I think to some extent they are... Dollar stores I see more as a symptom and perpetuation of the problem poor people face today. (Conspicuous consumption.) Whe

I think to some extent they are... Dollar stores I see more as a symptom and perpetuation of the problem poor people face today. (Conspicuous consumption.) When I was growing up, my parents had Air fans that they purchased YEARS before I was born. They're still working. Compare and contrast, I have a fan that only lasted 2 summers before burning out. Or, the knife set my parents got as a wedding gift and still use, compared to the set I got 2 years ago that already have pitting and the like. Before, poor people had access to good, quality used goods that could last. Now, they are stuck in the prisoner's dilemma; Either buying a more expensive used thing from goodwill/etc and see how long it lasts, or buying the cheap thing and knowing it's already on borrowed time.