Feeding Us or Failing Us: The Dollar Store’s Role in Food Deserts in Our Community

Dollar store chains like Dollar General have cropped up in rural neighborhoods like weeds. As of late, there are close to 35,000 Dollar General and Dollar Tree locations in multiple communities. An affordable, one-stop-shop within walking distance from home – seems like a Godsend at first. But are dollar stores really helping poor Black communities thrive or helping them to an early grave? The perfect one-stop-shop? Dollar store chains act as a sort of one-stop shop for customers who either can’t or don’t want to travel to multiple locations for different products. You can go to a Family Dollar, buy bread and vegetables on one side of the store, then purchase diapers, wipes, and motor oil on the next!  Dollar stores also tout bargainable prices. Say you are a low-income shopper, trying to feed your family for the week. You could go to Dollar General and load up on canned and pre-packaged foods like soups, snacks, and drinks and not break the bank. Convenience and affordability in these inconveniently unaffordable times – that’s hard to beat. But at what price? When affordability and convenience are pressed to the forefront, quality tends to be lacking. By quality, I mean the nutrition...