The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money.

It costs a lot of money to be poor.

“But here’s where it gets particularly gross: dollar stores are targeting demographics who either aren’t educated enough to spot the scam or who don’t make enough to have much choice in where and when they buy their household necessities.”

Check the prices at Safeway or whatever the big chain (besides Wal Mart) is in one of the rural/ low income areas you reference and then get back to me about who’s ripping us off.

So? What if I only had a dollar and I needed a box of detergent but the only available one is a larger three dollar one?

...can’t afford to buy in larger quantities, even if it means getting a better deal,”

They also get rich by being one of the few food options in the food deserts that have laid waste to underserved and underprivileged populations throughout America.

Another thing, which is actually better for these stores, is that they are going up in small rural communities. Drive through large states which have very small towns all the time (due to farming, oil, etc), towns that honestly a Walmart or Target, or even a large chain grocery store won’t go to because they wouldn’t…

A lot of people here just seem to be going by this brief summary, which misses a lot of the more predatory and harmful aspects of the Dollar chains.

Yes, like liquor stores and bail bondsmen; they target the working poor to get rich.

There’s also the fact that dollar stores, being run on extremely low cost models with minimal staff and no security, both drive other potential competitors out of business and impoverish their areas, but also basically create crime because they’re highly tempting targets for robbery.

As someone who currently works for Dollar Tree, I just want to say fuck this company and its scumbag CEO.

So the only stores that aren’t scamming people are bulk stores like Sam’s Club and Costco? Because who spends $3.29 on a bottle of mayo when you can spend twice as much for 3 times that amount of mayo, amirite?

While these stores indeed sell name brand products in smaller sizes, thus upping the per unit price, they also tend to be in areas that are under served by bigger grocery chains. There are many neighborhoods across the country where these stores are the only place to buy food without driving across town. Those without…

Ah, so it’s predatory to fill a market void and put your stores close to your customers...

They still selling $1 “steak?”

The worst part about these stores is when they become the defacto grocery store for a neighborhood (either by opening in ‘food deserts’ or forcing small grocers to close) all the food in their is processed, preservative filled garbage.

Personally, I don’t shop at the Dollar Store, but am super pissed that I’m forced to buy toilet paper at Sam’s Club at outrageous per unit costs as compared to buying it by the pallet or even in shipping container quantities. Why should I be penalized because I can’t afford to buy or store toilet paper in quantities…

I mean, this is just another chain that is directing their sales towards another level of people being screwed over by low wages.