SLN NOVEMBER 19 Final R

Seven Lakes News November Edition Page 13
673-2949
Friday November 15th Flannel Weather Band 6-9 pm
Saturday November 23rd La Criema Wine Tasting
Representatives From The La Criema Winery Will Be On-Site
December 6th Bubbly For The Holidays , Stock Up For The Holidays
Thursday Nights 6-9 pm
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Thursday December 12th Wine Tasting 6-9 pm
Friday December 13th 2Smooth Band 6-9 pm
Friday December 20th Flannel Weather Band 6-9 pm
Don‘t Forget Your
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and Gift Baskets
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All - U - Can - Eat Only $11.95
Dollar Store, Dollar Store..
Everywhere A Dollar Store
Dollar stores are everywhere in the
United States today and depending
on where you live, you could even
have more than one on your street.
Whether its Dollar Tree, Family
Dollar, Dollar General, or some
random 99 cent store, the dollar
store business is booming.
When my husband Rick and I lived
in Lake Tahoe, CA the closest
dollar store was in Reno, NV so we
decided to open a dollar store we
named “$1 Depot.” I managed
the store while Rick remained
with his real estate development
company. Our friends thought it
would be a flop but it was a hit and
I opened several other stores for
our company until we sold them 4
years later.
The stores offered all of the dollar
store items with the exception of
food to the background sounds
of the Beach boys. Everything
from wine glasses to sunglasses
that we purchased on trips down
to Los Angeles to order with split
container loads from China. Most
of the research that was done for
this story I became aware of for the
first time since we sold the stores
in 2004.
Ready for some mind-blowing
statistics? There are more
dollar stores in the United States
today than McDonald‘s and they
outnumber Walmart and Starbucks
— combined!
While these stores where
everything cost a dollar (or just a
few dollars) are great for picking
up random odds and ends, they‘re
far from perfect. Stroll through the
aisles of any dollar store and you‘ll
notice pretty quickly just how much
plastic is on the shelves which
may contain hazardous chemical
by products. In May 2019, Dollar
Tree — which owns Family Dollar,
Dollar General, and the 99 Cents
Only Store — said that it would work
to phase out lead and dangerous
chemicals from its products.
Too many dollar stores concentrated
in a single area doesn‘t just impact
local business; it can also have a
negative impact on a community‘s
health. Many dollar stores don‘t
carry produce or offer the option of
grocery delivery to senior citizens,
and when they force smaller
grocery stores to close they create
food deserts.
When Dollar General moved into
Haven KS, Foodliner Grocery saw
its customer base dwindle and
within a few years had to shut down.
Foodliner‘s story is a common one
in regards to the rise of dollar stores
across the United States.
Dollar stores can be fantastic places
for buying things like greeting cards
for that relative you only see once a
decade. Some of those dollar deals
though really just aren‘t so great.
For example, you‘re probably better
off shopping for things like vitamins
at grocery stores and drug stores,
rather than your local Dollar Tree.
For all the negatives associated
with the rapid growth of dollar
stores, according to one survey,
the majority of Americans still have
a positive view of dollar stores —
regardless of the dollar store brand.
By: Victoria Levinger