Dollar General Stores

[ekrampitzjr]

DG has opened a bunch of stores in small spots that had absolutely nothing else any more. For those communities they are today's equivalent to the old-fashioned general store. I get some things from DG. They're handy sometimes.

Their big problem is in trying to skimp on the number of employees, so things don't get done. Example: some DG stores in other parts of the country had so much stock to be put away piled in the narrow aisles that fire marshals forced them to close for business until the aisles were cleared.

 

[dlundblad]

As i Said above I myself often shop there, but I notice a lot of poor people shop there as well.
While many who are poor due to no fault of their own, I think most would agree, the majority of the poor got there via poor descions, poor social skills, and/or low competencies.
So, in light of this, the driving behaviour you see, makes sense.

Just to be clear, my post was not making fun of “poor people.” (That was your choice of words, not mine.)

Poor driving habits, manners, and financial well being have no correlation.

 

[ATex7239]

I’ll go to the DG sometimes when I only need a few items (paper towels, waters or something small.) It is closer and faster the grocery stores. But that said, like WM I do have to mentally prepare myself cause I know I might see some wild $#*&!

 

[Wingo]

Some of your folks' DG stores must be a lot different than mine. Pretty rural here, but usually only a couple other people in the store when I'm there. Haven't seen any weird hijinx. Only aggravation I've had is someone with a piled cart full of stuff, one cashier, and some coupons. Nobodies fault. But that has been remedied, most have put in a couple self checkouts now.

 

[PF52]

They're handy sometimes, like when I'm on a road trip and need AA batteries in a hurry and they're the only place in a small town that sells them. But a package of 8 AAs is mighty expensive there. You pay for the convenience.

I'm pretty sure that's the only thing I've ever bought there.

 

[SC Maintenance]

which state?

I have seen posted minimum speeds on the interstates, but not on other roads.

South Carolina. Its never enforced - don't worry.


SECTION 56-5-1560.

(a) Impeding traffic by slow speed prohibited. –No person shall drive a motor vehicle at such a slow speed as to impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic except when reduced speed is necessary for safe operation or in compliance with law.

 

[PontiacHO]

Do you like them or not? I realize it is a bunch of cheap Chinese crap, for the most part and selection is limited.
We have one here and it is OK.

Town where I grew up is about 850 residents. Grocery and drug stores both closed years ago. Only choice was a Casey's General Store.

DG came to town and built a store. They have been a God send for that small community. At least you can get basics there and not pay Casey's prices.
Otherwise, they had to drive 18 miles to the closest sizeable town.

In your case they do provide an economical alternative. In other cities though they typically become sources for thuggery theft and parking lot hangouts.

 

[Thermo1223]

I found this extremely interesting with a lot of truth.



Edit: Beaten like a dead horse

 

[Kira]

Video stores propagated....then they went through "natural" attrition. I'd love to see data on those shops.
I wonder how many are left.

I believe dollar stores' business model has corporate ownership of the stores as a centerpiece.
Ergo, "troubled" locations will always be less prone to closure.

My "social commentary" re dollar stores I've been in (few) is that they have more print magazines than I'm accustomed to seeing.

HONORABLE MENTION: A staffer working in one of them (forget the exact chain) warned me about buying the house brand Zip-Lock bags.
She voluntarily told me they were garbage. Thanks girl!

 

[SC Maintenance]

I travel all across the SE in rural areas, because they don't build factories in the city. I have seen a lot of these DG's pop up. I don't know who they ran out of business but in a lot of cases it appears there was nothing else around previously - so I would guess its a good thing.

Having said that, I have ever only been into one. It was near the city, and the stereotypes others describe were exactly my experience. I have been in Walmart's in the city I will never set foot in again as well, so I imagine the store is a fairly good representation of the surrounding community.

 

[Pew]

I will say, one of the craziest things I've seen at any store was a DG in Oklahoma where two folks had a cart full of Hostess snacks. Like 30 boxes of nutter butter, Twinkie, etc and nothing else.

 

[TimeFlies]

Having never been to a Dollar General store myself, we don't have them. I go to a dollar store maybe 5 times a year, and never had a bad experience in one. Was there 2 days ago, bought some Christmas cards, Pringles chips, wrapping paper, laces for my boots, measuring cup, turkey baster, and tinfoil. Didn't feel ripped off, store was clean enough, staff seemed cheerful, other customers were not smelly or obnoxious.

And since this thread picked up a side subject about slow drivers, I'll comment on that topic.
I would much rather share the road with a slow driver, than some speeding maniac.
My truck loaded is about 130,000 lbs, and the terrain around me is mountainous. Frequently i am doing 1/4 of the posted maximum speed limit, or less.
We get fog so thick i can barely see, snow blizzards, icy roads, deep snow, and more, where driving half the maximum speed even on a flat feels too fast. Several times I have encountered police out, coming towards me, or even following me, and they seem unconcerned about how slow I may be driving. So if we even have a law about slow driving, it definitely isn't enforced. Those who speed, drive with no regard for others, are the ones that I wish would stay home, or better yet sell their cars.
Want to drive fast, sign up for a track day.
Mad at me for doing 25 kms/hr on the hwy, when the sign says 100 maximum, ever considered that is all I can do.

 

[SC Maintenance]

I go to a dollar store maybe 5 times a year,

Dollar General is not like the dollar stores. Its more like a regular walmart but very small. They have everything from Frozen food to household goods to 3 in 1 oil - priced around what any other store might sell at +/-. I thought the same years ago, but not the same.

 

[TimeFlies]

Dollar General is not like the dollar stores. Its more like a regular walmart but very small. They have everything from Frozen food to household goods to 3 in 1 oil - priced around what any other store might sell at +/-. I thought the same years ago, but not the same.

If I ever see one, it would be fun to stop just to see it.

 

[bunnspecial]

They pop up all over the place around here.

We have one about a mile away that's fairly new.

I'm mixed on it-on one hand we're not particularly far away from proper grocery stores(Schnuck's, Wal-Mart Marketplace, and for the budget mined Aldi and Ruler) and larger general mechandise stores like Wal-Mart and Target are not much further away.

Still, though, the location is convenient. They are an easy walk from several apartments and such in town, and there's really nowhere else in town aside from overpriced stuff at Casey's down the street. They really do serve a valuable purpose, IMO, for people who for whatever reason are unable or unwilling to drive, especially since the larger stores I mentioned would not be an easy walk from here.

At the same time, it seems like their prices have gone way up compared to a few years ago. I use to go to Dollar General or Family Dollar to buy things like wash tubs and the like for the garage. I knew I wasn't getting the best quality stuff, but it was hard to beat for the prices I use to pay. The last time I went in there, I bought 3 18qt wash tubs and they were something like $5 each. My wife looked and found 20 qt. ones at Target for something like $4.50. That's just one example I can think of, but I don't really consider them a place anymore to get a bargain on things like this.

As another side note, about a year ago my wife and I found ourselves staying ovemight in a VERY rural area of Missouri. She'd wanted to visit Marceline, MO for a while, and we took a weekend trip there. There really was not much in the town after they closed up at about 4:00PM on a Saturday, and we ended up driving 30 miles or so for dinner. Across from our hotel, though, was a fairly large "DG Market." We went in there just to walk around and look since, well, there wasn't anything else to do. They had a pretty surprising selection of groceries and such. They weren't CHEAP, but they were certainly better than convenient store prices, which would have been your only other option in the town. I just did a bit of poking around and the closest I could find to anything resembling a "real" grocery store was a Wal-Mart that's 30-something miles away. These "DG Markets" were all over the place, and I imagine they do provide a real service to the people who live in all these little towns.

 

[belbers9715]

I live in a small village of roughly 1,000 residents in Michigan's thumb. We got a Dollar General here a few years ago and it has been great. Dollar General is doing smart business by putting up their stores in rural areas with few options. In the past if I wanted to get something quickly for dinner or whatever I would have to drive 15 miles. Half a mile is a lot better.

 

[Vern_in_IL]

i was going to post this myself...

Clean? not any DG ive been in the past few years... usually half the aisles are full of carts of stock, the lone employee is trying to put out between customers.

They are clean cause all of them are so new. All DG stores around here have been built in the last 8 years.

 

[Hermann]

Yesterday my Lady Friend got her SS check right before Xmas. DG had stuff marked down already. She spent $96. Yes the stores are small . I found 6 AAA batteries for a buck. Great price for Gen purpose non-alkalines for remotes and mini flashlights. They have a decent life.

They're handy sometimes, like when I'm on a road trip and need AA batteries in a hurry and they're the only place in a small town that sells them. But a package of 8 AAs is mighty expensive there. You pay for the convenience.

I'm pretty sure that's the only thing I've ever bought there.

An 8 pack of AA's if alkaline, are expensive everywhere these days.

 

[SC Maintenance]

If I ever see one, it would be fun to stop just to see it.

Yes, that's the only time I have been in one. I had some time to kill, so I dropped in to one. It was near the city though. I should drop into one of the more rural ones just to see if its different?

 

[Passport1]

I stop into a DG once in a while for the convenience. While not poor I blend in easily with the usual clientele there.