South Cobb Community Also Up in Arms About Dollar General
Decatur Metro | September 22, 2010Same store. Same reaction. Slightly different argument. From the AJC…
When residents in part of south Cobb’s Austell area found out that the new building going up along Six Flags Drive was slated to be a discount retail chain store, they went into action.
E-mails flew, county officials were contacted, meetings were convened and a community was engaged.
“It was disappointing,” said Brittany Innes, 29, who has lived in the Chimney Hill subdivision, which is adjacent to the store site at the corner of Six Flags Drive and Factory Shoals Road, for two years. “This is an area of working-class minorities, yet you won’t bring in better businesses? You continue to bring in stores like Dollar General because we’re seen as underserved.”
…Innes and her neighbors, also homeowners from neighborhoods surrounding the store site, would have preferred a major grocery store, higher-end retail, a bank or some county service come to the corner instead of the discount store that has a reputation of being located in poor neighborhoods, they said.
Hmmm…me thinks that Dollar General might need a multi-million dollar image makeover.
Let’s start with taking the “Dollar” out of the name and changing it to something Swedish. How about the Swede’s word for frugal? “Sparsam”! Then change the sign colors from an early 1980s yellow and black to something that incorporates a lot of bright blue and presto! A mini, neighborhood Ikea!
Thanks to Jenn for pointing out this article.
Latest from Decaturish
Yes, if Haagen Dazs can invent itself as Scandinavian, why not Dollar General!
Most folks truly love the idea of a variety store aka five and ten aka dollar store. They can be fun for bargain hunters and anyone who just enjoys the concept. I think it’s the aesthetic footprint of Dollar General that folks are reacting most strongly against. I realize there’s a branding issue that makes it unlikely that Dollar General will make any changes to an individual store. But too bad because a store that had Dollar General content but was called something like “Oakhurst Variety”, had a slightly less stark font and styling for the marquee, and maybe a mural or two to soften the box, would go over much better in the community and still have the other benefits of filling the vacant space and providing bargains for shoppers.
Okay. This IS kind of funny! It’s a mad, mad world! :0)
“Most folks truly love the idea of a variety store aka five and ten aka dollar store. They can be fun for bargain hunters and anyone who just enjoys the concept.”
That feels like equivocation to me. If it’s a novelty to you, then it’s because you can afford to keep it a novelty. Few people are shopping at Dollar General and its ilk because they WANT to. They’re shopping there because they HAVE to. And when one pops up in your neighborhood, it hurts, because it means someone’s made the calculation that you and your neighbors can’t support a store selling more aspirational goods. It forces folks to confront economic realities, and what they see isn’t necessarily pretty, regardless of the color the sign hanging above the door.
I shop at the Dollar General and the Big Lots at Church and N Decatur all the time because I WANT to. It’s nice being able to go pick up a USB cable or some tools or some cleaning supplies or some random kitchen stuff and not be price gauged…
I’m not saying I agree with putting one in Oakhurst but that post just rubbed me the wrong way.
I’m glad you said this. I also shop at lots of discount and dollar stores because I want to. It makes good financial sense for many items. Most of those living above the poverty level still have a budget with limits in an era of rising costs and static salaries. And why not enjoy oneself while shopping?
But I no longer have an opinion on the pluses and minuses of a Dollar General in Oakhurst….time will tell.
Because they “HAVE” to. The dollar store on memorial next to the thrift store, has name brand stuff. (It’s not a dg btw) for guess what price???
Why would you want to spend 2 or 3 bucks more, because you can? That just doesn’t make sense to me.
I cut coupons as well, not because I HAVE too.
I love coupons! It’s free money as long as you make sure that you only use them for items or services you were going to buy anyway. Without even trying very hard and usually only using the coupons that CVS, Kroger, Office Depot, Ace Hardware, restaurants, and other merchants mail to me or put in the Savvy Shopper, I save at least $50 a month. Folks who put in the effort to clip out of the newspaper and find online coupons must really do well.
P.S.: I know that it’s not really “free money”; someone somewhere is paying. But since the coupons are already printed and the advertising has already occurred, it makes good financial sense to go ahead and use them if you were going to make the purchases with or without the coupons.
P.P.S: Sorry for threadjacking but saving money is an engaging (I hesitate to say fun) topic.
Next up, how to use stale leftover bread to make a picture-perfect, delicious dinner party entree, complete with eye-catching garnish………..Just kidding!
I’ll say this: I used to clip coupons religiously and was very anal about my grocery store trips. There were times when I would literally have a calculator in my cart keeping a running tally. And I know what you mean about it being fun, having a coupon for every conceivable thing (in a tabbed coupon organizer, of course), seeing that “YOU SAVED THIS MUCH” at the end of the receipt, and raising the cashier’s eyebrows. But in all honesty, I save way more money and eat way better these days by doing most of my shopping at YDFM. It became clear that the majority of coupons I was using were for overprocessed products that either weren’t good for me or I wouldn’t have bought otherwise (which, of course, is the point). And then it didn’t seem so fun anymore.
And when one pops up in your neighborhood, it hurts, because it means someone’s made the calculation that you and your neighbors can’t support a store selling more aspirational goods.
_________________
Are you saying you take DG’s decision to open in Oakhurst personally? That’s what is sounds like. Would it make you feel better if Ferrari opened a dealership in that spot? It would sure qualify as an aspirational good.
A J.Jill outlet would make me feel really good.
So, you get the financing and open that store up!
I also shop at thrift stores, yard sales and Big Lots. I like getting bargains.
I think Dollar General is getting a pretty bad reputation, here. We’ve got at least two dollar stores around here…one near Big Lots, another near the Big Kroger. Have they attracted ruin yet?
I don’t have a strong opinion one way or the other. The market will bear what the market will bear. But I was trying to put myself in the shoes of some of the people in that community who appear to be very upset about it.
Recent New York Times article on dollar stores:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/22/business/22dollar.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=dollar%20general&st=cse
I don’t think Austell or Oakhurst will find it reassuring.
Why wouldn’t reading that companies are responding to the realities of our economy and the challenges being faced by previously comfortable people be reassuring? At least someone is.
Plus, if their locational assumptions are wrong, people won’t shop there. The problem will take care of itself.
What Lump said: “when one pops up in your neighborhood, it hurts, because it means someone’s made the calculation that you and your neighbors can’t support a store selling more aspirational goods.”
If you’re a homeowner, you hope houses in your area will increase in value and your neighborhood will stay safe and stable. In that sense, a new dollar store isn’t reassuring.
If you’re a homeowner, you hope houses in your area will increase in value and your neighborhood will stay safe and stable.
——–
I’m a homeowner and I consider those to be separate (although related) issues. Obviously, nobody wants their property value to decrease; but that really shouldn’t be a long-term worry for anybody in a single-family dwelling in the City of Decatur. And if you’re in it for the short haul, then you’re speculating and need to own your risk (and you’re still unlikely to lose a dime–you just might not make a big profit within a short time period).
In any case, rapidly increasing residential property values tend to undermine neighborhood stability as more people move in and out more frequently. And the impact of such turnover on safety is debatable, IMO. Nowadays in Oakhurst I feel a bit safer on the street at night than I did ten years ago; but I also believe that I was safer then than I felt at the time. Personally, the thing that contributes the most to my feeling safe–day or night, inside my house or outside–is being personally acquainted with my neighbors and knowing that we look out for each other. (Another big factor is Decatur PD and their zone approach to policing, which enables individual officers to be familiar with their beats and the routine habits and patterns of the people who live and work there.) Meanwhile, there seem to be more break-ins around this part of town than before and it stands to reason–in my mind, anyway–that’s a result of more households with the trappings of affluence lying around. Burglars follow the money.
I’m sorry, I don’t mean to re-start this whole thing–I think we beat the horse plenty already–but I can’t let this one point go by unchallenged. The only meaningful measure by which a retailer will “go over better in the community” is whether or not people shop there. I remain convinced that plenty of people will shop at a DG in Oakhurst, should it come to pass. IMO complaints about the exterior aesthetics represent a minority of people who seem to share a particular mindset–that they are somehow justified in wanting to control everything around them including aesthetic taste.
Karass, I realize your comment was not advocating that viewpoint, you were simply suggesting a way in which the situation might be rendered less contentious. I appreciate that impulse but at the same time, I personally think the “taste police” generally over-reach and should not be encouraged.
Interesting article in today’s NYT about dollar stores and the growing influence of the “value shopper.” http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/22/business/22dollar.html?ref=todayspaper
I hear Dollar General is responding to aesthetic criticisms by employing tasteful blue faux-painted marble, a cheery mural, and a utilitarian font in all of their signage. That should fix things.
“It’s Dollar Time!”
ok, that was funny! And maybe they will never actually open, either.
So surprised you had an opinion on this.
How are the efforts on behalf of the Oakhurst seniors going?
(Cool City Mtg tonight on the various ways n’hood groups can communicate with neighbors. Should be some good methods on reaching out to the non wired folks. Just wanted to make you aware.)
Is this a meeting open to the public or an already selected group? Sounds like it may be a good outgrowth of the strategic planning focus groups.
It’s Lee Ann Harvey’s N’hood Alliance Mtg (6:30 @ City Hall) that takes place 2 times/yr. It’s geared to bringing together the City’s n’hood assns, condos assns, block assns, and any neighbors interested in forming a n’hood group. Our n’hood is looking forward to learning from the other n’hoods the different ways they’ve succeeded in reaching out to everyone. We’ve got a mix of different assns in our area with no definite plan for bridging them. Good things are starting to happen around here & we want to make sure everyone gets to take part!
[ Lee Ann assured me that it was open to anyone. To RSVP: or 678-553-6548.]
You didn’t re-start this thing–DM did.
This thing? Hmm, that doesn’t sound too complementary.
Not certain, but I think you mean ‘complimentary.’ Some of the grammar police around here will call you out on that.
:-)…said the undercover grammar police.
Maybe DM just wanted to take a different angle on this topic.
Wow, it’s a pretty fine line to walk to not be considered elitist (too good for Dollar General), to be slumming it (enjoying Dollar General), or not concerned about the impact on the neighborhood (eager to have Dollar General in Oakhurst).
I have lost all urge to have an opinion about Dollar General and will wait and see how it goes.
Dang, now what whilst I do to feel all morally superior to Cobb county?
I would be pleased if their lights were turned off at night.
I’ve got nothing to add, but feel a mysterious need to drive up the post count for Dollar General threads on DM.
Me too!
Nothing stirs the pot here on this blog as much as a perceived challenge to the much vaunted and flaunted diversity and open-mindedness of Decatur. Veeeeeeery interesting to see where people’s self-perceptions land when they feel “challenged”…