My thoughts on the changes at Dollar Tree.
Wow. Life happens, huh? Much like you, I was shocked by the announced changes to my beloved Dollar Tree. It’s been like a good cup of coffee from home; boring, stable, always there, no frills, not very good…but really, really cheap and makes me feel like I’m a shrewd business man who lets his money work for him.
Well, it’s Dollar Tree no longer. Let’s be completely honest. It’s now the Dollar General with different colors…er…color..I guess. The dollar store empire doesn’t use more than one color in their logos or stores. They don’t need to. We don’t go there for full-color. We go there for the sticky floors, items in boxes not put on shelves, and smell of depression. And if they have indeed become the Dollar General, then let’s go ahead and accept the fact that you can no longer purchase things in America for one dollar. Those days have gone the way of television programs, safety-pinning the bottoms of our pants, and decent music played by people who don’t even know what a computer is or any sense of dental hygiene.
We have entered into a whole new life. We have entered into America Post Dollar Tree. Things will never be the same. My children will be telling their children tales of the day when you could go to a store and purchase ramen noodles, knock off chocolate bars from Palmer, a phone case for a phone that existed a decade earlier, fruit stripe gum, every kitchen utensil you could possibly need, mugs that are just a tad smaller than real mugs, and seasonal items that weren’t put out until the actual season. They will remember trips to the dollar store where you could pick out a candy, a drink, and toy, and fine grab that too.
To quote Red from The Shawshank Redemption, “I guess I just miss my friend.” I don’t know what the future holds, but I do know that in this new future I will have far less things to hold. My kids will have far less toys that they play with on the drive home and then leave in the car because they lost interest or broke it. My wife will now have to buy her bleach for a king’s ransom at the grocery store. I will have to get my beef jerky at the gas station and lie to my wife about the price of it.
I’ll tell you what though. I’m glad I was alive during the Dollar Tree era. I will never take that for granted.
So I’m making these stickers and I will be selling them….for 3 dollars.
