How Dollar Tree Conquered Low Income America
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- čas přidán 28. 05. 2024
- From the outside, Dollar Tree is a fun, harmless store to buy random, gimmicky, short-lived products for a buck. But go inside, and Dollar Tree is a ruthless business empire who knows that its best customers are low income Americans. The company will do everything it can to suffocate the competition and be the only store physically available in low income communities, small towns, and rural America. So poor Americans keep buying Dollar Tree no matter how flimsy or low quality its products are, because there’s no other store that they can afford or is available in their neighborhood.
Retail, at the most abstract, is the heartbeat that fuels daily domestic consumption which in turn drives the American economy. But what happens when that consumption, spending, and money printing finally catches up? 15% inflation. The highest increase in prices since the 1980s. $8 a gallon for gas. Shipping delays. Supply chain problems. Labor shortages.
There is one Fortune 500 corporation that despite the supply chain issues, labor shortages, inflation, gas costs, is so committed to giving you a discount that it puts it in their name. That company is the Dollar Tree.
Dollar Tree doesn’t rely on any of the traditional retail playbooks. No flashy white lighting or minimalism decor, no modern sans-serif branding, and no marketing to millennials. Dollar Tree’s vicious conquest of low-income and rural America has been so successful that the company has found itself in hot water. Cities, small towns, and rural communities in New Orleans, Kansas City, and Birmingham have united to ban Dollar Tree from opening more stores in their neighborhoods.
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🎧 Audio Editing & Mixing: Sonalf
0:00 Deceiving Appearances
3:42 Store Design & Pricing Strategy
6:16 Shopping Experience
7:23 Conservative Nature
9:06 Family Dollar
10:57 Comparison to Walmart & Target
11:40 Advantage Over Heavyweights
13:41 Speed with Scale - Věda a technologie
Shopping at Dollar Tree was always a boon when I was at my lowest. Not only could I feed myself for next to nothing but the cashiers were always so lovely because at the end of it you're shopping at Dollar Tree for pasta and milk and processed cheese and they know how bad you're doing. It was a good lesson in community.
They know their customers. You can walk in with $20 & leave with a shitload of stuff with some change left over
Prices have now jumped to $1.25 or $1.33 after taxes
@@PraveenSriram im still not mad at it
This is really hearth warming
It's more like $1.25 to $2.50 and $3.25!
They're becoming a mixed priced store!
Not to mention the cost of labor! When I walk into dollar tree, I'm hard pressed to find more than 3 employees for the entire store. Walmart has quite a bit more employees per square foot!
True, never expect help when shopping at dollar tree lol
Yet I'm never able to find a worker at Walmart when I need them : ^)
They pay daily at the dollar trees by my house
This is true. I work at DT and there isn’t normally more people than a manager, a cashier, and if you’re lucky, a stocker.
I wouldn’t say that 🤣 barely any workers at the Walmart’s near me
What I love about dollar stores is that you can take a little kid there and let them pick 5-10 items themselves and they’ll be much happier than if you take them to a toy store and get them one $25-40 toy. In either case, they’ll grow out of whatever you buy them within a year, but the cheaper option actually makes them happier at the time. This works for little kids until they get brainwashed by advertising to only want branded products. Haha…
I know! That changeover is around 12 to 13. My 11 year old still loves the dollar tree or 99c store but the older ones wanna go to the mall 😭
I always love that theres some kind of ice cream for $1, they had a great frozen twix for a while.
I remember lots of fond memories of going to the Dollar Store, I grew up in a wealthier neighborhood in New York so going somewhere like Dollar Store or Walmart was when we went in vacation to Kentucky or Florida but when we did I really loved it. Why? Because there j could pick out like ten toys and things and I loved doing that and when I started getting an allowance I loved being able to buy my own toys and things, I also loved how the toys there looked nothing like other kids. When I was ten I bought this unicorn with brushable hair and I loved it so much because of how different it looked. Also last year when I was twelve over COVID I got into those doll makeover redoing videos and so I started loving the dollar store even more because my mom could take me there and I could get dolls that she would have no problem with me “customizing” (I put in quotes because I was really bad at it and I went through an emo phase so they all looked edgy and demonic looking) and I would get sharper, paint, scissors and outfits for them for me to cut up and stich. I remember I made this really cool pink demon one.
Idk…..I don’t feel the toys are as nice as the early 2000s. They kinda suck now
I never buy my nephews and niece gifts anymore because they only want things that cost $100+. Not only do they already have everything they need and more, but they will play a toy for 5 minutes and forget about it, no matter how costly it was for the adults. Last time I made my nephew a homemade carrot cake for his birthday instead of a gift and he didn't even want to try it although he loves carrot cake. They don't appreciate anything. I constantly make them cookies when they're around and all they want it chips ahoy soft cookies! My sisters are completely to blame for this though as they have spoiled their chikd beyond belief.
I work at the Dollar Tree at the moment. The amount of items that have gotten slightly smaller while also going up 25% in price is astounding, and honestly a little scary.
That’s why I don’t shop there since they started doing that, plus some items being 3-5 bucks now, nah no thanks. That’s not why I go there
Yup I noticed that for sure! Smaller and smaller
@@CL-yp1bs i've been taking pictures. I got about a dozen now of slightly smaller things in the same packaging.
@@HoopleBogart what specific things have started to get smaller?
@@ultimategohan1551 mmmmm used thongs
Something it’s important to remember is that poor people need to spend their paycheck right away. They do not have the luxury of investing, saving, or even buying in bulk sometimes. Dollar Tree food products may not actually be a savings per pound, but it’s usually the food that’s available today, when people need it.
Cost more to be poor as they say
Calling me poor, nigga?
In 1994 I graduated high school and shortly after in July, my parents threw me out on my 18th birthday. I landscaped for my full time job at $5 per hour and after taxes I had $180 per week to spend on food, gas, car insurance, rent, and Keystone Light beer. I was poor AF! Man I wish this place existed for me back then.
Everyone can save something. They just don't. Maybe some of them need to get rid of their new iPhone.
@@jimroscovius Are you homeless?
I'm grateful for Dollar Tree for feeding my son and daughter-in-law when I couldn't. I was stunned by how little they had to live on, but Dollar Tree made it possible.
They're doing very well now. Left Los Angeles for Georgia. Real jobs, MUCH lower cost-of-living, and nice people. Whew!
@Visda Tech well when you have no money and need to feed people, you gotta do what you gotta do
@@earthclad6833 exactly
@Visda Tech are you feeding mike’s son and dil?
Is it true that live in LA is a hell expensive?
Yea Georgia is a great state to be in. I was born and raised in metro Atlanta and I still love the state very much!
the best thing to get at dollar tree is definitely greeting cards!! They can get expensive at the regular store ($2-10) but you get 2 for $1.25 at dollar tree. There is also a great selection
Yup, my grandparents taught me this. Even though greeting cards are a racket and quickly going out of fashion, you CANNOT beat the dollar stores if you're going to get them.
Make cards yourself. That’s what I’ve always done. It’s nice to save a buck, but I mainly do it because it feels more personal and meaningful.
My go to spot
I remember getting my siblings birthday cards at Walmart and I put them back they were so expensive dollar tree came on handy
Looking back thinking about my childhood, I'm grateful for Dollar Tree and Family Dollar. Definitely came in handy for common supplies and foods when you needed it the most. Even though I didn't necessarily grow up "poor" or "low-income", being able to get a bunch of stuff off of a single $10 or $20 bill was such a great feeling. Thats something Walmarts and Targets can never provide as everything is continuously getting more and more expensive.
Aaaaaaannd wages are staying the same... Best bet is to become a freelancer!! Corporations can fire you and ruin your life in an instant...
@@rilorobinson7685
Don't be dead weight and you won't get fired. Its neat concept.
@@postplays Most corporations can fire you for any reason they can imagine, even if its just to shut you up. Sure, you could file a wrongful termination suit, but they'll likely bury you into the ground with legal fees.
@@postplays Haha, if only it worked that way. Tell that to the millions who got laid off during Covid.
Get real, corporations don't deserve your labor in the slightest. People were more productive working outside of the office, but bosses are so worried about slackers they want to force everyone back into the office hellscape.
There was once a time in American history, in the years of Carnegie and monopolies, where it was the dream to stop working. Yes, having a job (or trade) and living off of wages was frowned upon. Sad to see that so many people are duped into believing they don't deserve the same.
@@postplays People get fired for no good reason literally all the time
Whenever I would go to the movies I would always load up on candy at Dollar Tree and stuff it into my cargo pockets.
same
Five Below is better now, 5 for $5 candy. No tax.
Wow, you steal candy from Dollar Tree?
@@loafandjug321 No, he used his cargo pants to sneak cheap candy into the movie theater.
@@genxx2724 He took candy from stores too movies?
Worked at dollar tree for around 10 months getting 10$ and hour. It was the worst job I've ever had the displeasure of working. From customers screaming at you for things you can't control, to people bringing in 4-8 kids and letting them destroy the store... it's the worst.
I mean it's just me and the manager on shift, we have to make sure the whole store looks clean and good by the time we close but it's nearly impossible because I'm always swamped at the register and he was always busy doing "go backs" (go backs are items that people just...put on the register or decide they don't want so we have to put back) so when some mom brings in her kids and they break a bunch of stuff, we can't do much to clean it cause we're already stretched thin.
And don't get me started on people who get mad cause we don't do returns. Like no ma'am, for the 8th time, we do exchanges, not returns... God I hated working there, the customer base is horrible, so rude and disrespectful and it didn't help that we closed super late, 10pm, every other dollar tree around us closed at 8:30 or 9 but we were the most popular store in the region (from what I remember, average sales would be about 6-7k a day) so we kept our doors open longer.
Anyway, I feel sorry for any poor unfortunate souls who work there now.
I worked at a dollar tree for just 10 days for an overnight project cause they were exapnding the store. I was definitely being underpaid but I was desperate for money so I took it. Tbh some of my coworkers had more knowledge on how to do things than the manager on site because a few times I asked her a question and she seemed almost as lost as me. After a few times, I just went to the few coworkers who I knew would give me a good answer 😂
I work there now and have for 2 years. I love our store and location and my manager is competent. But I've definitely heard some horror stories about other locations in our district. And yeah the customers can be just ugh...
I used to work at a Dollar Tree as a manager. Never again. I understand it’s good for low income households but they overworked us to the point where I had white hairs and heart problems (because of my caffeine dependency trying to keep up.) Terrible company.
I had a friend who worked there while pregnant, and they were trying to have her unload heavy items from a truck.
I remember clearly this event like yesterday. In 2016, I bought a $25 scientific calculator from our university book store. I went to the lab telling my classmate how expensive things are. Then the next day, he brought not one but 2 calculators identical to the one I purchased the day before, with packages showing that they were 4 dollars each. To this day, I have no idea how they got the calculators so cheap.
jimmy hoffa fixed their shipping costs.
Who is this guy? He has almost 90k views and only a handful of videos, but they're among the best quality out there. I'm a undergraduate student of economics, and these types of videos are exactly what I'm looking for to help me understand movements of power and capital in the world.
10/10, keep it up. I'm excited to be in before this blows up.
My exact thoughts
How long until he hits 100k subs?
I'd be happy to get a look behind the curtain for a Patreon or Substack subscription.
true
Agreed. These are really well made.
honestly i love them. i live in a pretty bad situation and im only in highschool but i go there for essentials like cleaning, clothes, household stuff etc. i’m lucky enough to be able to afford food from places like aldi/trader joes where it’s not too pricey but dollar tree has came in clutch so many times
Organize with your fellow wage slaves to overthrow the systems that oppress you. It's your only hope.
I personally really love both Dollar Tree and Family Dollar. Being somebody who grew up very poor with the water and lights being shut off for weeks on end, and finally slowly working my way up out of that position and into a more middle class position. Growing up they provided everything my family needed. Really cheap meals that just took creativity to actually piece something together that surprised others that it came from a dollar store. Cleaning supplies, drinks, random household items/necessities. All for no more than 10 bucks each?! Sure some of the items you get from those stores are nowhere near the best quality, there's no argument there. But It did well enough to get me through the roughest patch of my life. So big ups for that
I remember in my teens I was basically legally homeless, as my dad just filed bankruptcy and we didn't have a consistent place to stay. For a few months we eventually stayed at a small house in the middle of nowhere next to a bunch of farm land. Literally the only grocery store within a 5 mile walking distance were dollar trees, despite walking past miles of farm land to even get to one.
Lies again? Design Technology USD SGD
Hi! I'm the guy who puts stuff back at your local supermarket. Thanks for confirming what I already knew about confusing supermarket layouts. It drives me nuts.
Fun fact: I'm not sure if they still do it but at one point, dollar tree tried charging their employees $10 for their W2 tax forms, y'know the thing they legally aren't allowed to charge you for.
I doubt they do that, but if they did, it was probably if they wanted a paper copy, which you don't need in today's digital world.
thats fun and also a fact
thank you complete stranger on the internet
@@jimroscovius no, they refused to send out the digital and had to report them to the IRS so I could finish filing my taxes that year.
@@jimroscovius i don't know why you're bootlicking lmfao
@@payne3133 it’s not bootlicking that what low iq people say, it’s dumb to think that a Fortune 500 company with fleets of lawyers would try and do something so blatantly illegal and easy to be caught doing, sometimes it’s good to use critical thought before suckling on a yt comment
im thankful for the dollar tree for supplying my family with basic things like dish soap sponges cleaner etc i also used a dollar tree pocket knife as my edc knife and it worked and it still works tho i dont carry it anymore im still thankful to have the dollar tree around i even bought food there before its helped alot
_Alot_ is a town in India. _A lot_ is more than one of something; multiples of.
@@coloradostrong we have a spelling Nazi!
Where are you from? In the two states I’ve lived in (NJ, NY), they don’t sell knives.
I find Amerian shopping habits quite intriguing. It makes me reflect on what types of shops are available here in europe and why I choose the outlets I'm choosing.
Dollar stores are good places to pick up a few things you need quickly when the quality doesn't really matter. Maybe you just need some paper plates, napkins and plastic forks because you're serving cake at an office birthday party later today. You could go to the supermarket, but you just went two days ago and it would take longer just to park there than it would take to run into a place like Dollar Tree.
The quality of products is often better than grocery stores; Walmart has nicer stuff for often cheaper prices by the oz but there’s a lot more floor to walk & shop.
Dollar Tree has plenty of brand name items. I use Crest 3D white toothpaste, they have it, I buy shower liners from Dollar Tree since they have to be replaced every month or so, snacks along with countless other odds and ends.
Dollar Tree usually has very little value if you look below the surface. Yeah, you may be able to get a package of “x” for $1 when a similar package of “x” sells for $2 at Walmart, but when you examine the per unit or per ounce, then it’s often cheaper to shop at Walmart for the same brand or the “great value” brand.
Exactly. The size of their consumables is exploitative. Super small for a buck, do the math, cheaper at a real store to get the same amount.
We are throwing an Egg hunt for my building. Let’s just say the eggs came from dollar tree. The candy, did not. Mess around and spend more than $20 on small amounts of low quality candy. Nope.
Good for dieting tho
A lot of people shopping at Dollar tree can't afford to spend $2 when the $1 thing is all they can afford for the week. Then there's also people who only need a few items that are usually sold in larger packages. If you're just going to have a few people over and don't use paper plates often, why buy a 100 pack for a $5 when you can just buy a 10 pack for $1.
Speaking of which, event organizers and small business owners are some of our biggest customers. Balloons, party supplies, real plates, real cups, etc. are generally cheaper at Dollar Tree, since they're poorly made. And I can't tell you how many times I recognized DT party merch when watching the news or in the background of some video.
Then there's pet supplies/children toys. Some people don't want to get big bags of treats and the small bags are like $5 at pet stores, so they get them from us. As for toys, a lot of people don't want to bother training their dog/cat to treat their toys carefully so they just buy some for a dollar. Same with children, plus parents like to use Dollar Trees as daycares and then reward their childrens' poor behavior by buying them a toy or candy.
Medication is very strictly controlled by the FDA and if you're just treating a cold or a headache, some people don't want to spend $10 on brand name medicine that are made of the same ingredients as the $1 stuff.
I could go on. Dollar Tree is classified as a convenience store for a reason. You're not paying for value, you're paying to not have to go to 8 different stores to get the best deals and not needing to go to a big box store to get more than you need or can afford.
@@ANullAssault I think you are missing their point. Often, too often, the cheap DT offering is actually more expensive for less once you look at unit price.
Sure, there are all those reasons you listed for why it can be good.
But being too broke isn’t one of them. That’s the scam of it.
It’s always more expensive to be poor.
@@MoonFairy929 as a manager of one for 5 years, I can assure you being too broke is definitely one of them. Homeless people, people with disabilities, on welfare, etc. I've had people break down crying because their card couldn't afford $5 of merchandise.
As someone in a small town, the only two stores we really have are family dollar and dollar general. So we are pretty much forced to shop there or go to the next town over.
What I love about dollar tree is their cleaning section. Their bleach, laundry detergent, and general cleaning stuff is so cheap. I can pay $1 for a gallon of bleach that I use almost every day. And even though their food is not the best, their ice cream is amazing. And family dollar surprisingly had a lot of good clothes. Their bike shorts and pajama pants are the best.
True but as a guy who cleans things wholesale I can tell you that not all bleach is the same. It's still a great value, but that top shelf clorox bleach is levels above the dollar stuff.
Paying $40k per container to import container from China. Before Covid we payed around $12k. Great video and new subscriber here!
Holy hell! I’m starting to think this economy is lagging, granted I’m still on the fence.
@@grengrenhuskey The Economy is dead and 23-24 will be much worse
won't be until '25 when we start to see a change in direction.
It was better to pay the Trump tariff. The economy was so much better then.
@@jimroscovius you do realize the economy was fucked through the entire planet as a consequence of a globalized economy and an unpredictable world event and can’t be magically fixed by the president of one country right
@@jimroscovius
But trump bad
As some who has worked for Kroger, I agree our store layout changes every few days.
I stopped shopping at my local Fry's because I got tired of constantly having to search for things they kept moving.
I work at krogers right now and the store layout changing everytime I come back makes me so annoyed
I think it's company policy to always have only one person working the register, even though they have like 5 or 6 checkout stands... only when the line gets ridiculously long like into the aisle is when they'll get two, but still very rare
It’s like that everywhere. They want to save as much payroll money as possible. It’s pure greed nothing else. I thank the universe every day that I’m no longer a cashier.
You know what i like about smaller creators such as this guy? Unique content. So much of the bigger "10 minute essay" channels are in a never ending loop of recycling topics from one another (Looking at you, OBF).
Your content is brilliant and your analysis is unique, Modern MBA. Please dont lose it when you blow up in popularity (and you are going to blow up, this vid was great!)
A lot of misinformation
This video has over half a million views, hardly unpopular
i remember as a kid when i’d go to dollar tree with my mom she would let us get 3 things each and she was so smart for that.. it also kinda taught me how to get things i know id use or actually need
In high-school we always went to dollar tree to get snacks, drinks or trinkets. That treasure hunt experience was really quite fun. We'd always go back to class with a new inflatable shark or something just because "it was only $1"
I went there earlier hoping to "save" on certain household items but they kind of trick you. Say there's a certain item at Walmart that's $3-$4 per package. If you go to Dollar Tree you'll see a $1 package of that product but when you factor in the smaller volume you realize you'd need to buy 3 or 4 anyway to get what you'd already get at Walmart for that price.
Nah, your just looking at it wrong. You grab it if you need it quick but probably not a lot at that moment and just need enough to do what you gotta do and maybe even more since the amount you get is pretty decent tbh. You know your not getting as much but it’s still enough to get you by.
Well some people really wouldn't need that $3 to begin with. If I have $50 to budget for the week and I need some bleach for a single stained clothing, its better to buy just buy at dollar tree and get 2 extra meat options rather than buying a bigboy bleach that I would really only need to use once.
Happy Feet so go without for that week and save up money to get the better deal.
Ha, you figured it out. Good eye.
Then buy that idem at Walmart. If you are an older single person on a fixed income DT gets the job done. I am not doing dishes for a family of 5 now. 1 small bottle of Ajax works just fine.
If you’ve noticed, the trend in brick and mortar retail stores over the past 30-40 years is that the retailers that catered to the middle class like JC Penney, Montgomery Ward, Sears, etc. are either long gone or soon to be gone. Dollar stores are thriving catering to the poor customers as are the higher end retailers that cater to high income customers. Kind of tells you where we’ve been heading under capitalism for quite some time.
Most middle class people have switched to amazon.
@@carlose4314 no they haven’t lmao tf Amazon has to do with this? They’re challenging Walmart not jcpenneyw
@@anonymousanonymous4690 yes they have, statistically speaking the middle class has actually grown in recent times, also yes Amazon is actually a larger company and outperforms both Walmart and JCPenney so yes clearly that is where the middle class has went and I’m one of them
Middle class is growing recent years and Amazon is the reason for the death of brick and mortar stores. Why leave your house when you can spend bout half the money and get it at your door step the next day
@@frozen9065 also why spend 2-3x as much just to "support" a local business of resellers? people forget that the reason walmart drove those "mom and pop stores" out of business, is cause they were selling the same shit as walmart, just for much more expensive because they are buying at retail price from retail stores, and simply doubling or tripling the price.
Being in the army, I LOVE dollar stores. It allows me to save money on basic things such as cleaning products, toilet paper, toothpaste and more. Why go anywhere else when all I have to do is spend $1? It's not great for other things (imo), but for basic items it's unmatched
...$1.25
Ooooo, that .25¢ is super scary
@@mohamedbaradji7504 25% inflation when it's not matched by 25% wage increases is a genuinely scary thing.
Dang, Sad, When The Military Member Is In Cheap Ole Dollar Tree. My Pride would not allow me as a soldier.
@@AndriaaLeoLove Proverbs 11:2 “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” Proverbs 16:5 “The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.” Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”
They reduced their products' value and raised their prices by 25%.
I used to shop at Dollar Tree a lot, but now Walmart is a better deal on most things now.
Yes I completely agree. No one talls about how the quality of their stuff goes down IN ADDITION to the prike hike.
@@austinmusic913 Also - the sizes of the products! I get it that eventually they needed to raise their prices. But paying 25% more for a product which is suddenly 25% smaller is insulting. Like, they think we're too dumb to notice? I used to buy their "It's Awesome!" laundry detergent for an emergency backup. Now the bottle is literally half the size that it was six months ago. Same with the snack foods or packages of pens.
@@rbrindle1 YES!! Smaller size for MORE money
They raised the price 25% but yet some things at other stores has doubled or more, so I think dollar tree is doing pretty good
@@rbrindle1 LA's Totally Awesome Cleaners are the bomb! The All Purpose Cleaner, Orange All Purpose Degreaser, the blue laundry detergent and ammonia. That combo cleans everything and kills all kinds of bugs too.
I’m in Miami , I see more Porches and Bentlys pull up to dollar tree than I see them at whole foods , so I dunno about them targeting low income , basically they target anyone who wants 5 grocery bags of stuff for 15 bucks …
Literally. And alot of those stock dudes try to buy in bulk and try to resell.
As a current employee for dollar tree. The worst things about working for them is the customers who come in and just destroy every shelf you walk by. Spill things, open products then leave the evidence, leaving unwanted items in random places, just for some reason can't comprehend where the green baskets or carts go back but easily grass one when walking, kids opening toys and parents allowing it, foreigners know how to shop but can't speak English or count money to give proper change, THE GHETTO NESS of some people is just mind blowing, can't accept when certain favors products have ran out of stock, the children throwing tantrums and throwing items while the parent allows it, the elderly who can't accept that 5 items doesn't mean $5 anymore, the constant asking how much is a item is and are in shock it's not just a dollar anymore, the filth customers leave bathrooms, the air conditioning not working for some time but promises to fix it just wait a couple of years and make excuses. I have more but my fingers tired like my patience with supposed to be easy job. 🙃
this is any grocery retail job lol
jon: have you considered trying to get employed at Home Depot or Lowe's? HD has stock options.
Construction industry is great, especially in Florida.
Sounds like black people ?
They try to pay with Mexican cash where I live, LOL.
@@KFrost-fx7dt that thing worth shit even in mexico
0:00 Intro
1:36 The Discount Retail Leader
2:23 Deceiving Appearances
3:03 Dollar Tree Overview
3:42 Store Design & Pricing Strategy
4:39 Business Performance & Products Sold
5:35 The Current Scale of Dollar Tree
6:16 A Truly Efficient Shopping Experience
7:23 Conservative Nature of Traditional Retail
9:06 Family Dollar Overview
10:09 Business Performance at Family Dollar
10:57 Comparison to Walmart & Target
11:40 Margin Advantage Over Retail Heavyweights
13:41 Speed Advantage with Scaling Stores
Why did you not really talk about Dollar General? They have an insane business model that absolutely stomps. They have been opening like 1000 stores a year for a while now
Keep it up dude. I can tell you have a keen interest and skill in interpreting Financial Statements
When I was very very poor it was nice being able to estimate my total based on the number of items in my basket. Sometimes the same thing was very slightly cheaper at Walmart, but it was much easier to get a variety of things for $20 than at Walmart
Excellent point about the treasure hunt at dollar tree! Thats very true!
I didn’t realize how prevalent Dollar Tree actually was …also you get what you pay for.
If dollar tree wasn’t serving people to an extent, then they wouldn’t be in business so the value must be there to a degree
There are a shit ton of poor people in America. Murica is small islands of extreme wealth surrounded by oceans of poverty.
Dolla dolla store is just another parasite feeding on the desperation of the poors.
It used to be valuable to people in need. Then in 2016 rich people "discovered bargain shopping", and they really ruined the supply and demand in Dollar stores. The CEO caught on, and in 2019 renewed the contract to include: a price increase, brand names, buying out Dollar General and Family Dollar, and closing stores in low income neighborhoods in favor of high income neighborhoods.
Its fucked. The issue is the more we ignore it the more it will happen to various franchises. A lot of people don't care now because they can afford the price increase. But thay day will come when we all screwed
Dollar Tree just went up to $1.25 in my area. That has made me become a lot more critical of what I buy there vs. a local grocery. The trust is gone.
@@FatherNagic In a sense, it doesn’t matter. The trust is gone, and that was their most valuable asset. Staying “cheap” doesn’t change that they have broken an understanding.
@@FatherNagic Thats a 25% mark-up, and they know they can get away with it because most people will say, "Its only 25 cents." They haven't put any of that percentage toward their employees' wages. So, its purely for profit and greed.
I have notice sometimes its cheaper to buy at Walmart or other stores instead of dollar tree . It looks cheap cuz its 1.25 but if you make the math on items its cheaper to get it at Walmart
@@endymallorn Did the same thing myself
@@krysila7722 actually they have made something of a 50% mark up, as the product volume was reduced simultaneously. look at detergent, for a good example.
I’m a store manager for Dollar Tree. I would have a heart attack if my store looked as bad as the one you showed. I am lucky as I have a good crew and my store is in a very nice area…
It's amazing the difference between Dollar Trees in different income areas. There's a much richer area next to my workplace and the DT there is so much nicer.
I've yet to find a nice Family Dollar in my state, though.
@@belot217 There's a Family Dollar on the outskirts of town where I live. It feels like I've gone back in time 20 years when I walk into that store.
Imagine collecting your paycheck when your shop looks like a garbage dump, how can you live with such mediocrity and low esteem? Do people not take pride in their work, even if it’s humble?
@@Lazirus951 The family dollar in my town gives a very "outdated" vibe.
@@enlyr4069 I work at a DT and our store looks like a mess because no one ever recovers, the Store manager is an idiot, and the stocking team does nearly all the hard work, but they get a very small amount of hours. Stocking hours are so bad that you'd be lucky to get 3 days of work in a week. You can only do so much when management and corporate are so incompetent.
As a career army man now retired on just my government benefits these discount outlets are essential and awesome. Not a big "dollar store" guy really but man, I love, LOVE those Family Dollar stores though. I get basically everything there. My loyalty to the family dollar store chain is absolute!
@@lynnpayne6262 Sure.
There are no "government benefits", son. You are on tax-funded welfare.
Some of my favorite memories as a child were stopping by the dollar tree to pick out some things of candy before going to the movies because they were so much cheaper than right from the theather.
Discovered the channel due to algo and love it
It's like a more in depth version of company man that requires a little more business knowledge
Quite literally the most underrated channel I’ve found. Calling it now, 1 million subscribers before 2022 ends
Growing up my mom was a single parent we lived off of things from the dollar store. It even came in handy making a centerpiece for my wedding last year!
Whoever you are, I enjoy your insightful analysis in all your videos! Wish your videos were available like 10 years ago when I was studying MBA in the US. As a poor student, dollar tree used to be my go-to-place for consumption product. I remember. a small bath carpet cost about $16 in Target but only $5 in dollar tree. Then when I started working after graduation, I loved visiting Trader Joes. All those grocery stores and supermarket analysis reminds me of those time. Thank you so much for making those videos! Already subscribed, and I'll keep supporting you!
Thanks, DT, we have clean and organized stores in North Texas and the employees are always friendly and can move the traffic swiftly. I am impressed and a happy customer. Please keep it affordable. Many thanks 🙏
While the 25 cent price bump came at a bad time of OTHER price increases...frankly I had been surprised they had managed to hold at $1.00 for literally decades (though some products did get smaller).
They were a godsend when I was broke, saving me sometimes $2 to 3 on an item. And, VERY surprisingly, the quality of the products was good..like a laundry detergent, which can be tricky, even with name brands.
And I'd still have money for 2 or 3 less neccessary, frivolous things as a treat. So it was fun, too.
And yes...I did notice the employees were surprisingly nice. I also, accidentally left a 12 pack of toilet paper, ( which is $$) bought at another store...and they saved it for a week, till I could get back. So yeah, I love DOLLAR TREE.
Why would people be against Dollar Trees popping up in their area? As someone that came from an incredibly poor family, Dollar Tree was a MASSIVE help for us. Was the quality of the food and other stuff good? Not really, but when you're dirt poor you take what you can get. Plus there are some products sold there that are actually pretty decent, and you can find more if you're willing to experiment with some of the food there
SMH. Money ain’t everything but broke people should think real before bringing babies into the world. Anybody should really
Dollar tree forces out a lot of other stores that otherwise exist, and they profit from food deserts. Where I used to live (very poor rural area in wny) we had a neighborhood grocery store that had actual produce and healthier options. And then dollar tree opened. Because you could one stop shop there, and they were able to operate at a loss until the grocery closed, they eliminated the only healthy food option for an hours drive in any direction. There is a reason your zip code correlates to lifespan. Food deserts kill.
Because they close small businesses and mom and pops.
You’re literally getting forced out of way healthier options than at dollar tree for the sake of spending less money.
Those low costs are coming out of your health.
The US depresses me so much :( we just need good urbanism that encourages density, supports car-free lifestyle, and is walkable. We need cities that have corner stores, affordable housing, and useful amenities.
i’ll pass on all of that. if i wanted that i would go to Europe. i dislike density and being near lots of people.
@@good-tn9sr yeah, then you'd prefer a rural are. Even Europe has sustainable rural areas. It's the suburban areas we're building now with their massive single-family zoned homes and insane parking requirements.
@@bikesarebest It sounds like you’ve been binge-watching Not Just Bikes. You’d have to fundamentally alter the way Americans and Canadians perceive urban living and big box chains. This is a monumental task considering most Americans haven’t been overseas to high-density urban cities found in most of Eurasia. We put a lot of emphasis on independence, sprawl, and self-reliance.
Have you been to Montreal or Quebec City? These are the only cities in North America that seem to embrace Old World urban planning techniques. I’ve spent time working remotely in Malta and the Azores in Portugal. Both continents have their advantages, but affordable housing is definitely not something you’ll find in Europe/Asia’s premier cities. Lisbon has decent housing, but Amsterdam is a whole different story.
@@andrewmartin9995 well I just completed my ubran planning degree so that's where most of my knowledge comes from but NJB is great too. Ive lived in Montreal and I completely agree with you. Mtl has so many lovely areas and I'm a big fan of Mayor Plante.
@@andrewmartin9995 Even with Europe the Netherlands is a bit special in that regard.
My main gripe with “Dollar Stores” worldwide (we have one in Panama; with amazing success eventhough things start at 1.99 and up) is that it kinda uncovers the poverty of the sector with those artificial items at $1. The moment that cheap carrousel stops, surprise surprise you realize you’ve been dirt poor for quite some time and weren’t aware of it. From going by to lacking money to survive in a single step
you must want to pay 4 times that amount for the same stuff no diffirent .you are just a jerk who is bitter. many rich people showup at dollar tree just look at those big SUV pulling into shop
As a worker of an H2 (it means both dollar tree and family dollar) store, I can say that the company gets these big margines by paying next to nothing. While it grows fast, it doesn't put anything back into it's stores beyond product. It can be incredibly frustrating to try to get your DM to help with an issue that cannot be resolved at the store level, and next to impossible if a new store is being opened in your district, there's one every 3 or 4 months.
It'll be profitable, but the workers tend to be weighed down with unreasonable amounts of work. Cleaning a 9,000 sq foot store takes time, but they'll alot 2 work hours for it.
Our front door has been broken for 2 years and every repair man says "this is a bandaid and will only last a few weeks I'll email them to replace it" but it's still broken
'Help with an Issue that cannot be resolved at the store level' is not a concept any retailer understands sadly, they're all the same.
The only thing DM cares about is the store looking good when the suits are in town.
Have you tried, I don’t know, working elsewhere ?
@@ihmpall easier to complain than to take responsibility for their life choices
When I was growing up I always had fond memories of going to Aldi, Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, and Dollar General. My favorite when I was much younger was the dollar tree. You could find such neat things at Aldi and Dollar Tree, and you could afford to buy quite a bit. When I was younger money was tight, and you really learned the value of a dollar. Later money was not nearly as tight, but I still loved Dollar Tree and Aldi.
Today my favorite store is Aldi for my food, and Dollar Tree for my stuff. I work long hours, and really enjoy the small foot print and affordability of these kind of stores. You can be in and out of a Dollar General or Dollar Tree in 15 minutes. You really can't do that with a Walmart or Kroger.
For me, Dollar Tree food is sometimes less expensive in the end. I only cook for two and a lot of products at other grocery stores are made to feed a family, not one or two people. I often end up with waste since we aren't fans of leftovers. The biggest downside is what they have in stock is not totally consistent.
You’ll mutate into something else putting all those Chinese chemicals into your body
Honestly I'm very happy that I found your channel. Thank you for the informative, well researched videos. Keep it up!
There's hundreds of channels like this on youtube
@@robertsaget6918 ok?
These videos are fantastic. Your presentation style is easy on the ears and you're knowledgeable. Eager to see what videos you do next.
My bf and I are recent retirees who live in a somewhat affluent town in Connecticut. We have a dollar tree next door to our Big Y, and when we were working and had more disposable income we never went to Dollar Tree. Now, we create a shopping list every week, and our first stop is Dollar Tree. We're saving a lot of money! You do need to be careful because not everything is a deal. You need to pay attention to quantities, etc.The shelves are always fully stocked, we can get things you don't see anywhere else, and the employees have always been friendly and helpful.
Great quality video! Clear illustration, and reasonable content organization. Thanks and keep up the good work.
Just wanna say keep this up and you'r channel is going to blow up
i got algorithm'd here
High quality in depth analysis delivered in a comsince manner, a rarity on CZcams.
Your content isn't getting anywhere near the level of attention it deserves, keep it up!
Videos like this are super rare to find! Awesome vid
I have always enjoyed Dollar Tree more than FD. The FD in my town is pretty dated, cramped, and unappealing. Heck the Dollar Tree near me is a go to place because a movie theater is right beside it. Smuggling candy or popcorn was a mandatory thing lol.
I love Dollar Tree, and I'm not low-income. So many items (even name-brand) can be found there, at an obviously significantly cheaper price. I also find new products in there that other stores don't have, or foreign products.
Also, I remember distinctively the one year where Valentine's Day had the whole store ceiling covered from front to back with heart balloons and dangling strings to where it blotted out all lights and looked like something out of a discount Junji Ito nightmare, it was surreal
Great video. I usually watch the company man but you get straight to the facts and I like the setup of your videos better. You just earned yourself a Sub
Your videos are awesome! You remind me of Company Man, but not glossing over the depressing parts of the modern economy
Your videos are so under rated. Should be getting a lot more views.
I just subbed. Gonna binge watch. The layout of your videos, approach, and topics are great. I definitely can remember what I learned. I hope you don’t try to change to what everyone else is doing as you grow. The directness is perfect. One thing though. You gotta slow down talking just a little bit, hearing a tripped up word kinda detracts from the experience. Also the sharp edits in your voice over do the same thing. Other than that, I can’t wait to see this channel blow up from that one vid that catches popularity Already hooked for more content.
Dude I laughed so hard when you tried to say it's a treasure hunt to go through a store that is fucked up . That's such an American thing or maybe southern. I only know of this from my trips to Florida. No way should you try to say a dirty and unattended store is a good one .
The shelves you filmed are fascinating to watch as a European. That Jarritos lemonade I sometimes buy myself as a treat costs 1,25USD for 12 Oz (370ml) here as it's probably an import. At 11:25 I spotted 25 Oz (750ml) of Jarritos Soda in the US store for one dollar. The profit margin must be insane at more than 2,5x the price in Germany.
"Germany"
Yikes. Sit this one out.
This channel is absolutely excellent! Would highly recommend making a podcast alongside your videos since they translate really well in the audio only version (I usually just listen)! This could maybe help reach additional audiences since the content is excellent and I could see one to two of these videos being packaged together into a “business explained” podcast. Mr. Ballen did it with his videos and that’s how I found his channel after listening to his podcast first. Just a suggestion since I think your content is amazing and I hope it can reach more people! Best of luck and thank you!
There's hundreds of channels like this on youtube
Quality content and depth of research. Subbed. Great stuff!
I love going to the dollar store because it fills the void in my life.
I think it would also be interesting to explore the Canadian counterpart: Dollarama. They not only open a lot of stores in poorer areas but also in very rich areas as well, which I think is pretty interesting. They know that even the rich sometimes just want some $1 items as well and they are everywhere in Eastern Canada.
Haven’t seen them expand much out here in the west. But about one in every 2 Dolloramas I wouldn’t consider to be placed in a “low income” place.
During the beginning of the pandemic i lived in brooklyn and dollar tree was always stocked and the staff was always nice. it made me feel like it was the new woolworths from my childhood. the food i bought was always good. the lotions and shampoo and conditioners were great. no complaints. i miss it.
The quality of your videos are extremely high! I can see the amount of effort, research, and time you in every video. Keep up the great work :)
Fanta content, subbed. Just what I'm looking for. I love profiles on companies, how they make decisions and operate.
I wanted to say this content is very high quality, I hope you continue making it (There is a real audience for videos like this, ive only just now discovered your channel).
Thank you
Love your videos! Nice seeing commentary on CZcams that is well-researched and data-focused
There's hundreds of channels like this on youtube
Love the content! The topics are great and non obvious, and I love that everything is very matter-of-fact. The videos though are sort of not great. They are even a little distracting. Really second the idea of podcasting this stuff as well! Keep up the great content work!
2:08 - 2:56 I find this characterization problematic. It's not their fault that there are poor people in car-dependant suburban wastelands that have no other option than to shop at Dollar Tree.
Rather the chain is providing a valuable service without which folks would have to travel long distances say, by bus to reach a large store.
The countys opposing the move come off as not wanting to be a place accessible to poor people by allowing Dollar Tree to open there. I sorta understand that they derive the majority of their revenue from property taxes, and having peasants in their suburb will drive down property values, but their dire financial straits is a consequence of being a suburban wasteland, which requires a lot more infrastructure for lower productivity. Check out Charles Marohn's 'Strong Towns' for more on this issue.
Keep it up, your channel idea is amazing and each video is very insightful
Dollar Tree is a lifesaver for me right now. They saved me in college, and they are saving me now.
I always wondered how they profit it and figured it was a quantity over quality type thing. This was great, thank you for the research!
This video is ridiculously well made and informative. Good stuff
Our dollar trees are clean and tidy almost always. Never have I seen a box opened by customers. Or product in piles and in the isle.
That was dollar general.
Which incidentally closed and now is a dollar tree.
For some reason, Dollar Tree makeup works the best for my mother. It seems that Dollar Tree is not carrying the specific brand as much but each time we go to one we always walk out with something even if it isn't her makeup.
What's interesting is that dollar tree/family dollar/dollar general isn't really a new concept. They are actually incredibly old. they are incredibly similar to the old local retail franchises like the one Sam Walton started out in "Ben Franklins". Five and dime or "nickel stores" started with woolworths in the 1879 Which were themselves run very similarly to any old variety shop since the beginning of commerce. Big box stores are just a new experiment in retail when you think about it.
I dont shop at Dollar Tree 🌲 anymore especially since they raised their prices to $1.25!
its true. we were living next to a dollar tree for a while and we were going in for a few things consistently, especially for gift stuff like cards, balloons, bags, and tissue paper. yeah it would probly be a better deal paying a little more at walmart/target next door but at dollar tree we dont have to deal with THE LINES!!!! well pay more per unit if it means we dont have to deal with people and lines
he really called oscar mayer hotdogs essentials lol someones got jokes
It’s always one person for the register, and it’s especially long if they’re blowing up balloons 😔
I'd be curious what the comparison of annual sales *per square foot* between family dollar/tree and target and Walmart. Then you'd really see how they stack up.
Based
dollar tree has been my go to store for years, the recent price increase of 25 cents has really hurt.
I'm sorry for your poverty.
Say what you will about how most buys at Dollar Tree are no better than at Wal-Mart, but one area they will always and forever absolutely destroy the big box stores is variety merchandise.
$1 for a roll of gift wrap is phenomenal economy of funds because gift wrap as a general rule will be thrown away almost immediately once it serves its purpose and has been torn to pieces. Even though the design might be different, or the paper a bit thicker, there's no real benefit to buying one roll of gift wrap from Wal-Mart for $4.98 which is almost five times the price. The same goes for paper plates, balloons, plastic-ware, party supplies, and so on.
I still buy the majority of my things at Wal-Mart, but even I will literally go out of my way to walk the additional distance to Dollar Tree whenever I'm preparing for a party or the holidays.
We have similar retail oulet: 'Poundland' in the UK. However, they have now moved away from being "£1 everything" to adopting the conventional supermarket pricing.
not going to lie... had to stifle my sophomoric giggle at the name "Poundland" 😅😂
@@casualeann 🤣🤣
The quality of products sold at these stores improved significantly during the previous decade; 2 & a half decades ago the products were barely acceptable.
It’s so true the products are good as about as good as Walmart I have found.
here before 50k subs. You gonna go big my man!
Spent some time in Poland shopping at discount stores like Dealz and Biedronka. There places were well stocked and always clean and organised.
I love to buy discontinued products like unpopular flavors of Bang energy drinks and similar products. They do a very good job of acting as a sales for expiring brands