4774 Dollar Tree Sort Of

 

You can’t see the whole storefront in the picture.  But the smaller signs on the left and right each say “Everything’s $1.00.”  Now, they’re busy clipping the sign’s wings.  Why? Because they’re no longer true.  The company finally knuckled under to cost pressure and raised some prices above a buck.

 

The other so-called “dollar stores” did it years ago. So it was only a matter of time.  DT was the only remaining place of its ilk that’s held on to the one price model since the beginning, which in this case was 35 years.

 

These stores peddle name brands that were made for export or made offshore or looked a lot like stuff you buy in the supermarket for a few cents more, or were a little lower in weight, though always clearly marked. And they sell brands you never heard of.

 

The end of an era.

 

The higher prices don’t apply to everything. In some cases, it’s only a few items.  But now that they’ve broken the dollar barrier, you know what’s coming next.

 

This, of course, is understandable. Stuff costs more to make these days. Imports are getting more expensive from sitting in cargo ships lined up and waiting for the docks to clear.  All that costs.  So, the alternatives were to cut the selection or raise some prices.

 

Empty shelves in a store emit a poverty vibe. So if a high stack of party plates or a package of plastic tableware costs a few cents more, well… either suck it up or buy a smaller stack. Those shelves have to look full else that’s a turnoff.

 

Retailing is show biz.  Even high end retailing.  In fact, you can know the act by just walking in.  If you’re looking for shoes and there are 100 pairs sitting in disarray on racks, you automatically know what the place is about.  If there are ten pairs, each in its own lighted glass cubes on pedestals or in recessed spaces in the walls, you know what that means, too.

 

Old school discounters knew this.  They used a display protocol called dump-stuff-on-a table and let people pick through it.  Mid-price department stores kept three foot walking space between racks. Real high enders: Lighted glass cubes on pedestals. 

 

Dollar Tree is kind of in the middle.  There are no tables on which to dump tubes of toothpaste, but by the time they’ve been open for half a day, the shelves often are in chaos, with 25% of the merchandise on the floor.

 

No beef with DT. They fill a niche somewhere between what Woolworth’s once was and Wal-mart is now.

 

We Americans love tradition, even if we don’t admit it. This one inflicts pain. Not major pain. But something. Now which aisle has the BenGay?

 

I’m Wes Richards. My opinions are my own but you’re welcome to them. ®

Any Questions? wesrichards@gmail.com

© WR 2021