Trash-Ass Food
No it’s not your imagination if you’ve seen more Dollar Stores popping up around town, than any other store. This is strategic placement as the Dollar Store brand prepares for what marketers are calling, a “Permanent Underclass”. Dollar Stores now sell more groceries than Whole Foods! Why is this sad news, because the Dollar Store does not provide foods that contain proper nutrients, and these stores are popping up in every poor and low-income area across the United States.
Dollar Stores don’t sell ANY fresh fruit, no fresh vegetables, and no fresh meat (although the Dollar General brand says they are now testing this idea in 1 percent of its stores). Unfortunately, for many low-income people, these stores have quickly become the primary means of how poor people get their food. Astoundingly, Dollar General and Dollar Tree outpace Whole Foods stores by more than $10 billion. In some areas, you can find the Dollar Store and Dollar General brands, very often within one to two miles of each other. These stores have increased rapidly as they prepare to supply the “Permanent Underclass”. These stores target poor and predominantly black areas, according to a new report from the community development nonprofit Institute for Local Self-Reliance (the ILSR).
It’s Food, But It’s Not FOOD Food
This is a tragedy, especially for areas that are considered “food deserts”. Dollar Store food selection is primarily limited to canned foods with way too much sodium, processed foods which are high in unhealthy/refined/cheap fats, microwavable foods which tend to be loaded with fat, sodium, and calories. According to News Week, the Dollar General website for “Fresh Food” advertises: Banquet Bowls, Frozen Pizza, Lunchables, Hot Pockets, blocks of cheese, and pumpkins (all trash, even the pumpkin).
Demographics
Even though Dollar Stores are convenient, what they are doing to poor communities is awful, and unfortunately, the growth of these stores doesn’t seem to be slowing. They have 30,000 stores across the U.S., more than Starbucks and Walmart combined, they are planning for 20,000 additional stores, and the Dollar Store brand is opening four stores per day across the country! And, do you know who their customers are? You guessed it, they have three main demographics: (1) POOR, (2) BLACK, (3) RURAL. But this story gets worse, because the Dollar Store brand that gets rich off of the backs of poor people are betting on one thing – “The Permanent Underclass”. That’s right, the Dollar Store brands are basically betting AGAINST the people they serve. Real estate analyst Garrick Brown told Bloomberg in 2017, “Essentially what the dollar stores are betting on in a large way is that we are going to have a permanent underclass in America.” Dollar General CEO Todd Vasos told The Wall Street Journal, “The economy is continuing to create more of our core customers.”
With these statements, these brands understand the worse the economy gets, the more money their stores make; they are betting that the poor stay poor, and have no other choice than to shop at a Dollar Store location. Basically, the more blacks struggle, the richer they get.
More Fu@kery
In all honesty, Dollar Stores are not even actually cheap, they trick buyers into thinking they are spending less money. Dollar Stores have huge profit margins, they are able to package goods in small quantities at a point where they can price them low. However, the value of the small quantity drops, and customers are actually getting less for their money. When you buy in bulk, you actually save more money; but when people are poor, they are unable to buy in bulk, so they buy smaller quantities at a higher costs per item. Dollar General and many other companies are jumping on board of making millions from poor people. Coke also created a Dollar General exclusive soda can, these sodas had military labels, and took aim at the 1.5 million veterans who are currently living in poverty, who shop at these stores – sad. As if the fu@kery couldn’t get any more ridiculous, Dollar General also helped lobby against Obamacare, something that many poor families need in order to afford basic health care.
What Can We Do?
Demand more from Dollar Stores and Dollar Generals. Demand that these corporations become a solution to the food desert problem plaguing many poor communities. Demand that they offer fresher/real/whole foods in areas that lack these options. If Dollar Stores refuse, shop at your local community fresh farms and markets if their are any available. Demand more from local officials, and explain how giving poor people fresher food options will save on healthcare and tax burdens within your city. Let’s keep having this conversation and wherever you see a Dollar Store or Dollar Tree being built in your neighborhood, learn to ask more questions.
Source: ISLR
News Week
Syllabus Magazine, the Carolina’s source for Music, Culture and Fashion
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