Rural communities have a lot of “deserts.” Newspapers, schools, groceries, accurate news, broadband – all have been associated with “the lack of.” As things move farther away, the big corporates move in. One of them is Dollar Tree. It looks at the marketplace and cherry-picks the things with the biggest mark-up to specialize in them. So forget fresh meats, fruits, and vegetables. Forget a special ingredient for “Aunt Martha’s” company dessert. Forget a lot.
Some people fall into the trap of short-term thinking. They choose to find the bargains at Dollar Tree but then find their favorite grocery store closing its doors because it can’t compete. It’s not just Dollar Tree; Walmart, Target, and others also practice what appears to be unfair competition in rural America.
At MY RURAL AMERICA, we’ve shared a series—reported by David Engelken—on the challenges and successes of starting new specialty grocery shops. If you find one in your neighborhood, please shop at it.