On WBHM: Advocates warn of a ‘dollar store invasion’
NPR affiliate station WBHM reported on the rapid expansion of dollar stores across the American South. Across three segments, reporter Stephan Bisha interviewed…… Read More
Dollar Store Restrictions
As dollar stores multiply rapidly across the U.S., cities are developing dollar store-specific policies to rein in their growth. Such policies include “dispersal restrictions” that set limits on how close new dollar stores can be to existing ones. These ordinances account for the existing concentration of dollar stores within a neighborhood or city and help ensure that these chains cannot amass at such a density that they impede opportunities for grocery stores and other businesses to take root and grow. Our new map shows dollar store defeats and restrictions across the country. … Read More
On Columbus Radio: Stacy Mitchell Discusses the Problem of Dollar Stores
On the local NPR affiliate, Stacy explains how dollar stores prey on communities. … Read More
The New York Times: As Dollar Stores Proliferate, Some Communities Say No
The New York Times reported on the growing opposition to chain dollar stores in communities across the U.S., drawing extensively from ILSR’s recent report, The Dollar Store Invasion.… Read More
Report: The Dollar Store Invasion
In this report, we spotlight communities rising up against dollar chains and how federal policymakers need to address the ways in which misguided policies are fueling the destructive proliferation of dollar stores. … Read More
Forbes: How Dollar General Is Spreading Like Hot Gossip In Tiny Towns Across The Country
ILSR senior researcher Kennedy Smith discusses how smaller communities tend to be most vulnerable to Dollar General expansions. … Read More
Maps Show Alarming Pattern of Dollar Stores’ Spread in U.S. Cities
Original maps from eight U.S. cities show how numerous dollar stores have become in urban America and reveal a striking pattern between dollar store locations and neighborhood income and race. We discuss each local context, presenting evidence for why these patterns have emerged and how some cities are beginning to check the spread of dollar chains. … Read More
Dollar Stores Are Targeting Struggling Urban Neighborhoods and Small Towns. One Community Is Showing How to Fight Back.
Although dollar stores sometimes fill a need in places that lack basic retail services, there’s growing evidence that these stores are not merely a byproduct of economic distress. They’re a cause of it. In small towns and urban neighborhoods alike, dollar stores are leading full-service grocery stores to close. And their strategy of saturating communities with multiple outlets is making it impossible for new grocers and other local businesses to take root and grow.… Read More
Fact Sheet: The Impact of Dollar Stores and How Communities Can Fight Back
National dollar store chains, including Dollar General and Dollar Tree, have seen huge growth over the past decade. These stores are also feeding more Americans than Whole Foods is. New research from ILSR’s Community-Scaled Economy Initiative documents the rapid rise of dollar stores and their damaging effects on the local economies of cities and small towns. Explore our two-page fact sheet to learn more about dollar store impacts and strategies to take action.… Read More