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comment by nexto
nexto  ·  2075 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Where even Walmart won't go: how Dollar General took over rural America

I don't think I can get on the anti-DG train. Sure it cuts into Kroger's profits when I go buy my soap or catfood from Doller General, but it saves me 20 minutes worth of driving and is a faster shopping experience. I live in a semi-well populated area though, so my DG isn't the best example.

Take the stores in <1000 person towns though.. We have a lot of those in the southeast. Name me anything else that can hang on there.. Like tacocat's video said, 90% of all Americans are within 10 miles to the nearest Walmart. It's not DG that put the local grocery out of business in BFE, Mississippi; it was the Walmart 10-20 minutes away. But 10 miles is a long ass way when you don't have much gas, or maybe don't have a car at all. Or maybe you do, but all you need is the soap or cat food that you forgot earlier. Therein lies a challenging but viable business opportunity, and Dollar General has been the only company streamlined and we'll organized enough to capitalize on it. They're like a fucking desert shrub, and one of the few business models able to exist in the wake of giants like Walmart and Kroger. I can't help but admire that a little.





tacocat  ·  2074 days ago  ·  link  ·  

    I can't help but admire that a little.

I can't help but shop there because I'm poor as I also say fuck you, why do we need a Dollar General two blocks away from a Family Dollar. I can't make ethical shopping decisions because I'm strapped for cash. See also my Amazon account and my opinion that it's a dangerous monopoly. Whatcha gonna do? is my motto lately. Fucking nothing because I'm poor is the answer

kleinbl00  ·  2074 days ago  ·  link  ·  

So long as we're being brutally frank, I took a long, hard look at the future of industry and economics in the United States and said "where's my top hat and pince nez, I'ma sell expensive hand-made luxury items to rich fuckers."

You can't fight the tide, man. Sometimes your only recourse is to grab a surfboard and hang on for dear life.

tacocat  ·  2074 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Being at the mercy of the tide is some bullshit though

kleinbl00  ·  2074 days ago  ·  link  ·  

You have just elaborated the tragedy of the commons.

From a biomass standpoint, an algal bloom is a resounding success. From a health and diversity standpoint, it's a catastrophe.

dublinben  ·  2074 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I think the bigger point is that the <1000 person towns in BFE, Mississippi themselves are barely hanging on, and are on their way out. Dollar General is just a symptom of the demise of these small towns, not the primary cause.