# When Will 99¢ Stores Become No Longer Financially Viable? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 18, 2003, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-99-stores-become-no-longer-financially-viable/155797 "2003-02-18T03:28:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-99-stores-become-no-longer-financially-viable/155797/1 "2003-02-18T03:28:52Z")
You go to them, and everything there–_everything_–costs just 99¢. Nowadays that seems like such a bargain. But 20, 30 years ago we would have said that that was too much for many of the items there. The reason: inflation. But inflation is still happening. So I’m curious: when will inflation make 99¢ stores no longer financially viable? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-99-stores-become-no-longer-financially-viable/155797/2 "2003-02-18T03:45:40Z")
I imagine we’ll have buck-fifty stores eventually. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-99-stores-become-no-longer-financially-viable/155797/3 "2003-02-18T03:46:52Z")
Well, it depends on how you define the term “99¢ store”. One could argue that they’ll never really go out of business, they’ll just change names and morph into “$2 stores”, just like the “5 and 10 cent” stores grew up into big 50¢ and 99¢ stores. But that just begs the question. You want to know when they’ll have to change names again. Simple. Watch the current ones. Eventually they’ll change from “Everything 99¢ or less” to “Almost Everything 99¢ or less” to “Most items 99¢ or less” to “Many items 99¢ or less”, and then you’ll know it’s over. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-99-stores-become-no-longer-financially-viable/155797/4 "2003-02-18T03:54:05Z")
And eventually we’ll have the “5 and 10 dollar” stores. ---
**Author:** ![IrishRideGirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b4bc9f/32.png) [@IrishRideGirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IrishRideGirl)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-99-stores-become-no-longer-financially-viable/155797/5 "2003-02-18T04:04:36Z")
Well the one near me is now called the Dollar Store. Must be inflation, lol. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-99-stores-become-no-longer-financially-viable/155797/6 "2003-02-18T04:18:43Z")
I love the 99 cent and dollar stores. But I’ve noticed that not everything isn’t cheaper. For instance, a bottle of VO5 shampoo, same size, is only 79cents at Walmart. Everything shall come and pass. Some day the 99 cent stores will go the way of the 5 and dime. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-99-stores-become-no-longer-financially-viable/155797/7 "2003-02-18T04:25:41Z")
Well, even when there were 5 and dimes, certain things would’ve still been a bargain at $1. Maybe the dollar stores will just keep up with inflation and in 10 years they’ll be selling VCRs. 🙂 Happy ---
**Author:** ![jsb5048](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jsb5048](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsb5048)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-99-stores-become-no-longer-financially-viable/155797/8 "2003-02-18T04:34:46Z")
Maybe one day they’ll have “Everything’s At Market!” stores. Something to go along with your lobster tails and Alaskan snow crabs. ---
**Author:** ![Wearia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@Wearia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wearia)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-99-stores-become-no-longer-financially-viable/155797/9 "2003-02-18T05:00:18Z")
This reminds me of a scene in Back to the Future II. The Doc and Marty arrive and Marty puts on his disguise, the Doc says: “Ok Marty, go sit in the diner and order a Pepsi, heres a fifty.” :D. ---
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-99-stores-become-no-longer-financially-viable/155797/10 "2003-02-18T05:31:57Z")
I don’t know what its like in the US, but lots of so-called “Dollar stores” up here in Canada sell stuff that over a dollar. In fact, _most_ of the stuff they carry is over a dollar. Its funny when there are multiple dollar stores in the same plaza. I find the idea of dollar store competition amusing 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Calculus\_of\_Logic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@The\_Calculus\_of\_Logic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Calculus_of_Logic)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-99-stores-become-no-longer-financially-viable/155797/11 "2003-02-18T05:43:13Z")
I’d guess 20 years left. Then you’ll have a $5 store. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-99-stores-become-no-longer-financially-viable/155797/12 "2003-02-18T16:34:57Z")
The one near me is now called the 99+ cent store. See? Easy. ---
**Author:** ![Guy\_Propski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5e9695/32.png) [@Guy\_Propski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guy_Propski)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-99-stores-become-no-longer-financially-viable/155797/13 "2003-02-18T17:15:04Z")
They’ll be around as long as companies are willing to sell them their overstock at drastic savings. Though I have to admit I’ve seen a few $2 stores, and some stores called “About a Dollar or So” (how wishy-washy!). ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-99-stores-become-no-longer-financially-viable/155797/14 "2003-02-18T17:31:43Z")
As long as they can a) have items manufactured in and shipped from China for under a dollar per unit and b) are able to pick up overstock/about to expire/went out of business inventory, there will always be dollar stores. We had a dollar store here in Madison that went out of business and all their inventory was picked up by another dollar store. I was amused by that. The receipts still print up the name of the old store. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-99-stores-become-no-longer-financially-viable/155797/15 "2003-02-18T17:37:10Z")
There is an actual _growing_ dollar store chain that recently announced they are building several stores in our area. They claim to have nothing over a dollar. Can’t be that bad of a market. Thanks (?) to fuel prices going up, we have staved off _deflation_ but once oil prices go down again, look out. 50 cent stores might make a comeback. ---
**Author:** ![desdinova](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8baadc/32.png) [@desdinova](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/desdinova)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-99-stores-become-no-longer-financially-viable/155797/16 "2003-02-18T21:43:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ftg \* > \*\*Thanks (?) to fuel prices going up, we have staved off _deflation_ but once oil prices go down again, look out. 50 cent stores might make a comeback. \*\* Exactly wrong. Increases in the nominal cost of transportation are inflationary, not deflationary. Specifically this is called “cost-push” inflation. What’s currently causing deflationary pressure is a lack of demand for finished goods, especially higher dollar stuff such as televisions and cars. ---
**Author:** ![desdinova](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8baadc/32.png) [@desdinova](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/desdinova)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-99-stores-become-no-longer-financially-viable/155797/17 "2003-02-18T21:49:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by desdinova \* > \*\*Exactly wrong. Increases in the nominal cost of transportation are inflationary, not deflationary. Specifically this is called “cost-push” inflation. What’s currently causing deflationary pressure is a lack of demand for finished goods, especially higher dollar stuff such as televisions and cars. \*\* I’m an idiot. This is what I get for subsisting entirely off of coffee and nicotine. Back to your regularly scheduled programming and such… ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-99-stores-become-no-longer-financially-viable/155797/18 "2003-02-18T22:14:31Z")
Plus I think they have some products made especially for their outlets…I notice a lot of brand name products come in oddly smaller portion containers. So maybe in 20 years you will still be able to get a 99 cent Coke - in a 1/2 ounce bottle.