Dollar Stores Are Killing Independent Grocers | Eater

"A rapidly expanding discount chain that opens roughly three stores a day and increasingly targets rural and low-income neighborhoods, where it often becomes the primary nearby retailer. Its business model deliberately profits from cash-strapped shoppers—low-income households make up a disproportionately large share of its sales—and executives have publicly described those customers as core to growth. Stores primarily sell shelf-stable and packaged goods, and while a limited pilot of about 450 locations has added refrigerated sections, fresh and frozen offerings remain narrow (processed meats, some dairy, and frozen meals). Economists and local advocates say the chain undercuts independent grocers by capturing high-margin paper and dry goods, typically causing local grocery sales to drop roughly 30 percent after a new location opens; stores also employ fewer people per site than independent grocers and send profits and merchandising decisions to a distant corporate headquarters." - Claire Kelloway