China News Service, December 6th. According to the US "World Journal" report, due to factors such as increasing inflation in the United States, the price of everything has risen, and the one-dollar store will not be able to hold it, and it is about to enter history.
The famous one-dollar store "Dollar Tree" recently announced that starting the first quarter of next year, most of its products will permanently increase in price to US$1.25, reflecting the huge pressure of low-priced retailers that are losing ground to the torrent of inflation.
The "One Dollar Tree" has maintained a unit price of one dollar for 35 years and can be described as the last fortress of one dollar stores in the United States.
The company said that strict adherence to the one-dollar unit price has forced the company to stop selling some of its "customer favorite products". Increasing the price will make the store more flexible to resell these products, expand the selection, and introduce new products and large-size packaging products.
In addition, raising the price of a single product will help expand the net profit margin and "fight historically high inflation," including freight, distribution costs, and wage growth.
"One Dollar Tree" mainly sells seasonal goods, toys, stationery, home accessories, kitchenware and party supplies, and caters to suburban and middle-income consumers; unlike its rival "Dollar General", which focuses on the rural market, "One Dollar Tree" Its "Family Dollar" (Family Dollar) targets low-income customers in the city.
Mr. Mao, a Chinese in New York, said that there are two nationally chained "Yuanyuan Stores" near his home, namely "Yuanshu" and "Yuantong".
He said that on weekends, many people go to these discount stores to shop, and they often have to wait in line to pay.
Hearing that the "One Dollar Tree" is going to increase prices across the board, he believes that compared with the soaring prices, one dollar stores still have a price advantage; "Under such severe inflation, it is not easy for these stores to keep their prices low." New York City University The manager of Big 99 Cent Store in Jiumao Nine Store said, "The number of people who come to shop has indeed increased recently."
Older consumers come here to pick up the bargains
Mr. Mao said that he likes to "look at the east and west" in the dollar store.
In the "One Dollar Tree" store, a dozen eggs cost only one dollar, which is very cheap.
In the "Yuantong", many of the goods in the store are more than one dollar, but the prices are still lower than other supermarket chains.
He said that the majority of shoppers are older, and many of them are Hispanic.
"There are so many babies in the dollar store. As long as you are patiently shopping, there will always be surprises."
He bought a lot of good and cheap things in the "One Yuanshu" shop, such as one-dollar bleach, children's handmade materials, building blocks, porcelain bowls, etc.
He said that many things in the "One Yuan Tree" are exactly the same as those in big shopping malls, but the prices are so low.
"The Chinese are more economical, and Taobao at the dollar store is a good way to live."
"One Dollar Tree" sometimes sells milk in paper packages.
He estimated that the milk may not have been sold out in the supermarket and was recycled by the store before being sold.
He said that this milk was pasteurized.
"If you don't open it, this milk can be stored at natural temperature for a long time without putting it in the refrigerator." He often goes to this store to buy milk.
If he encounters very cheap goods, he will buy a lot.
For example, there is a brand of moisturizer commonly used in supermarkets. Amazon even sells it for more than ten dollars, but it only sells for one dollar on "One Yuanshu".
He bought many bottles at once.
"When I got home, my wife was still joking with me. Would you like to open a store on e-Bay and sell it?"
He said that New York is located in the northeastern part of the United States. The temperature is low in winter, and the cars are prone to fog and need to be sprayed frequently.
He said that if you buy this spray in a big store, the price is higher.
However, sometimes this medicine is also sold in dollar stores, and a large bottle is only one dollar, which is "unbelievably cheap".
Socks are also sold in dollar stores.
He found that these socks were imported from China, and some came from village-run enterprises in Zhejiang.
"I once went to see that the factory imported hosiery equipment from Italy, produced socks in Zhejiang, and shipped them to the United States for sale."
The main products of different dollar stores are different
Shirley, a Chinese from New York, is also a fan of Yiyuandian.
She said that the Chinese Jiumaojiudian has different things from the mainstream "One Yuan Tree" and "One Yuantong".
If she buys kitchen supplies and daily necessities, she goes to the Chinese Jiu Maojiu shop; if she wants to buy disposable items, such as plastic cups, cards, children's toys, etc., she goes to the "One Yuan Tree"; if she buys clothes, slippers, gloves, etc. For durable goods, she went to "Yuantong".
"Different stores have different prices for goods."
She said that the Jiu Mao Jiu Store has good quality and low price, almost everything is available.
In Chinese Jiumaojiu stores, the goods are mainly made in China, which is more suitable for Chinese families.
She bought bowls, spoons, spatulas, etc. at the Chinese Jiu Maojiu store.
The two kids needed an alarm to wake up to school, so she went to the Jiu Mao Jiu store in Flushing and bought two small alarm clocks.
Now, she often goes shopping in mainstream dollar stores.
She said that the things in the "One Dollar Tree" store are basically under one dollar.
For example, a tea cup is a dollar, which makes people feel too cheap.
However, the quality of the things in the "One Yuanshu" shop is not high, and the workmanship is relatively rough.
The products of "Yiyuantong" are obviously much better than those of "Yiyuanshu".
When she is okay, she often goes to the Yiyuantong store to see if she has suitable clothes and bedding.
Mr. Liu in New York said that he often buys eggs, milk and bread for breakfast in the "Yuantong" store.
He said that he usually has to drive more than ten minutes to buy large-packaged food at the member store BJ's on weekends, but he often eats out during the week and only finds out when he opens the refrigerator in the morning.
He said that it was inconvenient and too late to go to the member store immediately, so he went to the nearby dollar store for emergency assistance, "The dollar store is my warehouse."
He found that there has been a significant increase in the number of customers visiting Yiyuanshu recently, especially on weekends.
"In the past, there was not such a long queue." At the same time, the number of Chinese "increased significantly."
The quality of these cheap goods may be difficult to guarantee
Mr. Mao said that these mainstream dollar stores also sell medicines, which are not expensive, and cheaper than specialty pharmacies.
However, he dared not buy the medicine at the dollar store, worrying about the quality problem.
"If I need to, I will go to a professional pharmacy to buy it, so I feel more at ease."
He said that in fact, each tablet has only one active ingredient, so the cost is very low.
The dollar store also sells all kinds of canned food at very cheap prices.
He said that although some canned foods are not salty, the food in them contains high sodium, which can easily lead to increased blood pressure.
He said that other ethnic groups can accept canned food, and regular consumption can cause high blood pressure.
He believes that this lifestyle is not good.
The eating habits of the Chinese are different from those of other ethnic groups.
The Chinese like to eat fresh food, which can avoid these problems.
He said that, in fact, it is not economical to buy food at a dollar store.
The food in the dollar store is in small packages. Compared with the large packages in member stores Costco and BJ's, the unit price is much more expensive.
Prices of Chinese Jiumao Nine Stores Increased More Products
Mr. Mao also often goes shopping in the nearby Jiumao Nine Store.
There are two Jiumaojiu shops opened by Chinese people near his home.
He said that Jiumaojiu shops opened by Chinese have been around for a long time.
In the beginning, the things in these Jiu Mao Nine Stores were all from China, but now they have changed.
"In addition to the things in these Jiu Maojiu stores, there are also some products made locally in the United States."
He said that in the past, he liked to go to these Jiu Maojiu stores to buy things because the prices were lower.
Later, the things in the Chinese Jiu Mao Jiu store "also increased a lot."
The manager of Big 99 Cent Store said that this Jiu Mao Jiu store had existed more than a decade ago.
Due to the epidemic, the prices of commodities have gone crazy.
She said that the goods in the store are determined based on the purchase price, and the boss takes the goods back. "The purchase price is high, and the selling price is also high."
The reporter saw that the goods in the Jiu Mao Jiu store marked Jiu Mao Jiu are very few, and most of the main products in the store are above Jiu Mao Jiu.
The proportion of daily necessities is the largest, among which daily necessities for one-time consumption are the main ones.
Some analysts said that the success of Chinese Jiumaojiu stores is mainly due to the direct import of cheap and good-quality products from China.
The manager said that when Jiumao Nine Store opened, there were few local Chinese, but more and more Chinese moved in in the past few years.
"Currently, Chinese residents account for almost 30 to 40% of the university population."
She said that although there are many Chinese shoppers, there are more local Hispanic residents, so consumers are mainly of other ethnicities.
Most consumers are satisfied with reasonable prices
On January 13, 2020, the business address website (Yelp) published a consumer review of this Jiu Maojiu store.
The comment said that, like most Jiu Mao Jiu stores today, Jiu Mao Jiu's products are running out, and the price is $1.29.
But this is still a good price.
Of course not all products are $1.29, but the prices of most products are "very reasonable."
The store is full of merchandise and the aisles may be a bit crowded.
However, if there is time to pass, it is worthwhile to browse along the aisle.
"You never know what you will find!" Most of the time, she was looking for gift bags and wrapping paper.
"When I need a real gift bag, I usually try to use a reusable bag as a gift bag." According to the author, the clerk's service is friendly and fast.
There is a nice large parking lot nearby, so parking is never a problem.
(Han Jie)