Dollar General

[JoshAustin610]

The drugstore chain (CVS, Rite Aid, & Walgreens) have been putting those stickers on for a while now; certain items are popular to shoplift and resell at flea markets or to bodegas, so the stickers allow law enforcement to identify stolen product.  CVS even has the specific store number on the sticker, so that loss prevention knows where the shrink is coming from.

[MikeRa]

The drugstore chain (CVS, Rite Aid, & Walgreens) have been putting those stickers on for a while now; certain items are popular to shoplift and resell at flea markets or to bodegas, so the stickers allow law enforcement to identify stolen product.  CVS even has the specific store number on the sticker, so that loss prevention knows where the shrink is coming from.

The A&P family of supermarkets has done this as well on mostly H&B products

[retailisking]

We have a local mom and pop variety store whose shelves is filled in part with Great Value products; in that case, I'm sure the proprietors bought them at Walmart. Smaller stores do not have the buying power that large chains have, so they have to resort to tactics like this. It might behoove them to avoid other stores' proprietary brands, though, so as to not draw too much attention to this tactic.

[ynkeesfn82]

We have a local mom and pop variety store whose shelves is filled in part with Great Value products; in that case, I'm sure the proprietors bought them at Walmart. Smaller stores do not have the buying power that large chains have, so they have to resort to tactics like this. It might behoove them to avoid other stores' proprietary brands, though, so as to not draw too much attention to this tactic.

How do you feel about close-out stores selling other stores branded products? I've seen Mainstays branded knife sets for sale at Ocean State Job Lot. Everyone knows that Mainstays is Walmart's brand for many products for the home.


Back when I used to work at the Southington, CT Walmart a guy used to always come through my checkout line buying stuff for his little store. Mr. Pettit was his name and he owned the Dairy Farms convenience store on Berlin Ave. http://www.dairyfarmsstore.com/

[BillyGr]

How do you feel about close-out stores selling other stores branded products? I've seen Mainstays branded knife sets for sale at Ocean State Job Lot. Everyone knows that Mainstays is Walmart's brand for many products for the home.

Back when I used to work at the Southington, CT Walmart a guy used to always come through my checkout line buying stuff for his little store. Mr. Pettit was his name and he owned the Dairy Farms convenience store on Berlin Ave. http://www.dairyfarmsstore.com/

I'd assume that the chains like Ocean State aren't an issue, as they are likely buying directly from the Arkansas offices, and probably something that Wal-Mart has decided to get rid of or change packaging or such (or in some cases, items that may be short dated they have too much of).
I know one year our Ocean State had their entire cookout section done with everything a different store brand (plates from one, cups another, silverware a third, etc.).  Most of the store brands were from other areas of the country, but I think at least one Stop & Shop was in there (probably when they were getting rid of the stop light logo packaging).

[HannafordHearts]

We have a local mom and pop variety store whose shelves is filled in part with Great Value products; in that case, I'm sure the proprietors bought them at Walmart. Smaller stores do not have the buying power that large chains have, so they have to resort to tactics like this. It might behoove them to avoid other stores' proprietary brands, though, so as to not draw too much attention to this tactic.

Yeah, I was in a Yankee One Dollar store once and I saw a couple Rite Aid branded products AND up&up (Target brand) products on their shelves.

[Hudsons81]

How do you feel about close-out stores selling other stores branded products? I've seen Mainstays branded knife sets for sale at Ocean State Job Lot. Everyone knows that Mainstays is Walmart's brand for many products for the home.

There is a small independent store right close to my house that sells Kroger-branded milk jugs.

[jason83080]

^ Just the jugs?  :D

Also, it's not uncommon to see your discounters (Big Lots, Marc's, etc) selling other branded products, be it through buyouts or from - in the case of Marc's - buying overstock from other retailers. I've seen stuff from a boatload of other retailers at Marc's in their closeout section. Ollie's Bargain Outlet works in the same way.

[Bobsketball]

Is it generally true that while Dollar General, Dollar Tree, and Family Dollar ALL love former chain drugstore buildings, Dollar Tree is in all kinds of neighborhoods (but not super rich ones) while the other two focus on low-income areas, urban, rural, or suburban?

[ynkeesfn82]

Is it generally true that while Dollar General, Dollar Tree, and Family Dollar ALL love former chain drugstore buildings, Dollar Tree is in all kinds of neighborhoods (but not super rich ones) while the other two focus on low-income areas, urban, rural, or suburban?

I live in Southington, Connecticut and it's a wealthy town. We have Dollar Tree and Family Dollar. Dollar Tree is in the former Joann's in the plaza where AMES used to be. They've been in that spot since 2005. Before that they were in the same plaza next to what used to be Buffet 2000, but has been Gobi Mongolian Grill for the last 3 years or so. The old Dollar Tree spot is vacant yet again. It most recently was a bakery.

Family Dollar is downtown in a small plaza. It most recently was a Blockbuster. The spot was a small grocery store (as most stores were back in the day). I forgot the name. Sometime later the spot became a CVS. CVS built a freestanding store with a drive-thru just down the street. Then Blockbuster which relocated from the retail strip on the Queen Street part of Route 10 took the space. For all the time Blockbuster was in that spot there was a vacant spot next to it. I think something was there and it got fired damaged and it was never repaired until it Family Dollar moved in.

There's a Dollar Tree in West Hartford, CT (which is a rich town in its own right), but I think it's in the Elmwood Section and that's generally an area of town that is not wealthy.

[Bobsketball]

Thanks Marc. As for West Hartford, would the Marshalls there be in a poorer section? I'm thinking it is but it might not be. And last I checked, there was a really small, beat up Waldbaum's down the street from the Marshalls.

[AmesNewington]

Thanks Marc. As for West Hartford, would the Marshalls there be in a poorer section? I'm thinking it is but it might not be. And last I checked, there was a really small, beat up Waldbaum's down the street from the Marshalls.

Marshall's is in the VERY affluent area of West Hartford in Bishop's Corner on North Main Street. The Waldbaum's down the road was not shabby at all. I worked there, and they remodeled it extensively. It is just a very old building. It closed in 2010 and is now Big Y. There used to be an old Waldbaum's in Elmwood on New Britain Avenue, which was next to a Caldor/later Ames. It closed in 1998, became a dollar store, and is now several storefronts, including Joeyz Shopping Spree. PriceRite is next door where Caldor/Ames was.

[Hudsons81]

Is it generally true that while Dollar General, Dollar Tree, and Family Dollar ALL love former chain drugstore buildings, Dollar Tree is in all kinds of neighborhoods (but not super rich ones) while the other two focus on low-income areas, urban, rural, or suburban?

I'm in Wyandotte, Michigan and according to this, the median household income is $45,978 (compared to $46,859 for the entire state of Michigan) and we have Dollar General and Family Dollar. Dollar General occupies a quarter of a former A&P (later IGA franchisee Danny's Foods) and has been there since 2002. Family Dollar is located downtown in a former Revco/Perry/Rite-Aid and has been there since before 2007. Rite-Aid moved to a standalone location with a drive-thru in another part of the city in 2000 and the old downtown location sat vacant until Family Dollar opened. Before it became Revco, the building housed a small supermarket.

[Bobsketball]

Did the Marshalls used to be a Filene's? It looks like a retro department store on the outside.

[ynkeesfn82]

Did the Marshalls used to be a Filene's? It looks like a retro department store on the outside.

That plaza had a Lord & Taylor years ago. Later they moved to West Farms Mall. Maybe Marshall's was the Lord & Taylor spot.

[ynkeesfn82]

New Britain, Connecticut is reportedly getting a 2nd Dollar General. This one will be built at the corner of Arch Street and Shuttle Meadow Avenue.

http://www.centralctcommunications.com/newbritainherald/article_dc2c9628-c2df-11e4-8872-dfeadfdc4a44.html

Arch Street is a pit and I think I would fear for my life if I ever went on that street.

I guess it's official. According to this article it's supposed to be different than the one that just opened on East Street.

http://www.centralctcommunications.com/newbritainherald/news/article_6332a78a-4610-11e5-84e9-bbc2f12f7e9c.html

[JSIDA17]

A new Dollar General opened in Thompson, CT just two weeks ago. Will get photos of it when I can.

[JimSawhill]

A new Dollar General opened in Thompson, CT just two weeks ago. Will get photos of it when I can.

Thompson, CT? How are from Thompson International Speedway?

[JSIDA17]

A new Dollar General opened in Thompson, CT just two weeks ago. Will get photos of it when I can.

Thompson, CT? How are from Thompson International Speedway?

About five miles away from the Speedway. It's literally right across from the schools. They're also building a brand new Dunkin' Donuts right across from the Dollar General.

[dmx10101]

New store concept DGX for Dollar General..http://www.nashvillepost.com/business/retail/article/20841364/dollar-general-will-open-concept-in-midtown#&gid=1&pid=3

[retailisking]

Despite soft comps, building out territory before rivals get there is a priority
http://www.retaildive.com/news/why-dollar-general-will-keep-its-promise-to-build-1k-stores-this-year/434044/

[TheFugitive]

Despite soft comps, building out territory before rivals get there is a priority
http://www.retaildive.com/news/why-dollar-general-will-keep-its-promise-to-build-1k-stores-this-year/434044/

I have been engaged with this industry in one way or another since 1985.
I have NEVER seen that strategy work.  Nothing about getting there first deters
any of your competitors from showing-up later and picking your bones clean if they can.

[retailisking]

I have been engaged with this industry in one way or another since 1985.
I have NEVER seen that strategy work.  Nothing about getting there first deters
any of your competitors from showing-up later and picking your bones clean if they can.

We'll see if they're right or wrong. The Fresh Market and Save-A-Lot have exited the West Coast, even as rivals like Smart & Final, Aldi and Grocery Outlet have continued to expand. We also saw what happened to incumbent discount stores when Walmart came to town.

[retailisking]

It should be quite a challenge to make this work considering that DG is known to staff its stores as minimally as possible
http://www.supermarketnews.com/produce-floral/dollar-general-ramps-perishables-rollout

[TheFugitive]

NOT a good idea!

My local DG gets so busy the staff can barely keep shelves restocked as it is.
I came in one day for hamburger buns, and the shelf was empty.  Fortunately
I found an employee who was willing to go check in back.  They had a PALLET
of bread products sitting there with nobody to restock them.

[BillyGr]

Not sure if it's something that will work in all the stores, but probably at least some areas it makes sense. 

For instance, they often have stores in smaller towns with less (or in some cases) no grocery store available, so those areas would certainly benefit from more options in the store they do have.

[retailisking]

This is the Sycamore Partners-owned chain that bought the spinoffs from the Dollar Tree-Family Dollar merger. They never got around to actually rebranding many of the stores.
http://couponsinthenews.com/2017/04/04/hundreds-of-family-dollar-stores-sold-to-dollar-general/

[retailisking]

Dollar Tree and Sycamore Partners are trading charges of "misleading" store closures, encroachment and unpaid bills
http://couponsinthenews.com/2017/04/24/dollar-tree-lashes-out-at-dollar-express-and-critiques-coupons-in-the-news-in-the-process/

[retailisking]

This actually happened late last month; it was approved so quickly that it wasn't on my radar
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-familydollar-ftc-sycamore-idUSKBN17T35Z

[giantsfan2016]

Dollar General wants to open on Meriden-Waterbury Road in Southington, Connecticut, but the town isn't feeling it. The stupid town doesn't like how the proposed building is going to look.

Brammy's thoughts: No one gives a s h i t what a building looks like. Except for the time they painted the old Chevy Dealership orange when they were a Halloween store or the time the old TD Homers was painted green when they were Agave Mexican Grill. This is the same reason why we didn't get a Red Robin.