The Dollar-and-a-Quarter Store

After paying for the take-out lunch, I wandered into the Dollar Tree next door to while away the next 15 minutes. I hadn't been there for several years and was surprised to see that they finally breached the one-dollar price point. Dollar Tree had raised the price of everything to $1.25:

Dollar Tree Inc. is raising prices for good, the company announced on Tuesday, moving its price point higher by a quarter from the eponymous dollar...

The company said the higher price point is a permanent move, and not the result of “short-term or transitory market conditions.” Moreover, the $1.25 price point allows the company to offer a wider range of merchandise, including items that had been discontinued at the $1 level.

I picked up two packages of five 9x12 mailing envelopes. The total was $2.50 for 10, a bargain.

The shelves aren't chained or locked.

The checkout lines, with everyone masked and distanced, were busy. The customers chatted with the cashiers; they seemed like regulars.

I didn't notice any of the chained and locked shelves that are ubiquitous in San Francisco stores. The paucity of security measures probably was due to the Redwood City crime rate being lower and the low per-item value of goods for sale. It wouldn't be worth the time to steal a shelf of anything, then list it on eBay.

Though you are probably not in its demographic, dear reader, Dollar Tree's business model meets the needs of millions, and Dollar Tree is not saddled with the high marketing and security costs that plague upscale establishments. May it thrive another 35 years.