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this post was submitted on 11 Apr 2024
67 points (94.7% liked)
Economics
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Good, they just sell cheap crap that promotes over-consumption.
If you don't have 99 cent only stores in your area, you may not realize their stores are about 50% food and many people buy just essentials there. We also have dollar tree, which is mainly cheap crap. We just got a five below, now that store is entirely unneeded junk.
It cost more. When I had a $200 budget for food a month I went to Costco and bought a bug bag of rice, 5 dozen eggs, fuck ton of tuna fish, and dried mashed potatoes. Buying in bulk is the way and the shit at dollar stores cost way more per quantity.
https://www.businessinsider.com/dollar-general-dollar-tree-pricier-per-ounce-shoppers-still-benefit-2023-8
People don't have money to buy in bulk... I don't think you realize how many people are trying to feed themselves for $15 a week.
It's true that items can cost more pound for pound, but there's still a place in the market for them. I see a lot of elderly people shopping at the one near me. That demographic may eat very little and live in little spaces where it is hard to store bulk goods. They may have mobility issues and find it difficult to travel to Costco and carry/manage those large bulk items. Maybe getting rice and dry goods there is economical but produce, meats and breads may go bad before they are consumed in single person households.
All of that takes up less space than a mini fridge but I will give you that it is a bit unweildy to get home. You could get a months worth of food on two or three bus rides. All of that stuff is stable for at least a month. I did that for 2 years while trying to survive on minimum wage.
Also the dollar store charges a TON for membership and won't let you shop unless you provide your clearance papers.