Bucking the Trend
by NIH retail correspondent E. N. Beej
While it would be impossible to miss the demise of such retail shopping institutions as Sam the Record Man, Eaton's, Zeller's, Consumers Distributors, etc. it would also be impossible to ignore the rapid and ubiquitous growth of the dollar store. And while the local dollar stores may not make for future melancholy childhood Christmas memories or milestones in teenage comings of age, they surely must be doing something right; things which the big stores probably are not doing. I'd like to offer a few observations in this respect.
Of course, the most obvious reason for the dollar store's popularity is the fact that a dollar will actually buy you something (try doing that at the Bay). In fact, there are lots of things that a dollar will buy you at the dollar store. I recently bought a solar powered calculator (with memory) for a lowly loonie. I've also purchased bits and pieces of hardware (screws and washers and the like), envelopes, blank audio and video tapes, ballpoint pens, a t-shirt, athletic socks, tape, Halloween treats and a costume,... All for a loonie or two. Anyway, you get the idea. There's lots of useful stuff to be found at the dollar store for not much more than the change in your pocket.
There's also the dollar store's ability to play to the psychology of shopping. If shopping really is the uplifting "event" that some experts would have us believe it is, then the dollar store offers us at least the chance that we can actually walk out of the store with something. Most of us can afford a dollar. Even poor people can enjoy the experience of buying something at the dollar store.
Another reason for the dollar store's popularity is that there's at least one on every city block, it seems. You never have to go very far to find one. For me to go to one of the larger stores requires planning for a day trip. And walking to one is out of the question. Convenience is the order of the day for the dollar store.
Similarly, a trip to the dollar store can be made in your dirty gardening clothes and grubby running shoes, face unshaven, hair dishevelled. It is a store for the common folk where airs need not be put on. The price of admission is a loonie and everyone is welcome.
One of my pet peeves regarding the big store shopping experience is the poor quality of service to be found there (if and when service can be found at all). Staff often have no idea what is in stock, where it can be found if it was in stock, what its attributes are, etc. Furthermore, I can't tell you how often I've wandered around some big store department trying to find someone to take my money for a purchase. I won't even talk about the often curt if not downright surly service either. They seem to have the misguided impression that they're doing me a favour by allowing me to shop there. This kind of service is rarely found in the dollar store. They are usually owner operated, so a sale is important to the operators and they do what they can to make a sale. They know what they carry and where it is and will often take you to it. The cash is at the front of the store and there's always someone there or very nearby to take your money. Most of us want nothing more than basic, courteous service and that's what you usually find at the dollar store.
The big stores do offer some advantages to the shopper. They do tend to honour their warranties and guarantees although this is less of an issue when the items we're talking about only cost a dollar or two. They do put their merchandise in fancy bags emblazoned with their logos. However, some of us prefer to let them do their own advertising. They do carry things that can't be found at the dollar store like home theatres and refrigerators (although I remain hopeful). And they do employ lots of people (especially surly ones). But the bottom line for me is that the dollar store makes shopping a relatively painless experience. What more could one ask for?
Bucking the Trend © Coolth, 2001
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