When you shop locally, 2/3 of every dollar stays local. Nothing against Amazon, Wallmart, etc
Oakland: https://onlyinoakland.org/
Oakland: https://onlyinoakland.org/
OT: Shop Local
- Thread starter 9nationalchampionships
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I definitely prefer buying local. Not always the easiest or cheapest option but it often makes sense.
Up in Limestone PA, there is a little country store/gas station/deli where a family ekes out a living. Rural area, small town.
Dollar General moves in right across the road! Now people flock over there, squeezing the local folks. Really sucks. We still patronize the little guys when we go by because they are good people and need the money!
Corporations suck!!!
Dollar General moves in right across the road! Now people flock over there, squeezing the local folks. Really sucks. We still patronize the little guys when we go by because they are good people and need the money!
Corporations suck!!!
Yeah Dollar General really is a vulture. They reign in rural areas and sketchy city neighborhoods where they have the market cornered. It's a pretty genius business model.
Dollar General doesn’t sell gas, nor does it have a deli.
But like Amazon, Walmart, and other giants, they squash the little people.
Either you slave for them, or go hungry. Small business people don't have a chance!
No, but in a small rural setting, you need all three to make a living. They also compete with the Sunoco convenience stores and Subway, etc. in nearby small towns.
There is no industry in these areas any more, so people try to be entrepreneurs to scratch out a living. It isn't easy!
No, it’s not. But at least thanks to Dollar General, Sunoco Convenience stores and Subways, a few new jobs have been created.
Minimum wage with no benefits. Small business owners can raise a family.
Convenience store clerks, not so much!
no. But they do tend to spend their paychecks which help keep small businesses operating.
I see Dollar General as a barely adequate alternative to Walmart more than I do as a threat to small businesses.
Fine, but I'm sure you'd feel different if one moved in across the street from your little grocery store.
These are corporate stores, so don't even have local franchise owners. Just serfs stocking the shelves and running the register.
Dollar stores are highly parasitic and systematically saturate markets to crowd out conventional grocery stores. They stock no fresh food and create food deserts leading to obesity and malnutrition in low income areas.
I say this not as a socialist community activist but as a capitalist investor. I've been working on property development in neighborhoods like Millvale and Sharpsburg, areas that should be thriving due to proximity to Lawrenceville and the Strip. But the biggest factor holding these neighborhoods back is lack of fresh food within walking distance. Prime areas where Sharpsburg or Millvale could place a Trader Joes or an Aldi are already occupied by Dollar General and Dollar Tree. And this isn't an issue for potential gentrifying professionals moving in but is also the primary complaint of longtime residents who struggle to find places to get fresh food. My hope is that Allegheny County will soon place a tax on these dollar stores like many other communities are now doing once they understand the massive cost we all pay in health insurance for the American epidemic of obesity and malnutrition.
I say this not as a socialist community activist but as a capitalist investor. I've been working on property development in neighborhoods like Millvale and Sharpsburg, areas that should be thriving due to proximity to Lawrenceville and the Strip. But the biggest factor holding these neighborhoods back is lack of fresh food within walking distance. Prime areas where Sharpsburg or Millvale could place a Trader Joes or an Aldi are already occupied by Dollar General and Dollar Tree. And this isn't an issue for potential gentrifying professionals moving in but is also the primary complaint of longtime residents who struggle to find places to get fresh food. My hope is that Allegheny County will soon place a tax on these dollar stores like many other communities are now doing once they understand the massive cost we all pay in health insurance for the American epidemic of obesity and malnutrition.
Not a shocking revelation at all. You fit right into their typical shopper with all your conspiracy theories.
Amazon is on a different level than Dollar General. Amazon stocks stuff I can't find elsewhere and gives me a lot of choice, reviews, etc... They provide a good service for the price. Dollar General is a parasite as Pups posted above. They offer the worst quality at bottom dollar. And they know that's all their clientele can afford.
Absolutely agree. Shop local.
The local store owner is the one who sponsors the neighborhood Little League team, buys an ad in the high school football program, volunteers at the senior citizens center, and is firmly committed to the local community because he/she grew up here and wants to make it the best place it can be. You may pay a buck ot two more at the local mom and pop store, but you'll get it back tenfold.
One thought I've always had but never really researched is the lost of downtowns and it's effects on housing values.
In the early 90's Wal-Mart started killing a lot of small towns commerce areas then with Amazon and ecommerce taking a stronghold in the early 2000s it became game over.
The example I use is Monessen since that is where my mom is from and I visited my grandparents a lot.
When I was a kid in the early 80's the mill just closed and a lot of folks lost their jobs. Yet that downtown area was still vibrant. I remember going to a shoe shop there and the people working welcoming my mom by name even though she left the town 20 years earlier to the South Hills. There were all locally owned furniture stores, appliance stores, hardware stores, clothing stores, pharmacies, doctor offices, restaurants, and on the end of town on both sides grocery stores and 1 car dealership.
Even with the mill closed the town more or less stayed that way till Wal-Mart opened up in neighboring Belle Vernon in the early 90s. Then slowly but surely the Monessen business closed. Now that downtown area has building condemnd some knocked over and turned to storage facilities a Rite Aid and I think 1 restaurant.
The thought I always had but never really researched is what does that do to house values? Did the people that still chose to live in these towns screw their own wealth way more than they saved by supporting businesses that were not local?
If you look at the homes in Monessen they look like houses found in Brentwood. A quick look at Zillow and similar homes are going for $30-40 grand more in Brentwood. I'm sure it is a combo of Brentwood being closer to Pgh but I'm sure the local commerce options benefit the house values in BW compared to Mon also.
I just feel the more depressed an area is the more important it is to support a locally owned establishment. I wI'll have to look into this more one day see if any studies exist on this.
In the early 90's Wal-Mart started killing a lot of small towns commerce areas then with Amazon and ecommerce taking a stronghold in the early 2000s it became game over.
The example I use is Monessen since that is where my mom is from and I visited my grandparents a lot.
When I was a kid in the early 80's the mill just closed and a lot of folks lost their jobs. Yet that downtown area was still vibrant. I remember going to a shoe shop there and the people working welcoming my mom by name even though she left the town 20 years earlier to the South Hills. There were all locally owned furniture stores, appliance stores, hardware stores, clothing stores, pharmacies, doctor offices, restaurants, and on the end of town on both sides grocery stores and 1 car dealership.
Even with the mill closed the town more or less stayed that way till Wal-Mart opened up in neighboring Belle Vernon in the early 90s. Then slowly but surely the Monessen business closed. Now that downtown area has building condemnd some knocked over and turned to storage facilities a Rite Aid and I think 1 restaurant.
The thought I always had but never really researched is what does that do to house values? Did the people that still chose to live in these towns screw their own wealth way more than they saved by supporting businesses that were not local?
If you look at the homes in Monessen they look like houses found in Brentwood. A quick look at Zillow and similar homes are going for $30-40 grand more in Brentwood. I'm sure it is a combo of Brentwood being closer to Pgh but I'm sure the local commerce options benefit the house values in BW compared to Mon also.
I just feel the more depressed an area is the more important it is to support a locally owned establishment. I wI'll have to look into this more one day see if any studies exist on this.
When the downturn of the steel industry hit Pittsburgh, the areas closest to downtown were able to stay relatively vibrant due to the proximity of downtown, access to other jobs and all part of 1 county.
Poor public transportation, distance to downtown and the area split between 3 counties doomed the upper part of the Mon ( which is actually south but locals use the flow of the river as the gauge). Not sure what the southern beltway may do for this area???
Poor public transportation, distance to downtown and the area split between 3 counties doomed the upper part of the Mon ( which is actually south but locals use the flow of the river as the gauge). Not sure what the southern beltway may do for this area???
If it was actually going into town, I'd say a lot. People would probably consider moving into the Mon valley if the commute into town was better. I guess it might improve things if people need to get to Southpointe or the airport. At the same time, it will make it easier for people who work in the Mon Valley to live elsewhere in someplace like Bethel Park or Canonsburg.
The majority has to choose to spend a little more for local or fresh. People would rather save $1 for prepackaged mass produced items.
Indeed. And they are willfully ignorant to the fact that it is killing them in the long run.
This has nothing to do with wealth and everything to do with ease and lack of basic kitchen skills.
I know what I am about to say is anecdotal but of all the people I know, my house is one of 6 who cook from scratch the majority of their meals. 3 of the other households are my siblings. So Of 6 households I know who cook from scratch the majority of the time, 4 of them are my parents children. The rest of the families I know eat out or buy heat and served meals. A few do that blue apron type thing a few times a week.
Kitchen skills are dying a slow death.
I think you misnderstood my point. I was not talking about Downtown Pittsburgh. I was talking about Downtown Monessen. Every small town had their own commerce district. All of them stayed fairly vibriant well after the downturn to the steel industry. It was not till the early 90s when Walmart made a huge push did those town shops die. If the locals would have stayed with the local store instead of Wal-Mart the town would not be as depressed helping them retain their property values on their hones by living in a non depressed place. But how do you explain to someone it is better to pay $2.99 for a gallon of milk from mom and pop vs $1.50 from Wal-Mart. Not an easy sell.
This cities and towns should stop allowing them to come in. Maybe the incentives are too much for the politicians though.
Walmart has merely replaced the KMarts, Hills, Jamesways and other similar discount department stores of yesteryear. They did little to destroy downtowns. Most people drive today. When towns like Monesson were thriving not so many people did.
Yes...sorry! I just looked at Monessen downtown from the historical society and Donner St back in the day looks like a great place!
That is good to hear. In my experience, it's a bit unusual for a national chain. The local merchants I am familiar with typically pick a team and supply the uniforms and equipment for that team. Some provide other benefits like food and drinks after games.
Is it Dollar General that has exclusive rights to Jolt soda? One of our IT guys was drinking some and said only so many are released to dollar general.
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