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    • bill
      Top reader of all time
      4 years ago

      Overall, driving across America (as I’m doing right now) has caused my moral compass to go bezerk. There are so many things to consider and I’m rarely sure how I feel about anything these days.

      But I know exactly how I feel about these Dollar Generals. They really freak me out. They’re everywhere!! They look so soulless and decrepit. The whole brand, even the name, “Dollar General” lacks heart. Quite disturbing. Capitalism.

      • nisroc4 years ago

        Heard a blurb on the radio the other day that a new "dollar store" (one from the top three chains) opens up every 6 hours.

        • bill
          Top reader of all time
          4 years ago

          Wow.

          One of these days I'll actually go into a Dollar General, poke around a bit, let you know how it goes. :P

    • nisroc5 years ago

      The next thing that will happen is Walmart will buy Dollar General; both companies use the exact same strategy, just targeting towns of different sizes: Walmart has the LARGE/MEDIUM, DG has the MEDIUM/SMALL, and numerous gas-station/convenience store chains have the SMALL. Hmm, WM could buy DG and then a few regional gas station-convenience store chains, and then a fleet of food trucks (EXTRA-SMALL) and control all of our buying options.

      Oh, and this line about the owner of the local grocery store caught my eye:

      "He owned the Foodliner alongside a job travelling a dozen states as a church pew cushion salesman."

      I doubt he has to worry about WM taking on the traveling church pew cushion salesman. :)

      • bill
        Top reader of all time
        4 years ago

        I wonder if WM and DG are already in cahoots.

      • erica5 years ago

        Dollar Generals are frequently found at the heart of “food deserts”, defined by the department of agriculture as a rural community where one-third of residents live more than 10 miles from a grocery store selling fresh produce.

        I think this is an important point. Dollar Generals are popping up where there aren't healthy alternatives. What's the answer? For these people not to have access to any grocery stores, or to provide access to a Dollar General even though it doesn't have the healthiest options?

        I agree with Alfers' way of thinking, and I don't empathize with people like Nech who owned the Foodliner. This is the nature of democracy, a marketplace economy, competition. If your customers would rather shop at Dollar General than Foodliner, it doesn't seem like they should be prevented from making that choice. I really like how Buhler handled the situation by having the people in the community vote. I choose to shop at independent bookstores rather than buy books on Amazon, but I don't think people should be forced to make that choice to protect local bookstore owners.