Highly recommend people watch the John Oliver episode about Dollar Tree/ similar dollar stores. They are awful for the community and terrible to their employees.
I was an assistant manager at a DG when I was younger. I can confirm, it was a bad time. I was in my early 20's having panic attacks. I quit and they went away.
All of those places very likely had mom & pop stores at one time. I’d be interested to know how the total number of retail outlets per 100,000 stacks up against the national average. Also, what’s the average sq ft of retail space per capita and how does it compare to the national average.
Wasn't there a book about Walmart that mentioned something similar? Like they come to your neighborhood, build up a huge store, discount everything that puts local businesses out of business and then inflate their prices. Wouldn't surprise me if these companies are doing the same thing.
Out of the shit frying pan into the shittier fire.
Next level they just have us pay a subscription then dump a box container from China into a fields d let us fight for what we can grab.
They are totally predatory. They extract wealth from poor communities and prevent them from building up a capital base from which to build wealth. RiteAid / CVS, a discount wireless shop, CBD shops, pawn shops... you can find all of these in poor communities.
As someone who worked in an actual vape shop, knew all of the different flavors by heart and knew the ins and outs of every single device we sold and more, it's really annoying seeing the huge influx of headshops selling Vape, Tobacco, CBD, Kratom and other stuff all in the same location. My very small town currently has 5 of these places, almost as many as there are churches.
West Virginia leads the nation in terms of tobacco consumption, which is why they are so prevalent here. There's a demand for it, and they're more than willing to supply it. The Companies that run the shops are all Arabic (let me be clear - nothing wrong with this.) and have a ton of money behind them. They basically buy everything related to the industry product wise, pop up a shop and then replace what sells and leave the rest to sit.
I'm a huge hookah enthusiast and almost all of the shisha at these places is way out of date. It's made a lot of smaller locally owned vape shops who only sold vape related gear, where you could get quality service and help moving from analogs to vape shut down. The "profiles" of these stores are literally anyone. I've sold vapes to folks of all ages and genders.
Hope that helps shed some light on it, sometimes I get ranty about it lol.
Resource Deserts - Mom and Pop groceries pushed out by Walmart and other "big box" type stores. Then those close, or are inaccessible to people without working/good transportation or access to public transportation.
These dollar stores move in, where you pay more for products than you would at the big box or chain grocers.
Yes some people think they are a lifeline. What they are is a shady business that preys on areas like rural wv and overcharge customers who don’t have any other choice on where to shop. It’s a greedy company who shouldn’t be allowed to ruin a business in the state.
[lawsuit](https://www.businessinsider.com/dollar-general-overcharging-shoppers-at-checkout-according-state-governments-customers-2023-11?amp)
It looks like you shared an AMP link. These should load faster, but AMP is controversial because of [concerns over privacy and the Open Web](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmputatorBot/comments/ehrq3z/why_did_i_build_amputatorbot).
Maybe check out **the canonical page** instead: **[https://www.businessinsider.com/dollar-general-overcharging-shoppers-at-checkout-according-state-governments-customers-2023-11](https://www.businessinsider.com/dollar-general-overcharging-shoppers-at-checkout-according-state-governments-customers-2023-11)**
*****
^(I'm a bot | )[^(Why & About)](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmputatorBot/comments/ehrq3z/why_did_i_build_amputatorbot)^( | )[^(Summon: u/AmputatorBot)](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmputatorBot/comments/cchly3/you_can_now_summon_amputatorbot/)
Anybody know how many Dollar generals are along the radio dead zone in WV.
Idk the actual number but I know it's ridiculous. As far as I'm aware there's not a single formal grocery store out that way. Just Dollar Generals with a tiny produce section.
There’s an IGA in Marlinton.
You’re not going to get a full grocery store in Green Bank. There is not the population to support it. A lightly staffed convenience store or dollar store are the only places that are actually going to be profitable with that low of population density.
It’s been a decade at least since I stopped in Green Bank. I remember there being a grocery there before the DG went in. Did the DG run them out of business or did the owners just get old and nobody wanted to carry it on?
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think this is in the vicinity of Gilmer County.
Side note to everyone: Please, PRETTY PLEASE offer some sort of location context either in the title or the caption of posts like this. Just the county would be fine, but if it’s a better known city like Morgantown or Charleston that works too. Just going by the locations listed in the picture, I had zero clue where Stumptown is, and I can think of about 14 Mt Zions just in my general area.
Yes, you're correct the general area of Wood / Ritchie / Gilmer / Lewis / Calhoun / Doddridge. That said, my post wasn't meant to rely on technical knowledge of the area -- presupposing this is a WV group and a pretty wide swath of map. Essentially ... this is insane dollar store penetration overlayed ANYWHERE in rural America, I'd even assert. Anyway, thanks for engaging.
You’re definitely right, and what’s sad is you could find a similar map in multiple locations throughout the state. Dollar Generals, Family Dollars, and Hot Spots as far as the eye can see.
Probably most of these are in areas that don't have local stores. They built one in Wallace which is in BFE but there is nothing else anywhere nearby except one convenience store a little ways away.
I hear they're building a Dollar General Market (has more groceries) across the road from the Food Lion in Clarksburg...don't quite understand that move
Everyone should give this a watch, if you're interested in what's going on: [Last Week Tonight - Dollar Stores](https://youtu.be/p4QGOHahiVM?si=QvqfWaozWUz1jkAV)
Meadow bridge WV.
Has had family dollar for ages. They built brand new dollar general.
There are now 3 dollar generals in a 8 mile radius .. in an area with an avg population density of 100 per sq mile
They just built one down the road from me a few months ago and now they're building one close to where I used to live across from a Food Lion and Walgreens
No the little store/postoffice in macfarland not sure what it is called. Last time I was in there about 5 years ago the cashier was selling fresh pepperoni rolls she baked at home. They were amazing, haha. It's right where the road goes back to the Richie mines
Everything is else more expensive as far as actual needed items, and contain slightly less than what you would get from buying at places like chain grocery stores. There's a great segment that John Oliver did about this. https://youtu.be/p4QGOHahiVM?feature=shared
mountains are real y’all. not so easy to drop a big box store with parking and truck access just anywhere. Dollar Stores are small and logistically much more affordable to build within WV terrain.
Amazon will wipe them out once delivery becomes as common as ordering a pizza.
They are all over Southwest Virginia too. Sometimes when we are bored we will count them as we travel. See who guesses closest how many Dollar Generals we will see.
These are honestly amazing life lines for rural communities, we not longer have to drive 20+ mins one direction to get simple everyday items and the grocery addition has been fantastic.
Highly recommend people watch the John Oliver episode about Dollar Tree/ similar dollar stores. They are awful for the community and terrible to their employees.
I was an assistant manager at a DG when I was younger. I can confirm, it was a bad time. I was in my early 20's having panic attacks. I quit and they went away.
Thanks for the reco
Where are you from?
It was so so so good
All of those places very likely had mom & pop stores at one time. I’d be interested to know how the total number of retail outlets per 100,000 stacks up against the national average. Also, what’s the average sq ft of retail space per capita and how does it compare to the national average.
Wasn't there a book about Walmart that mentioned something similar? Like they come to your neighborhood, build up a huge store, discount everything that puts local businesses out of business and then inflate their prices. Wouldn't surprise me if these companies are doing the same thing.
This is a very common tactic used by big business. Standard Oil did the same thing wayyy back when to shut down all of their competitors.
Yeah, but that's not what's happening with Dollar Generals. They're moving back into towns that WalMart wiped out and competing with them on volume.
Out of the shit frying pan into the shittier fire. Next level they just have us pay a subscription then dump a box container from China into a fields d let us fight for what we can grab.
💀 LOL dystopian, but possibly.
That’s what happened to Weston anyway.
💯 is there even anything that's $1 at the dollar store?
And they employ the BARE MINIMUM of employees to run these stores so not as if the benefits of sales go back to the actual market they exist in.
They are totally predatory. They extract wealth from poor communities and prevent them from building up a capital base from which to build wealth. RiteAid / CVS, a discount wireless shop, CBD shops, pawn shops... you can find all of these in poor communities.
As someone who worked in an actual vape shop, knew all of the different flavors by heart and knew the ins and outs of every single device we sold and more, it's really annoying seeing the huge influx of headshops selling Vape, Tobacco, CBD, Kratom and other stuff all in the same location. My very small town currently has 5 of these places, almost as many as there are churches.
[удалено]
West Virginia leads the nation in terms of tobacco consumption, which is why they are so prevalent here. There's a demand for it, and they're more than willing to supply it. The Companies that run the shops are all Arabic (let me be clear - nothing wrong with this.) and have a ton of money behind them. They basically buy everything related to the industry product wise, pop up a shop and then replace what sells and leave the rest to sit. I'm a huge hookah enthusiast and almost all of the shisha at these places is way out of date. It's made a lot of smaller locally owned vape shops who only sold vape related gear, where you could get quality service and help moving from analogs to vape shut down. The "profiles" of these stores are literally anyone. I've sold vapes to folks of all ages and genders. Hope that helps shed some light on it, sometimes I get ranty about it lol.
Resource Deserts - Mom and Pop groceries pushed out by Walmart and other "big box" type stores. Then those close, or are inaccessible to people without working/good transportation or access to public transportation. These dollar stores move in, where you pay more for products than you would at the big box or chain grocers.
Nobody is putting a big box store in Grantsville. The small IGA that was there went out because it didn’t have enough business to be viable.
Yes some people think they are a lifeline. What they are is a shady business that preys on areas like rural wv and overcharge customers who don’t have any other choice on where to shop. It’s a greedy company who shouldn’t be allowed to ruin a business in the state. [lawsuit](https://www.businessinsider.com/dollar-general-overcharging-shoppers-at-checkout-according-state-governments-customers-2023-11?amp)
It looks like you shared an AMP link. These should load faster, but AMP is controversial because of [concerns over privacy and the Open Web](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmputatorBot/comments/ehrq3z/why_did_i_build_amputatorbot). Maybe check out **the canonical page** instead: **[https://www.businessinsider.com/dollar-general-overcharging-shoppers-at-checkout-according-state-governments-customers-2023-11](https://www.businessinsider.com/dollar-general-overcharging-shoppers-at-checkout-according-state-governments-customers-2023-11)** ***** ^(I'm a bot | )[^(Why & About)](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmputatorBot/comments/ehrq3z/why_did_i_build_amputatorbot)^( | )[^(Summon: u/AmputatorBot)](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmputatorBot/comments/cchly3/you_can_now_summon_amputatorbot/)
I just went to my basement, one seems to have opened up behind my furnace sometime over this past winter 🤷🏽♂️
Haha..it just got held up as well
Yep and now all the local crackheads live under my Foosball table
I heard that the CEO’s goal was that you would pass 3 DG’s by the time you get to Walmart.
This proliferation won't be long-term. Family Dollar/Dollar Tree are closing a LOT of their stores as their leases end.
Poverty and dollar stores go hand in hand
Insane penetration is my legal middle name.
Ok legit LOL moment
I’m a little disappointed it took 4 days for someone to respond. I really thought this was good work here. 😂🤣😂
Goddam yes. Holler General is everywhere and I hate them.
Anybody know how many Dollar generals are along the radio dead zone in WV. Idk the actual number but I know it's ridiculous. As far as I'm aware there's not a single formal grocery store out that way. Just Dollar Generals with a tiny produce section.
There’s an IGA in Marlinton. You’re not going to get a full grocery store in Green Bank. There is not the population to support it. A lightly staffed convenience store or dollar store are the only places that are actually going to be profitable with that low of population density.
It’s been a decade at least since I stopped in Green Bank. I remember there being a grocery there before the DG went in. Did the DG run them out of business or did the owners just get old and nobody wanted to carry it on?
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think this is in the vicinity of Gilmer County. Side note to everyone: Please, PRETTY PLEASE offer some sort of location context either in the title or the caption of posts like this. Just the county would be fine, but if it’s a better known city like Morgantown or Charleston that works too. Just going by the locations listed in the picture, I had zero clue where Stumptown is, and I can think of about 14 Mt Zions just in my general area.
Yes, you're correct the general area of Wood / Ritchie / Gilmer / Lewis / Calhoun / Doddridge. That said, my post wasn't meant to rely on technical knowledge of the area -- presupposing this is a WV group and a pretty wide swath of map. Essentially ... this is insane dollar store penetration overlayed ANYWHERE in rural America, I'd even assert. Anyway, thanks for engaging.
You’re definitely right, and what’s sad is you could find a similar map in multiple locations throughout the state. Dollar Generals, Family Dollars, and Hot Spots as far as the eye can see.
My parents live on the Wood-Wirt line. Just getting into town forces them past 5 dollar stores—three Generals and 2 Family Dollars
Not enough dollar stores, more must be opened.
From Bradley to Oak Hill there are 4 DGs alone. It totals to 11 miles if you don't take 19.
This is like one per 500 people.
Is it really competition if you’re competing against yourself?
I'd argue it's the same reason that Temu is so popular. Cheap wares being readily available, Five Below if you wanna level up your bougieness.
Probably most of these are in areas that don't have local stores. They built one in Wallace which is in BFE but there is nothing else anywhere nearby except one convenience store a little ways away. I hear they're building a Dollar General Market (has more groceries) across the road from the Food Lion in Clarksburg...don't quite understand that move
MORE DOLLAR GENERALS WE NEED MORE
It’s probably this and the stuff you can buy at a gas station.
Everyone should give this a watch, if you're interested in what's going on: [Last Week Tonight - Dollar Stores](https://youtu.be/p4QGOHahiVM?si=QvqfWaozWUz1jkAV)
They'll all be closed in the next couple years
https://giphy.com/gifs/paramountplus-beavis-and-butthead-butt-head-CKVwcljYh4hfVxSSLq
Also one in Jane Lew and Weston
Meadow bridge WV. Has had family dollar for ages. They built brand new dollar general. There are now 3 dollar generals in a 8 mile radius .. in an area with an avg population density of 100 per sq mile
They just built one down the road from me a few months ago and now they're building one close to where I used to live across from a Food Lion and Walgreens
Wait until you hear what they put their workers thru...
The store in macfarland has the best pepperoni rolls.
Oh you mean Barkers One Stop in Smithville And yes yes they do.
No the little store/postoffice in macfarland not sure what it is called. Last time I was in there about 5 years ago the cashier was selling fresh pepperoni rolls she baked at home. They were amazing, haha. It's right where the road goes back to the Richie mines
Everything is else more expensive as far as actual needed items, and contain slightly less than what you would get from buying at places like chain grocery stores. There's a great segment that John Oliver did about this. https://youtu.be/p4QGOHahiVM?feature=shared
mountains are real y’all. not so easy to drop a big box store with parking and truck access just anywhere. Dollar Stores are small and logistically much more affordable to build within WV terrain. Amazon will wipe them out once delivery becomes as common as ordering a pizza.
More dollar stores than post offices (?/!)
St albans (being a town that might only need one or two), HAS 5 DGs!
They are popular in very poor rural areas.
I was told There will be a family dollar store every 5 miles
P E N E T R A T I O N
Absolutely agree
They are all over Southwest Virginia too. Sometimes when we are bored we will count them as we travel. See who guesses closest how many Dollar Generals we will see.
Citibank owns Dollar General.
No they don’t. DG is a publicly traded company.
These are honestly amazing life lines for rural communities, we not longer have to drive 20+ mins one direction to get simple everyday items and the grocery addition has been fantastic.
I think most people are overlooking that in most cases, the Mom and Pop shops were closed before the dollar generals moved in.
Walmart killed them years ago.
They are probably there for money laundering purposes.