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Dollar-stores overcharge customers while promising low prices

(www.theguardian.com)
510 points bookofjoe | 2 comments | 07 Dec 25 14:37 UTC | HN request time: 0.001s | source
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_fat_santa ◴[07 Dec 25 16:17 UTC] No.46182794[source]▶
I experienced this first hand maybe a year ago when I randomly walked into a dollar general to get something, their prices often times are pretty close to the "regular" versions of the product, but packaged specifically for dollar stores.

I get why people shop at them in rural places because that's the only shop within 10-20 miles but in cities it makes no sense. Had prices been 20-30% cheaper but in a smaller size it would still be a ripoff but an understandable one, but often times I saw products that were priced just 3-5% below their standard counterparts while giving you maybe 30%-50% of the product.

replies(2): >>46182852 #>>46184743 #
1. silisili ◴[07 Dec 25 20:16 UTC] No.46184743[source]▶
Same. My city has a Walmart, Publix, Food Lion, Kroger, and Aldi. Yet they keep building dollar stores, I think there's now 5 within 10 miles of my house. They all seem to do decent traffic, which baffles me. The stores are a mess, items disheveled everywhere, and rare to see more than a single person working. Really depressing places, I cannot figure out their appeal.
replies(1): >>46186218 #
2. bombcar ◴[07 Dec 25 22:58 UTC] No.46186218[source]▶
People still think they’re getting. Deal. They’ll figure it out eventually. Same with goodwill selling clothes for at or above new prices, eventually the knowledge propagates.

The main thing keeping the local dollar stores alive is the death of Party City as far as I can tell.