Rise Of The Dollar Stores ---- Cheaper Than Walmart

[TheMastersNemesis]

We are racing to the bottom in so many ways. Even in retail we now have thousands upon thousands of "dollar stores" competing with Walmart. Will 5 And 10 cent stores be on the way back.

As the masses can afford less retailers sell for less and less. Americans not seem to care if people have to work for less and less as long as it is not them.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

1. Those stores sell junk that's even worse quality than Wal-Mart would stock.

Which is saying a lot.

What people aren't thinking about is the poor consumer who is marginalized to the point which they have to purchase at a "dollar" store. They're reduced to buying sub par products designed to last for as short a time as possible. Even less than what a Wal-Mart product would last. I worked with some families a couple of years ago who used dollar stores as their primary source of shopping. They ate out of boxes and tins. They purchased clothes they knew they couldn't put in a dryer, so they hauled them back up stairs from the laundromat and hung the on the balcony to dry to try and get as much use out of their purchase as possible. They blamed themselves when the seams came apart, or the soles of their shoes fell off. Their kids played with toys missing parts that had fallen off ages ago.

Those stores are exploiting an even poorer demographic than those who shop at Wal-Marts.

Those stores are also hiring people to work for peanuts and then laying massive amounts of responsibility on them, not even vaguely representative to what they're being paid.

Cheap retailers who gouge their consumers, and take advantage of their workers are a part of the problem.

[Heather MC]

2. most of the stuff in Dollars stores is below the crap level but...

it's only a dollar LOL

[Freddie]

7. My son worked at Dollar Tree as a teen

Seemed like they treated their employees better than many retail places with relatively low turnover. Manager still there 5+ years later.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

39. The two major chains in the US are Dollar General and Family Dollar.

Dollar General is the largest and one of the fastest growing chains of the type. Dollar Tree is cut from a different cloth and really not in direct competition to the the other major chains due to the difference in the stock they carry. I've also been told they do treat their employees better. Dollar General has been plagued with accusations of working salaried managers up to 60 hours a week. Which is probably why their largest market share is still in the southern right to work states.

[Liberal_in_LA]

9. we have the 99cent store in LA, some bargains but many things to avoid

kitchen items like spatulas and can openers are made so cheaply as to be ridiculous. They fall apart immediately. Kitchen towels are threadbare thin.

Best items are name brands that are slightly damaged or didn't sell in regular store.

[blueamy66]

17. You cannot beat the produce prices.

or canned veggies or mens sox or office supplies or or or...the list goes on

I love going to the 99cent store.

It's not all crap.

[Honeycombe8]

24. Actually, the dollar store near me sells brand name products....

but it's not necessarily at a lower price than Target or WalMart. Only SOME things are $1.

Still, I can find some things that I need at a cheap price...the hair color I use has gotten less and less popular. The dollar store seems to be the only place I can still find it.

I buy crossword puzzle books for a relative in a nursing home. The dollar store has a lot of them, for less than Target does. They are more than $1, though! Still, they have a larger assortment than other stores.

Generally, the inventory of that dollar store is not very good. They carry only certain things, and not much of those things. So I go there only for my hair color and the crossword books.

[shintao]

34. I don't see that at my dollar store

The dollar store here sells everything for a dollar, much of it is name brand, much is made in China, with the biggest problem being the merchandise is limited to the value of the dollar, so a lot of stuff is not available there. You can get a lot of things there however that you cannot find at other stores. A lot of the food stuffs come from back east, and are not sold in west coast stores, so you find some interesting stuff.

Another store I shop is called Big Lots. They get a lot of high quality things from bay area stores, and I found some real good buys on ceramics there. They are also 50% cheaper on kitty treats that are demanded around here.

[IMG][/IMG]

[dixiegrrrrl]

63. I will admit..I do miss not having a Big Lots to shop at.

When I lived in more populated areas, thus more stores, Big Lots was worth a trip to carefully pick out things for the garden, and for decorating.
fortunately for my thin wallet, there is no temptation like that here.

[freshwest]

69. Big Lots are popular here, and thrift stores. Some of the best deals, and Amerian goods.

[RebelOne]

70. Luckily, I have a Big Lots almost around the corner from my house.

I love that place. They have some great bargains.

[Honeycombe8]

68. I've been meaning on going to a Big Lots for ages.

There's not one really close to me, but there's one not toooo far away. I keep forgetting to go, though.

[dixiegrrrrl]

27. The term "dollar stores" is a catch-all for several kinds of stores, not all of them bad.

Painting with a broad brush does not create for an accurate picture, I have found.

Where I live, there is, and has been for years and years, a "Dollar General" store, ( 2 of them now)
a "dollar Tree" store, a "Fred's" dollar store, and one other whose name I forget because I seldom see it.
They are ALL chain stores.
The one I shop at employs 90,000 people in the US., according to Wiki.

I buy name brand laundry products, brand name food stuffs, and brand name toothpaste, etc.
Over the years I have found which of their in house brands are reliable and use those also, such as Kleenex,
some canned vegetables, and they have the only wheat free soy sauce I can find in town.
There ARE items I would never buy in their stores, but I save a good amount of my very limited grocery budget there.

There is,also, sometimes a stereotype of dollar store customers, which also does not hold up, at least where I live.

[JoeyT]

32. The one you hardly ever see is

probably Family Dollar, Bill's, or Bargaintown.

Or god forbid Dirt Cheap. The store where the stereotypes are kind of true. The store where you can buy a tent in a box, get it home, and there's no tent. Just pegs and a box.

[dixiegrrrrl]

38. I do believe it IS Family Dollar.

tucked in an out of the way place, hardly any cars in parking lot, and very jumbled inside.
Fred's is somewhat the same messy cluttered type of store, altho heavily patronized, judging from parking lot.
Both of them have yuckky vibes, I don't bother with 'em.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

43. Actually, Dollar General is one of the worst "dollar" stores when it comes to it's employees.

They have a long history of overworking salaried employees and not providing enough hours to live on to their hourly employees. They're also the largest and fastest growing "dollar" store chain in the US. Don't even get me started on their direct competition the Family Dollar stores. They're also notorious for employee exploitation and on a personal level I think they're really dirty inside. At least the ones I've been into are.

Imagine if you live in a community where that was the only store in a reasonable distance to your home. That's what's increasingly taking place, it's actually a core of the Dollar General expansion strategy. These low end retailers are moving in and running the previous variety stores there out of business. Which was the case in the situation I mentioned above. Which leaves those consumers with nothing left to shop at locally except these types of stores.

While I am sure they do fill a void for some consumers, they're actually doing nothing more than what Wal-Marts did when they moved into communities and killed the local businesses. Except if you're using them to purchase your clothing, shoes, etc. You're actually getting a lesser quality product than you could get at a Wal-Mart. All in all, I still say we're lowering the bar for consumers. Which I realize is due to the lower wages many are earning and their need to still purchase goods.

As to the values you get at these chain dollar stores, I've been told they're the most affordable place to purchase milk by many people. I've also been told to watch the actual unit costs of items, because sometimes you're actually paying a bit more than if you shopped at a store which has more shelf space and can stock a larger - cheaper per unit - product.

I'm not broad brushing the people who shop at these stores. Not by any means actually. I just recognize they're not a discount community gem as some people keep thinking.

I also acknowledge there are many different types of "dollar" stores. I'm focusing on the major chains which are currently taking a lions share of the US low end discount sales market.

[bluestate10]

42. I don't agree. I visited relatives in a region that had such stores.

I purchased two national brand items for a fraction of what I pay for them at home. Could buying in bulk and passing the savings on to customers be part of the logic of dollar stores? The old Five and Ten stores bought bulk ans surplus back in the day. BTW, I don't know how much they earned, but the employees at the dollar store that I purchased the items from looked happy, were interacting with customers and cracking jokes. I also noticed that the stores were in the rougher parts of the city that I visited, bringing needed products to those regions. The store that I stopped in happened to have been on my way and there were no other choices, so I stopped in and was surprised by what I saw.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

59. So, since the employees weren't haggared and angry they're being fairly compensated for their work?

Really? OK.

Other than that, I've no idea what flavor of dollar store you were at, nor what region you were in. If it was a Dollar General, they're not employee friendly, the same applies for Family Dollar. The two largest chains of "dollar" stores in the US.

For what it's worth, Dollar General has been running the smaller franchise variety stores/dollar stores out of business. Neither Dollar General nor, Family Dollar offer franchises. A part of how they keep their prices down, is by offering less pay and benefits to their employees.

[shintao]

60. But then, for the poor, they are not supporting slavery

[Luminous Animal]

3. I walked into one once and I could barely breathe or see...

The ooze of chemicals from the products was overbearing.

[LeftInTX]

64. I don't know what it is, but I would like an explanation for that smell

LOL..They all smell the same.

One time my maid bought a cleaning product called Fabuloso
It made my house smell like a dollar store.

[blueamy66]

80. Fabuloso is popular with the Hispanic community.

Is your maid Hispanic?

[LeftInTX]

81. Si

[Jim Warren]

4. Where I live

in New England, dollar stores are waning, some have closed. I'm told Wmart is picking up the slack, cannot say for sure because I rarely go there, but supposedly they have dollar item aisles now???

[rug]

5. I once spent $47 in a Dollar Store.

[shintao]

40. I can't escape for under a $100. nt

[rug]

75. Compadre!

[awoke_in_2003]

6. In a pinch...

I picked up some dollar store batteries. Utter crap, didn't last long at all. The duracells I picked up cost three times more, and lasted five times longer.

[quaker bill]

8. It is apparently a turn key process

I have not checked with them on the details, but locally, one company is developing all of them. They buy the site, pull the permits, construct the building to the point of the certificate of occupancy being issued. The property and all the permits are then transferred to the owner/operator's company. The process is precise and consistent in a way I have rarely seen with other businesses. Fast foods don't usually go like this.

I expect the major corporation makes most of its money selling the franchise and building, because they pay very close attention to that process. Virtually every little town around here now has a Dollar General and a Family Dollar. Most of them built since 2007.

[bluestate10]

44. I pointed out above. I visited a Dollar General store.

I drove around a lot doing family activities. I noticed that the Dollar General stores were in places that big retailers avoided. The store that I visited was well staffed and clean. I purchased Glad sealing bags and a national brand drink for somewhere around 66% of what I pay for them at my grocer. The store was clean and stocked a large number of national brands at lower prices that I have seen - I was in a hurry, but slowed down to take notice of that. At the checkout counter, I noticed two women that were buying groceries at the store, the stuff looked like what I normally see and I didn't notice anything that I considered different other than the prices.

You mentioned the turnkey building operation. My guess is that a massive bulk purchase strategy is used to stock the stores, the prices on national brands seem to imply that end. The stores were spotted around the less desirable parts of the city and region, I am guessing that all are stocked from a central warehouse.

[SoCalDem]

10. Next up?

Foragers Markets..

Local dumps sell admission to people to forage for "stuff"..

[Bigmack]

26. We called the dump the "landfill free store"...

.. haven't been to a regular dump - as opposed to the "no picking" transfer station - in years, but I learned that people will throw anything away.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

11. Dollarama in Canada seems better than the pack,

Actually carrying name-brand merchandise.

[railsback]

35. Feeding Dollarama

..is feeding Bain Capital.

[bluestate10]

45. The Dollar General store that I visited served a poor neighborhood.

The prices for national brand merchandise was 66% of what I normally pay. The store was clean and mostly working class people appeared to have been buying there. The staff was helpful and friendly.

Now, the store serves a poor region and customers pay a fraction of what they would pay at retailers that serve more upscale regions. How is that bad, regardless of who is associated with the concept?

[railsback]

73. Well, that's the evil plan

You lower the costs of living so you don't have to pay employees so much.

[madrchsod]

12. i stop at the local dollar store 3-4 times a week.

it`s just down the street and it`s small enough that i can be in and out in less than 10 minutes. prices are decent for name brand stuff and the cheaper stuff is`t that bad. big plus is the people who work there are friendly and helpful. i can`t get everything there but i can get what i really need at the time.

[Glitterati]

14. A Dollar Store caution

Don't buy their OTC meds or toothpastes. They have all kinds of chemicals not meant for human consumption in them.

Seriously, don't buy anything you put in your mouth from these stores.

I, too, shop at Dollar store. I just don't purchase the stuff above.

Cleaning supplies and laundry supplies are much better priced than anywhere else. Kitchen supplies like wax paper, cling wrap and aluminum foil are all better priced.

[Nay]

28. Gotta agree with this. Don't buy anything you put in your mouth or any other orifices. I suspect

that a great deal of that stuff is 'gray' market stuff, maybe even with undetected melamine or other Chinese contaminants.

That said, I do buy their 50-cent greeting cards, some other paper products, etc.

Never the cheap plastics - they don't last at all and aren't that cheap.

[coalition_unwilling]

31. I have to disagree. The $0.99 store close to where I live sells the

5-oz. Mariana pouches of dried cranberries and tropical fruit medleys for $0.99/pouch. Same pouches sell at the Ralph's across the street for $2.49/bag. Same company, same product, but selling for 66% less at the dollar store. (We use the dried fruit to make the filling for stuffed baked apples, a staple in our household during the fall and winter months.)

One item to avoid at the $0.99 store are contraceptives, I would say. And yes I've seen condoms offered there for a significant discount over what one pays for them at the drugstore. But contraception is an area where it is probably better to pay full price and not take chances.

[shanti]

37. must be the locations

i'm in northern california and shop at the local 99cent store weekly. i don't buy any otc drugs there, but my store has a very large fresh produce section. much of it is from mexico, but not all. i buy all of my salad fixings and bagged veggies there (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots), as well as seasonal fruits. they also sell fresh eggs and dairy, and lots of frozen goods. a person could definitely survive off the food there, and eat healthily too, if they choose carefully. in the spring, they also sell garden seedlings, grow your own.

one can also eat very poorly there too, without trying too hard!

[bluestate10]

46. I can't disagree with you. My purchases were a national seal-able bag brand and a national

soft drink. I did notice two other shoppers buying groceries, the stuff looked good on a first glance. I was pleasantly shocked by what I saw and only stopped in because a relative insisted the stores were ok.

[KharmaTrain]

13. Riding Through Rural Illinois and Indiana Via The Dixie Highway...

...seemed like every small town I passed through had a Dollar General or Dollar Tree or similar store. Many of these towns had seen their small downtowns destroyed by Wal-Mart and few local retail stores...other than a couple of gas stations and a convenient store...remain. Seemed like the parking lots in most of the places we passed on a Sunday were full...

[datasuspect]

22. one or two bars

a few churches, revolving local restaurants on the main drag that always go out of business.

life in small town farm belt land.

[votesparks]

15. There's Even a Song About the Dollar Tree Economic Syndrome

Standing In The Shadows of The Dollar Tree Store, by drexel, the kind of song that is definitely banned from mass airplay in the U.S.

http://drexel.bandcamp.com/track/shadows-of-the-dollar-tree-store

[Barack_America]

16. Thrift stores, cheaper than dollar stores.

And, usually, better quality items.

[tabbycat31]

18. I buy hair clips there all the time

I lose and break them like crazy so I might as well get them cheap

[lynne]

19. LOL! I love the Dollar Store -

- purchased Christmas themed china plates with matching salt and pepper shakers there years ago. Yes, CHINA. Not plastic. Have used them during the holidays for about 8 years. Each piece $1. Set of 12 plates and 2 sets of shakers cost me $16. Pretty good value, IMO.

BEST place on the planet to get soap. Body soap. Pump hand soap. Much cheaper than Walmart or Aldi.

Still using silk poinsettia's I purchased at the Dollar Store a few years ago for $1./bunch. I insert them into the Christmas tree so that bursts of flowers come out next to the ornaments. Considering how long they've lasted, another value purchase.

I've got no problem shopping elsewhere providing the store can sell me what I need in the quantity and quality I need it for the same price. If they can't, I go elsewhere and that includes the Dollar Store.

[PeaceNikki]

21. They are mostly franchises, too. This means they are locally owned small businesses. Unlike Walmart.

[bluestate10]

47. My one experience with a Dollar Store was good.

It seemed to have been a cross between a big grocer and a convenience store, with prices that were better than both. I am glad to see several positive posts about them other that the rip the evil corporate beasts posts typically seen on DU.

BTW, the cashier and staff were friendly and efficient. I saw what looked like poorer people shopping at the store.

[samsingh]

55. that's what i like about them

[PeaceNikki]

57. I know the 2 majors are not, but many are. And franchises *ARE* local small business owners.

And I support small business owners in my community.

[samsingh]

61. so do i, even when it costs more

[vankuria]

66. I love it too!

Lots of our Christmas decorations come from the dollar store and have lasted us for years. Also where I buy wrapping paper, gift bags, bows, etc. I also get stuff for the kitchen such as spatulas, serving spoons, and even bought some awesome dinner plates and glasses that have worn quite well over the years. Also brand name cleaning supplies, you can't beat the prices.

I have fond memories of bringing my sweet Mom there in her wheelchair, she was on a budget and loved all the good buys. The one we went to was huge with nice wide aisles, very clean, well organized and friendly staff. We'd walk out with all these bags and marvel at how little we spent!

Not everyone shopping at them is down and out, but for folks on limited incomes they definately serve a spurpose.

[niyad]

20. unfortunately, in this wonderful society of ours, that is all many people can afford.

[ohheckyeah]

53. Dollar General and Family Dollar Store

often open stores in under-served areas. I prefer Dollar General but recently a Family Dollar Store opened about 5 miles from where I live. That means I can make a 10 miles round trip for an item instead of a 26 miles round trip. It came in handy when I realized I didn't have any gift boxes as I got ready to wrap Christmas gifts. It's really convenient for many people in our area.

[datasuspect]

23. dollar stores, payday loan stores, gas stations, and liquor stores

god bless murka!

[Honeycombe8]

25. America has always had 5 and Dime stores. Nothing has changed.

Except their items are a lot more than a nickel and a dime.

"Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean" is a famous old play.

[raccoon]

65. Except in those days a nickel or a dime would go lots further than a dollar does now.

And their products weren't as shoddy.

[kenny blankenship]

29. Where else are people who work at Walmart and Target supposed to shop?

Goodwill?

[bluestate10]

48. Some DU members turn their noses up at a lot of things.

I was impressed by the store that I stopped in. It's customer base appeared poorer, but the items and service was top notch. And the store was serving an area that I knew to be a retail depressed region. The Dollar General store apparently put stores that sold stale bread and meats to the people in the community out of business - I knew about the stores because a relative dragged me into both before I refused to buy items from them for a family picnic - we went elsewhere and found quality products.

[JI7]

77. Goodwill usually has better quality stuff

the stuff is used mostly but things that could still be used. it's mostly stuff people gave away because they just needed to get rid of stuff for whatever reason.

[Dreamer Tatum]

30. Dollar stores have been around forever

Because people like saving money. I am still waiting for someone to show me the mythical time in American history when everyone had money to blow.

[blueamy66]

33. Thank you.

To those holier than thou people that won't step foot in a dollar store....

[bluestate10]

49. I don't see them where I live. I visited family and saw them.

I had doubts until I had to go into a Dollar General store to pick up to items to avoid a long drive elsewhere. I was cautious, the rental car that I was driving was far superior to anything in the store's parking lot. But once inside, I found the store to be clean, well laid out and well stocked, the staff helpful, efficient and friendly and the customers that I crossed paths with cool.

[datasuspect]

36. I think it's because main street USA

has dollar stores and little else.

now, there are thriving main streets. sycamore, IL comes to mind.

maybe not thriving, but not dead.

a better example would be pt arthur, TX - a ghost town.

dollar stores/five and dimes have always been around, but communities also had very useful, LOCAL businesses too: butcher, baker, candlestick maker, theater, etc.

there's some towns, you get a rotating bar or restaurant that goes out of business in six months, a bunch of empty storefronts and a dollar store that never goes out of business.

[bluestate10]

51. What is happening is the segmentation of retail and placement of outlets

between upscale regions and less upscale regions. That has always happened to some extent, but as the Middle Class shrinks the differences that I observe seem to become sharper.

[libdem4life]

41. There will always be a Five and Dime. WalMart has moved out of that position.

Same with many big box discount stores ... 1/3 merchandise is below retail, 1/3 is at retail, and 1/3 above retail, while stocking nearly every need or want under their roof.

They pay huge marketing salaries to track it down to the penny, move the "Rollback" prices and goods around endlessly, buy in gigantic lots, and charge phenomenal advertising rates for the aisle displays. There is a reason why the Walton family is probably among the .1%

Those who shop for bargains, we will always have with us.

[SheilaT]

50. If the Dollar Stores (to use the generic term) are selling things

much more cheaply than other stores, how do they accomplish that? Like WalMart, are they getting incredibly cheaply made things from their suppliers, things made by slave labor in China or elsewhere?

As for the food items, what are the expiration dates?

Even though several of those stores have recently been built within a couple of miles of where I live, I have never been in one of them. I long ago learned that the saying "You get what you pay for" is very true. If clothing is so shoddily made that it cannot survive going in the drier, than it's quite possible over the medium and long haul you are paying more for clothes than if you bought slightly better made things at, say, Target. And so on.

[bluestate10]

56. I visited family and shopped for items at one Dollar Store.

I suggest that you step into one and walk around, you, like me may be surprised by what you see.

BTW, the national brand plastic bags that I purchased are made in the USA and are the brand that I use at home. I looked around the isle that had them and a couple of nearest isles and SW impressed by what I saw, name brand offerings at low prices.

I am guessing that the stores are serviced by a big warehouser that buys in enormous bulk and pass most of the savings on. I didn't buy veggies or meat but came across two shoppers that were buying some of those items, they looked good to me.

I wasn't there to buy clothes, so I don't know what was in there. I buy all of my clothes over the internet after switching to USA made only clothing and shoes a few years back.

[SheilaT]

67. If they can sell so cheaply just by buying in enormous

bulk, then why isn't WalMart doing the very same thing, instead of utilizing off-shore vendors whose workers put in 16 hour days under terrible conditions?

It just makes me incredibly suspicious that these stores apparently are selling goods made in the USA so very cheaply, while the standard big box stores are selling goods made overseas. There's some important piece of information missing, and I have no idea what it is.

And I'd still want to know about expiration dates on the food.

Perhaps I'll consider going in to one of them just for research purposes.

[blueamy66]

74. If you have never been in one of them, you really

don't know what you speak of.

One can tell if fresh produce has "expired". Can you tell me at what grocery store one can buy 2 portabello mushrooms for 99 cents? How about 3 red bell peppers? Or yellow ones? Or a lb. of brussel sprouts? Or a bag of mixed greens? Or 3 cucumbers? Or a bag of potatoes? Or 6-8 Roma tomatoes?

[SheilaT]

76. I'm not referring to fresh produce, although

anyone who shops enough can tell fresh produce from not-so-fresh produce.

I'm talking about things like cans of tuna, or yogurt, or whatever other foodstuffs they sell that would normally carry an expiration date.

[blueamy66]

79. You're the one that wrote "you get what you pay for".

And I pointed out some great buys on great produce.

You should actually go into one.....

[Skittles]

52. dollar stores are simply selling cheap offshore garbage for what it is worth

[bluestate10]

58. The two items that I purchased were USA made national brands.

I know because I purchased them for a reason, they are what I buy when at home. I am a made in USA fanatic, I pay attention to the sourcing of products that I buy. When I walked into the Dollar Store I was concerned that it would have imported, poor quality stuff, but was surprised to see GLAD and Tupperware USA made items being offered a low prices.

[Skittles]

62. HEY, I look for Made in USA too!

for example, I absolutely REFUSE to buy offshore Christmas cards and it gets harder every year to find them!

[In_The_Wind]

54. I have a Dollar Tree shopping list.

I stay away from Walmart and Sam's Club.

[NickB79]

71. I like frequenting our Dollar Tree stores

There are two of them within 15 miles of me, and I stop there frequently. Everything in the store is $1 or less.

I've found that, for items that will be disposed of quickly anyway, it's a pretty good value. We decorated our entire garage for our daughter's 2nd birthday using streamers, balloons, napkins, paper plates and plastic utensils purchased there, and saved a good deal of money compared to Walmart or Target.

I like their office supply selection, as well as their generic household cleaning supplies. Generic soap and bleach work as well as namebrand from my experience.

We picked up a lot of cute stocking stuffers this Christmas as well. My daughter LOVES puzzles, and I was pleasantly surprised that they had decent puzzles with thick tiles that don't tear apart after the first use. Also, my wife actually built our tree this year using a 3' tall cone-shaped iron obelisk I had in the garden for beans to climb up, wrapped in $8 worth of green garland. Once we put the lights and star on, it looked sweet!

One thing I will not touch are the food items. I've found that virtually everything can be had cheaper at Aldi instead, and is more nutritious. Most of the food they sell is heavily processed and loaded with salt, preservatives and fat like you wouldn't believe.

[LeftInTX]

72. They've got good deals on "art"

I used to buy "hand paintings" there.

They are actually computer generated, probably made in China, but they are acrylic or oil and look like the real deal. I got lots of nice landscapes, waterfall paintings etc.

For a buck or so, it is dirt cheap.

[adirondacker]

78. Just smaller versions of the larger solid waste transfer stations otherwise known as Walmart,

Lowes, and Home Depot. More shit to throw into the ground and ocean. Yay! USA!