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Dollar General Is a Part of Americana Worth Saving and Celebrating
Townhall.com ^ | 01/14/2020 | Salena Zito

Posted on 01/14/2020 1:40:42 AM PST by goldstategop

TARRS, Pennsylvania -- Five years ago, the plot of land where the Dollar General store sits on Glades Pike was just that: a plot of pastoral greenery located near a row of neatly kept homes in an unincorporated village that once briefly boomed as a coal town.

The store's familiar yellow sign with bold, all-capitalized black letters sits slightly back from rolling Pennsylvania Route 31, which runs parallel to both the turnpike and the Lincoln Highway. For many people in the area, the store serves as a quick stop for a forgotten grocery staple or deeply discounted household goods.

These places match the service provided by the mom and pop general stores that once dotted rural America for two centuries, or the five-and-dime stores that populated small- and medium-sized towns across the country post-Civil War. They serve a purpose unmet by larger supermarkets unwilling to locate to lower-population regions because the regions make no business sense.

(Excerpt) Read more at townhall.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Editorial; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: americana; bargainhunting; dollargeneral; pa; pennsylvania; salenazito; towhall; zitoretail
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To: goldstategop

I hate to say I it like this, but my taste is a little more upscale.
I’m a Dollar Tree guy


41 posted on 01/14/2020 6:55:36 AM PST by j.havenfarm ( Beginning my 20th year on FR! 2,500+ replies and still not shutting up!)
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To: goldstategop

Whenever I’m passing Dollar Stores I check if they have any Hot Wheels I can add to my collection.


42 posted on 01/14/2020 7:16:32 AM PST by AAABEST (NY/DC/LA media/political/military industrial complex DELENDA EST)
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To: goldstategop

The local DG has a good selection but no fresh produce or fresh meat. But it is only 3 miles from me. Plus the prices are comparable to Wall-Mart and items are easier to find in the small store.

The nearest big-box supermarket is a 50-mile round trip away so the DG is great for picking up some stuff without driving to town.


43 posted on 01/14/2020 7:22:59 AM PST by Uncle Lonny
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To: Undecided 2012

Dollar stores do not sell food.

They sell junk and say it is food.


44 posted on 01/14/2020 7:35:03 AM PST by TheNext (I Am Therefore I Think)
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To: goldstategop

The basic premise behind a “dollar store” is maintaining the economy of scale. Load up a huge 53 foot Semi trailer with product.

Huge trailers though do not fit well on small roads and tight places. Dollar Stores are a safety nightmare for truck drivers because the stores are not built for size.

Rural General Stores have higher prices because of off loading on to smaller trucks.

Dollar Stores are an almost Walmart but without the cheaper modern fork lift unloading. Smaller places do not have the storage space.

Hence Dollar Stores are inherently more expensive than Walmart or Target, but cheaper than a General Store.

And that is the big secret.


45 posted on 01/14/2020 7:49:02 AM PST by TheNext (I Am Therefore I Think)
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To: goldstategop

46 posted on 01/14/2020 7:53:41 AM PST by TADSLOS (You know why you can enjoy a day at the Zoo? Because walls work.)
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To: Red Badger

There’s one on I35 in the middle of nowhere Oklahoma also.

We love Dollar General. We passed that distribution center one time when my little girl was maybe 6 or 7. We commented on that being the biggest Dollar General store ever.

She didn’t get the joke. She cried and cried; wanted us to stop there and shop.

She’s 28 years old now. Still loves her DG.


47 posted on 01/14/2020 8:10:34 AM PST by Responsibility2nd (As a matter of fact, I DID only read the excerpt. OK, I intended to. Next time for sure.)
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To: bella1

Thanks :)


48 posted on 01/14/2020 8:43:00 AM PST by dp0622 (Radicals, racists Don't point fingers at me I'm a small town white boy Just tryin' to make ends meet)
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To: goldstategop
Love Dollar General. It used to be the biggest holding in my retirement account, but I didn't think it could continue appreciating at the torrid rate which it has since the summer of 2018.

So it is only my #6 holding now. Pricing similar to Wal-Mart, convenience similar to 7-11. What's not to like?

49 posted on 01/14/2020 11:12:31 AM PST by Vigilanteman (The politicized state destroys aspects of civil society, human kindness and private charity.)
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To: Moonman62

Thanks for this. I was having an actual WTF moment after reading that title.


50 posted on 01/14/2020 1:13:04 PM PST by Company Man (Forget biased Reddit -- THEDONALD.WIN is the new home page for all GEOTUS supporters!)
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To: dp0622

We have a DG right up the street. The staff is courteous, friendly, and helpful.

If you know what to buy there it’s quite a bargain cave.

L


51 posted on 01/14/2020 6:07:39 PM PST by Lurker (Peaceful coexistence with the Left is not possible. Stop pretending that it is.)
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To: VanDeKoik

There are two Dollar General stores near me. Sometimes there’s so much clutter of stock boxes in the aisles it’s not possible to shop.


52 posted on 01/14/2020 6:15:13 PM PST by Rebelbase
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To: dp0622
Sam Walton's old five and dime. Where it all began.


53 posted on 01/14/2020 6:26:24 PM PST by Larry Lucido
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To: dp0622
The first (or one of the first) Sebastian S. Kresge five and dimes in Detroit (later to become K-Mart).


54 posted on 01/14/2020 6:30:59 PM PST by Larry Lucido
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To: sheana

The Dollar General by me has bread & milk; I’ve never seen produce there - and that specifically was why they were deemed as contributing to “food deserts”.

It does a lot of business, but not with normals; a lot of public assistance types. Normals would tear their hair out waiting on the checkout line.


55 posted on 01/15/2020 3:02:08 AM PST by kearnyirish2 (Affirmative action is economic warfare against white males (and therefore white families).)
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To: TheNext

We have a Dollar General, and several Indian-run “dollar stores”; I don’t view them as competitors they just seem to sell very different items. The dollar stores have a lot of cheap Asian goods (kitchen utensils and such), the Dollar General has a lot of food (mainly canned/boxed), a small refrigerated/frozen section, greeting cards, medicine, and clothing. I see little of what Dollar General sells in the dollar stores.


56 posted on 01/15/2020 3:11:02 AM PST by kearnyirish2 (Affirmative action is economic warfare against white males (and therefore white families).)
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To: goldstategop

I miss Woolworth’s lunch counters


57 posted on 02/09/2020 4:56:16 AM PST by P.O.E. (Pray for America)
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