Dollar Stores Prey on Poor People

[Flack]

This MSN Money article started making the rounds this weekend on social media. I'm curious to get y'all's take on it.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/compani ... ar-BBRdPzh

The takeaway is that dollar stores (Dollar General, Dollar Tree, Family Dollar) were/are strategically placed in locations ("food deserts") designed to prey on poor people. It specifically complains that while there are more than 30,000 dollar stores in America, there are only 400 Whole Foods. I'm trying to keep an open mind and really understand the issue... but if poor people shopped regularly at Whole Foods, wouldn't they be building them in every lower socio-economical neighborhood in America?

Legitimate question: if people shop/eat at a business (be it a dollar store or a fast food restaurant) that offers unhealthy choices, is that the business's fault or the consumers?

It's an interesting article from a perspective I hadn't considered. I shop at Dollar General; fortunately for me, it's a matter of convenience and not out of desperation.

[RetroRomper]

I've had friends who worked at Whole Foods that couldn't afford to shop at their own stores, even with their employee discount. So it is less a "why don't they choose to...?" and more a "why can't they afford to..?"

[AArdvark]

The article doesn't quite, but wants to, use the racism card in the proliferation of the dollar stores, but we're not going there. Funny how the author of the article defines the problem but offers no solutions. Grocery stores exist to make money, that's the bottom line. They're not going to put a high-end store in a ghetto where it wont make money. Naturally the dollar stores will move in, that's called economics. Either make the poor people rich so as to afford the rich stuff or force the stores to provide rich stuff goods at low low prices. They both sound like a form of socialism, which wont work in the long run.
Or as a third option, that has been done since time immemorial, ignore them.

THE
NO LIGHT WITHOUT
SHADE
AARDVARK

[pinback]

I think only one of us is qualified to provide any sort of opinion on Dollar Stores.

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

Ha, so Jolt Cola is sold at one of them, Dollar General, I think. That has caused me to go into a few of them, because nobody else was selling my favorite vice.*

They're not... I mean, you go in there and the assumption is that everything is a dollar. Which things are not. Things are cheap though and I would argue that they have realistic pricing on pop and various non-exciting sundries. My college roommate stated that he would never pay more than $0.99 for two liters of soda and because of places like these cheap-ass dollar stores, it's still possible all these years later.

The article kind of blames these stores for the awful condition of neighborhoods they exist in, which is stupid. I mean, take a look at where the 'belt' of these stores exist and ask yourself if maybe the people inside these belts as a group collectively vote for a particular party that has made no qualms and no secret about screwing over the poor and helping those that are already well-to-do. Maybe one affects the other, I dunno. My neighborhood is predominantly blue and we have at least one of these stores.

I did like this from the article:

"The one in a whiter, more affluent neighborhood regularly advertises grains, nuts, seafood, olives, and wine[.]"

Yeah, that's the list of stuff that keeps you ultra-healthy, olives and wine.

I guess the other thing is that it's good that low-cost grocery stores exist, because I live in a household where we, ah, go shopping in stores like the ones mentioned - Whole Foods. They are expensive as all hell. The experience is of being in the store is a little nicer, I guess. The aisles are bigger? But honestly, the only thing I care about when it comes to a grocery store is if there's enough room to park.

* Rocket Fizz, a candy store, has recently started selling Jolt Cola as well.

[ChainGangGuy]

I did like this from the article:

"The one in a whiter, more affluent neighborhood regularly advertises grains, nuts, seafood, olives, and wine[.]"

Yeah, that's the list of stuff that keeps you ultra-healthy, olives and wine.

That was my very favorite line from the article. I lived over on the Westside for years and am rather familiar with her Kroger. Unless something drastic has changed since then, I would wager they sell grains, nuts, seafood, olives and wine, just like every other Kroger does.

You know how when a new "traditional supermarket" is built and it has the latest upgrades and enhancements, while your trusty neighborhood Kroger built in the late 80's or 90's maybe gets the occasional fresh coat of paint? That's just the way things are without, it needn't be all a part of some grand conspiracy. I believe I also know the "more affluent" Kroger she speaks of. It was built just a couple years ago and it has a mini bar within, featuring various wines and beers on-tap (locally, lovingly known as the Krobar). Sure, Ashanté tried to make it seem like certain Kroger supermarkets were nefariously hoarding those shrimp rings and quinoa, but really she's just pissed her Kroger doesn't offer up any hooch by the glass. Trust me, lady, I too wonder why I can't be enjoying a frosty beer while I'm shuffling up and down the aisles at any of the three local Krogers in my area. It's still not an odious plot against you.

At least they razed the site of the Kroger on Ponce, the supermarket locally, lovingly known as Murder Kroger.

[Jizaboz]

Line is always so damn long at Dollar General every time I go. But hey it beats Walmart. Having one in either direction within 10 miles off hwy 24 was when I started to question things.

[Jizaboz]

Ha, so Jolt Cola is sold at one of them, Dollar General, I think. That has caused me to go into a few of them, because nobody else was selling my favorite vice.*

They're not... I mean, you go in there and the assumption is that everything is a dollar. Which things are not.

I guess the other thing is that it's good that low-cost grocery stores exist, because I live in a household where we, ah, go shopping in stores like the ones mentioned - Whole Foods. They are expensive as all hell. The experience is of being in the store is a little nicer, I guess. The aisles are bigger? But honestly, the only thing I care about when it comes to a grocery store is if there's enough room to park.

* Rocket Fizz, a candy store, has recently started selling Jolt Cola as well.

And yes wtf is up with aisle size? We’ve both already hacked walking to the left rather than the right in stores.