I read an article in the past few weeks describing how these dollar stores put a lot of small family supermarkets out of business - and the loss of those left small communities without any fresh produce (contributing to “food deserts” for white people). It makes sense, though I don’t see these places as bargains - generally lower prices are due to smaller packages/sizes. They have some in my area, but they don’t really compete with the large supermarket chains - two different clienteles. I’ll only go in for one or two items I need in a pinch; they are understaffed, and don’t offer the variety a real supermarket offers (outside of the deli/produce sections, which they lack altogether).
A bigger threat to our supermarkets are the Wal-Marts with full supermarkets, though I can’t go into one of them after 8 am; living between Newark and Jersey City, our Wal-Mart fills up quickly.
True, Walmart doesn't have the variety, but for those name-brand products that you use, the prices at Walmart are significantly lower than the big chain supermarkets.
One example is a particular brand of faucet-mounted water filters that I use. Walmart sells a 3-pack of replacement cartridges for less than what the supermarket charges for a 2-pack.
If I took the time, I could easily come up with numerous similar examples.
And I am starting to see these annoying robot devices in big-dollar supermarkets, beeping and blocking aisles as frustrated shoppers try to get around them.
We have Dollar Generals, Dollar Tree, and 99c Only stores. They are all always packed. And yes, you can actually grocery shop at the 99c Only store. They carry fresh produce, milk, bread, and then almost anything else you want. After my dad died my mom did her weekly grocery shopping there. Of course if she wanted a steak or something she had to go to a real grocery store but all her every day stuff was from the 99c Only store.