$0.99 Only Stores Are Raising Their Prices!!!!
By Rozie37
@Rozie37 (15499)
Turkmenistan
August 14, 2008 8:19pm CST
Even though I saw this coming a mile away, I am still in shock. I knew that they were going to have to do something drastic in order to keep up. With prices going up all over in the grocery stores, everyone started flocking to the 99 cent only store for everything and becaus everything was going up, they started losing money. I remember when I first went to the 99 cent store. I was amazed at all of the things for that price.
Then I started noticing that some things were expired. They cleaned all that up eventually and it became on of my favorite stops on my shopping trips. Now I do not think that I will be wanting to shop there any more at all. When I lived in another area of Los Angeles, they had stores that were $0.98 and up. So you would see something and think that maybe it would be 98 cent, only to find that it was much more expensive than that. To me, that is annoying and I do not want to be bothered with that. I do not know where else they have these stores, but only the Los Angeles area ones were mentioned in this article.
Do you shop at this store or one similair to it? What do you think of this situation?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26187834/
10 people like this
22 responses
@Savvynlady (3684)
• United States
15 Aug 08
SAY IT AIN'T SO!!!!!! We have the Dollar Tree here in my city and I would go there and rack up on some good bargains. You know there is always something in the back of my mind that feels that those stores are gonna have to change with the price of food and such going up. This is so sad. Can't get you a bargain these days.
3 people like this
@Rozie37 (15499)
• Turkmenistan
15 Aug 08
They have no choice. Either they raise their prices or go out of business. They are paying more for the products that they stock in their stores, so they can not afford to continue to give us the same deals as before. Add to that the gas for delivery and such and there is no way to continue on with business as usual.
1 person likes this
@BriNbai (912)
• United States
15 Aug 08
Oh I hate when I go to a .99 store trying to save money and when I walk inside just about everything is way more than a dollar.But yeah I kinda saw the raising their prices sooner or later because for the most part you get a really good deal at these stores.Well it sucks for people who regularly shop at these stores.:[
3 people like this
@GardenGerty (160612)
• United States
15 Aug 08
In my town they have Dollar General store. It had things pretty reasonable, but then I found that many of the things I bought there were the same price or more expensive than Wal Mart. I am not surprised about the prices, though. Wal Mart has its own trucks and the power of bulk buying, but they are going up on many things as well. No wonder the little stores are having to.
2 people like this
@Rozie37 (15499)
• Turkmenistan
15 Aug 08
Wal-mart has also been sued recently for treating their employees unlawfully. So they are having to pay out more in wages than they are use to and ultimely the customer will end up feeling that crunch in the prices of products. But now, the playing field will be leveled
1 person likes this
@34momma (13882)
• United States
15 Aug 08
i love the 99 cent stores. here in nyc they have gone up already. but i don't really mind because they are still cheaper then going to the supermarket. they way things are going now i am surprised that things are not more expensive. everything is going up and it is killing our pockets. trying to save money is so much harder now because you are spending all of your money on food and gas
2 people like this
@Rozie37 (15499)
• Turkmenistan
15 Aug 08
Yes, food and gas are the very things that you can not do without. I was speaking to my middle sister earlier and when I told her the news, she was very upset. She said she shops there every week. She has a house full of people to feed and says that her food bill can get as high as $500.00 a month. Let's see, there is her and her husband, the fifteen year old triplets, her twenty year old, and the twenty year old's two year old.
They are only a two income family, since the twenty year old is in college. That is just not going to cut it anymore. These are very sad times in America and if something does not happen soon, we are going to be a country overcome by famine. We need to pray.
1 person likes this
@dani27 (544)
• United States
15 Aug 08
I can't believe they are raising their prices. I just went to one the other day and got a dress up outfit for my daughter, Disney brand books, coloring books, puzzles. 
It is amazing what you can get there. Nice name brand stuff for only a dollar. I don't want the prices to go up. But I guess that is how the economy is right now. 
2 people like this
@DCMerkle (1281)
• United States
15 Aug 08
This is funny. Just last night I was wondering about when the .99 stores were going to have to raise the prices. I shop at Dollar Tree. I'm sure that it won't be long before they raise the prices there to. Everybody has a budget to follow and if you think about it, we aren't breaking our banks if the price goes up by a penny. I can still get breakfast foods, frozen vegetables, lunch meats and pasta cheaper there than I could get at a regular grocery store.
Maybe if they would offer a discount card of maybe 10% off the total then they would get new customers and keep the loyal customers.
dcmerkle
2 people like this
@spoiled311 (5500)
• Philippines
15 Aug 08
hi rozie!
well it is really quite understandable, everywhere, prices are rising! and it is not good for business to remain like that. otherwise, they will continue to sell low priced, but really low quality and useless items.
anyway, if they increase prices, how will they call their store now? hehehe i mean, just curious. they name their store like that, so will they change with the price increase? that is my concern. we will have to wait and see on this.
in our country, it is not 99 cents but 99 pesos store.
hehe good day and God bless you! :-)
@Rozie37 (15499)
• Turkmenistan
15 Aug 08
They will probably call it the 99 cent plus store or the 99 cent and up store or something like that. At any rate, this really cuts us deep out here.
@Shaun72 (15959)
• Palatka, Florida
15 Aug 08
We have a dollor tree here in my town. So far everything has stayed a dollar plus the tax that we have here. I am a little concerned about the foos products though. Like the candy and other snacks that they have. Of course I haven't been there in a good while either so things may have changed since the last time I went there.
@Shaun72 (15959)
• Palatka, Florida
15 Aug 08
That is very true. Times have really changed and with the war that is going on. I feel like we are headed towards the end of days and that God will be coming sooner or later when we least expect it. I could be wrong but I have felt this way for a while.
1 person likes this
@Rozie37 (15499)
• Turkmenistan
15 Aug 08
Trust me when I tell you, you are absolutely right. The only thing is that things are going to get so much worse in the very near future. The Bible promises that it will. This is why we are assured that he will never leave us or forsake us and we can trust him.
@Rozie37 (15499)
• Turkmenistan
15 Aug 08
I will tell you one thing, this is not a good time for us to be questioning God. We are going to have to look back on all that he has brought us through in the past and trust him now. I said a little while ago, that we could be heading toward famine and it becomes more of a reality every day. God bless America, we need it.
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
15 Aug 08
We have one dollar stores up here in Canada, but I usually avoid them. Reason some do not accept credit cards and others only accept credit cards when you buy five dollars or over of the stuff. And some of the stores are one dollar plus, that is you can buy something as long as it ends in a double zero. But it all depends on how the prices go. If it were from 99 cents to one dollar it would not be so great, but if it went up to one dollar and a quarter then I would stop at a regular store.
1 person likes this
@CatsandDogs (13963)
• United States
16 Aug 08
I'm guessing that with gas prices which has uped the cost of shipping costs and so on which is being passed down to the customer, the retail stores have to do something for they're losing money themselves. It's a no win situation unless you own your own business and can pass it down to someone else. I personally couldn't do that but there are many unethical businesses out there that would.
1 person likes this
@Rozie37 (15499)
• Turkmenistan
17 Aug 08
I really do not believe that they have a choice at this point. I know that it is costing them more to stock their shelves, so if they do not make up their losses by charging the customer more, then they will be forced out of business. This is a kind of situation where everyone suffers.
@twallace (2675)
• United States
15 Aug 08
Here in North Carolina they have .99 stores and $1.00 stores. I know that sometimes things are not that price they are a little higher. When you think about it the tax gets you to. This will be going on for a while. With prices on the raise everyone will be looking for cheaper prices. Then some of the time not finding them. Bargain hunting will be something that all consumers will be doing on. The thing is this will not go down over night. Even though prices of gas have gone down. I know you have noticed that the prices of everything else is still going up. So that is not helping really. That 6 months of the gas prices being high hurt the whole country. The sad thing is that it's no where near over.
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
17 Aug 08
I'm east of LA and the Dollar Tree I go to so far, has not increased their prices. I love that store and find the best bargains and things. I hope they don't go up, but of course, if their costs do, their prices will. But still, most of the stuff in there would still be cheaper than even at place like Target so it is still worth while to shop there.
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
17 Aug 08
Glad you mention that. I was there on Friday and things were still $1 but tomorrow is a new week! I do stock up on the dry cereals - Malt-o-Meal brand - really good too!
@ClarusVisum (2163)
• United States
15 Aug 08
I've witnessed this happening all over over the past year or so. One of the stores put up a hilarious sign on the front door (not wanting to change the big sign with the title of the store, of course) saying "Due to price changes, some items are now more than one dollar." Greaaat.
It's depressing in one way, but funny in another. The companies that make the big signs for the stores are going to have a golden age. :P
1 person likes this
@ClarusVisum (2163)
• United States
15 Aug 08
Let's put it this way--I laughed at that sign. A lot. But that's because I like and appreciate black comedy (e.g. Dr. Strangelove). :P
@marciascott (25529)
• United States
15 Aug 08
I notice that Rozie, I was just in the dollar store the other day, and you are right things has went up at the dollar store. I use to think that they were setting their own prices, but everything has went up. It is really getting expensive to live. have a good day Rozie.
1 person likes this
@Bluepatch (2476)
• Trinidad And Tobago
15 Aug 08
The same kind of price horrors are occuring here in Trinidad.
We don't have 99 cents stores what we used to have were certain popular items that were always cheap.
One of these was a thing called " pows " A little soft bun with pork or beef, well seasoned, inside of it.
Served hot these are a delicacy and used to sell for as little as one dollar in the old days.
Today I bought two of them for a friend of mine and paid 5 dollars each.
1 person likes this
@kenzie45230 (3560)
• United States
15 Aug 08
I think the only 99 cent store in our area closed about 4 years ago. The sign is still on the back of the strip center, so new folks in town flock there, only to discover that it's been closed for years.
I noticed when I have shopped at 99 cent or "only a dollar" stores, that you have to be careful. Something that sold there for .99 or $1 (depending on which store), might have been 79 cents or 89 cents at a General Dollar or Family Dollar store.
But there were things at the .99/$1 stores that would sell for more at other places. Wise shopping was the key.
It's understandable that prices have to go up. I'm old enough to remember shopping at the 5 & 10 cent stores...but when I was a kid, there weren't many things still at the 5 or 10 cent price. They were still the cheapest places in town, though.
1 person likes this
@Rozie37 (15499)
• Turkmenistan
17 Aug 08
Oh my, we have come quite a ways since then. It would be nice to have a 5 and 10 cent store now. We could really use the relief. I know what you mean about things at the 99 cent store selling for less at other places. Many of the things that I have bought at the 99 cent store have been worth nothing at all. But then I just remind myself that sometimes you get what you pay for, hehe.
@elitess (5070)
• Ipswich, England
15 Aug 08
Yes, in Bucharest, Romania, right in my neighborhood we have something similar - a 1 euro shop, and the prices also start rising... although you would expect ALL products to cost the same. They mostly are of odd quality as well, so i best try to avoid that kind of shop as well.
@IInsanity (290)
• Malaysia
15 Aug 08
i live in malaysia and in my city, there is a few stores that is called 1.99
it is kind of misleading because the things the sell is not 1.99 but more expensive than that. i think they should stop misleading customers in order to earn money.
1 person likes this
