit into the budgets of consumers living paycheck to paycheck.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
But it is very competitive. This is a good thing that Walmart has to compete with other retailers, including Target, Aldis, the Gap, Old Navy, etc. Only in competition is the consumer king. All the problems with our current economy are government caused and still it’s growing out of it. That’s the power of the free market.
Top of the bottom 1% and proud of it. Our Dollar Tree is pretty high class, I went in yesterday for 3 bottles of water. I like the water and it comes in tall square jugs which fit in my frig. I bought 23 items before I left. I am a sucker.
Have talked to others in other small towns that do not get the type brand name items ours does. One item costs 1.88 at Walmart, course as the name says a dollar at our store.
They get overruns of different products and when they are out they are out. Another product costs 3.79 at Walmart and I get it for a buck. One other plus, they train their people well and I have yet to have a lousy clerk, the place is always clean and organized and you never see stuff on the floor.
I am also a member of Sam’s Club and get my meds at half the price of Walmart, I shopped Cvs, Walgreen, Rite-Aide and Walmart was cheapest till I found that the top of the line membership at Sam’s cut in half my med bill. Paid for my membership the first time I used it.
I buy my sweetener at Dollar General, stevia, it is half the price of Walmart. My meat at Kroger when the sale is good enough. Only have one gripe with Kroger, I am on a diet and to get to the meat dept. have to go thru the bakery. Great idea for Kroger bad idea for me. Would like to strangle whoever came up with it.
I am not a poor consumer I am a smart consumer. My old grandmother used to say, It’s not what you make, it’s what you keep. She had 13 kids and adopted 2 others, she knew how to squeeze value from a dollar. She passed away wealthy, never had a credit card and owed not one cent to anyone.
I shop at pawn shops. Bought a Winchester lead dispenser worth 3-350 bucks for 125. So many folks have lost their jobs in construction and other trades that most pawn shops will not take tools on pawn. That tells you a lot and that is also where I buy my tools, dirt cheap.
I buy nothing that goes into my body from Asia and you can find aspirin, vitamins, and supplements made in the US at Dollar General and they are cheaper than anywhere else I have found. I do not feed my cat anything made in Asia, that should tell you something about Asian products.
....”These places really operate on skeleton crews”......
Seems that way during key hours of traffic when in fact more not needed otherwise. This is how most businesses are working their staff today. Gone are the days where service is McDonald’s style...though we expect it.
Also many stores operate according to sales.....if the sales aren’t being generated staff will be lean.
I’ve never been in a pawn shop.....where are they usually located?
In my rural county, there are at least 6 new Dollar General & Family Dollar stores.
Why? Because they can charge NEW property tax rates on NEW buildings, etc. Property taxes on 2 stores that are brand new & across the street from each other fill up the county coffers faster than the old building that had the prior market.
They drove out a ‘Village Market’ that had been here for over 40 years & hired over 22 people in various part time jobs. We also lost a 2nd gas station with that market closing. Now, the only remaining station has a monopoly in the area. Nearest other gas is over 18 miles away.
How do you get more casual than Walmart? I have seen women that would have to weigh in at a feed store wearing spandex in Walmart. Ol’ Debbie makes us bottom 1%ers sound downright tacky. Very funny though.
Well now, that's just bait-and-switch pricing right there.
Very scary.
Used to be in the poorer sections of towns and cities, now it seems they are everywhere. Middle class and upper middle strip shopping centers in my area. Most are in distress now and if you bargain with them you can buy lower than their retail prices. They got stuck with a bunch of inventory in the crash and are still digging out.
I know a pawn broker friend who got out before the crash, he is wealthy by the way, and he told me it was just in time. Few buyers too much stuff. I still buy from the retired pawn broker, lead dispensers and supplies, he did not auction all his inventory.
Years ago I use to go to Estate Auctions from time to time...purely for the entertainment and socializing with people I knew. (In rural America) where you could surprisingly find some great deals as well.
I believe the overall general public is all about saving money on their purchases. The stigma that lower ended stores were reserved for the poor, and the upper income levels couldn’t imagine shopping there is just nonsense today. Everybody’s looking for the best deal where it’s to be had.
Although there’s a few stragglers out there who still can’t imagine shopping at such places....they are generally those who don’t have what they think they do anyway but want to look like it....(Appearances are deceptive)
I don’t think we have a pawn shop here although I’ll certainly inquire now...so thanks for your post.
I've seen it happen with my own eyes. And then watch them get into an Escalade.
“poorest consumers...” I’m not sure that is entirely accurate.”
You said a mouthful.
You’d be surprised to see who shops there.
what a crock of crap this article is, i shop at a 99 cent store to save $$$ and they have all kinds of product’s that are cheaper then the local grocery store is...
“Seems that way during key hours of traffic when in fact more not needed otherwise. This is how most businesses are working their staff today. Gone are the days where service is McDonald’s style...though we expect it.”
Oh, I understand the logic; even if the stores are busy the mark-up on this stuff must me tiny anyway.
....”the mark-up on this stuff must me tiny anyway”....
All depends on the buyers and what they can negotiate with the sellers....and who is selling.
‘Vendors’ will lower their price if they know their product will have mass distribution. (IE: Wal-Mart and $ Stores and the like.)
Yes our local DGs seem to have 2 employees during the day shift. One at the register and one stocking. And the merchandise is typically in disarray.
It’s a very “lean” business model apparently, and one that is working.
It's probably the same stuff that McDonald's uses on its cheeseburgers. Just like their shakes, they call them shakes, and not milkshakes, because they contain no milk. And if they come from China, you might not want to eat them. Things like casein and whey probably translate to melamine in Chinese.
You can get some good buys at pawn shops. I also frequent thrift stores. I only buy something maybe 10% of the time though.
I always buy at thrift stores. My husband hates this, so I don’t tell him. But I am thrilled with a bag of clothes for 20 bux.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.