# 99 Cents stores, The end is here **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 5, 2024, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-cents-stores-the-end-is-here/999904 "2024-04-05T22:44:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2024, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-cents-stores-the-end-is-here/999904/61 "2024-04-09T22:23:44Z")
I call Dollar Tree “Buck-and-a-quarter Tree”. That seems to be the most common price there. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2024, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-cents-stores-the-end-is-here/999904/62 "2024-04-09T22:37:38Z")
The Dollar Trees I’m familiar with aren’t exactly dirty, just kind of dusty and tired-looking. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2024, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-cents-stores-the-end-is-here/999904/63 "2024-04-09T23:10:50Z")
Yep. Heard it before. Everyone loves her. If she chose it she could conquer the world. I’m glad she has no political or evil intentions. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2024, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-cents-stores-the-end-is-here/999904/64 "2024-04-10T00:33:15Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The Dollar Trees I’m familiar with aren’t exactly dirty, just kind of dusty and tired-looking. Hereabouts they tend to look like a small, very localized tornado went through about five minutes ago. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2024, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-cents-stores-the-end-is-here/999904/65 "2024-04-10T00:48:53Z")
Sounds about right. In my neighborhood, you don’t see a great class of customer in stores, and anyone who’s worked in retail knows how much glee customers take in creating havoc. One morning when I was working in a thrift store, we’d come in early for extra organizing and one girl had done an amazing job on the stuffed animal section. Absolutely gorgeous. Ten minutes after we opened, it was a disaster area. I could have cried for her, all that time and effort she’d put in to make that aisle so perfect, and it was gone in what felt like only a few heartbeats. DT’s recent insistence on skeleton staffing isn’t helping. Someone who’s apparently never worked at store level has apparently decided in their “exalted wisdom” that having enough staff for stocking/tidying to get done AND have someone on register processing sales is not necessary. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2024, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-cents-stores-the-end-is-here/999904/66 "2024-04-10T01:18:52Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > DT’s recent insistence on skeleton staffing isn’t helping. Someone who’s apparently never worked at store level has apparently decided in their **“exalted wisdom”** that having enough staff for stocking/tidying to get done AND have someone on register processing sales is not necessary. - Corporate greed. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2024, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-cents-stores-the-end-is-here/999904/67 "2024-04-10T01:23:36Z")
I suppose in the very short term, the numbers would look nicer, but when you take a somewhat longer view with more shrink and fewer customers willing to shop there, it’s not going to work out well. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2024, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-cents-stores-the-end-is-here/999904/68 "2024-04-10T01:29:58Z")
I don’t think anyone linked to [this story](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4QGOHahiVM) from Last Week Tonight with John Oliver on the subject of dollar stores, which make Wal-Mart stores look upmarket. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-cents-stores-the-end-is-here/999904/69 "2024-04-11T17:31:09Z")
I don’t think a major reason for the failure of this chain has been discussed: there was a leveraged buyout which means the chain was loaded up with debt–and the chain couldn’t handle the debt repayments. This was the same as what happened with Toys R Us. > **[99 Cents Only was an L.A. icon. Inside the fall of the popular chain](https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2024-04-10/99-cents-only-what-went-wrong)** > > The deep-discount retailer started in L.A. in 1982 and grew to 371 stores. Now all are closing, with rising crime, competition, inflation and the pandemic contributing to the company's fall. Non-paywalled: [https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/99-cents-only-was-an-iconic-la-business-inside-the-fall-of-the-popular-chain/ar-BB1lnPyl](https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/99-cents-only-was-an-iconic-la-business-inside-the-fall-of-the-popular-chain/ar-BB1lnPyl) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-cents-stores-the-end-is-here/999904.md?page=3)