But Family Dollar and other dollar stores are controversial, and some community members and hunger relief advocates say they have major downsides, such as they kill off the competition from grocery stores and other businesses that sell more nutritious food products.
The Family Dollar at 440 N. James H. McGee Boulevard will be shutting down soon.
Customers who shop there and at other Family Dollar locations in Dayton say they sell things they like to eat, such as canned goods, frozen foods, cereals, breads and TV dinners.
Research shows that food is one of the most commonly purchased items at dollar chain stores, but these stores usually do not offer a wide array of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and other items that contribute to a healthy, wholesome diet, said Joree Novotny, executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks.
Dollar stores in some communities pushed out grocery stores that sold a wider variety of fresh, wholesome and higher quality foods but that operated on very thin margins, Novotny said.
She said the proliferation of dollar stores has contributed to a growing number of food deserts, plus declines in fresh fruit and vegetable access and consumption.
Even so, Novotny said the statewide hunger relief network would see increased demand for food assistance in neighborhoods where these stores close.
“If these dollar stores close, after contributing to the loss of other food retailers in hard-to-serve communities, the immediate impact will be negative for household food security in affected neighborhoods and will require a collective response and significant public-private partnership to ensure affordable access to wholesome foods longer-term,” she said. “In the short-term, people will suffer from even higher rates of food insecurity.”
Local residents struggling with food insecurity who are impacted by the closure of Family Dollar stores are encouraged to contact the Foodbank in Dayton to help identify a local food pantry, said Lee Truesdale, chief development officer with the Foodbank Inc. in Dayton.
She also said community health workers can determine if impacted individuals are eligible for food assistance.
Truesdale said Family Dollar stores that carry shelf stable and frozen food items can play a role in increasing food access. She said the stores also provide an outlet for customers to use food assistance benefits, formerly called food stamps.
“It is important to note that in recent years some dollar stores have begun providing fresh produce,” Truesdale said. “While in limited stock, we see this as a step forward in increasing access to affordable fresh food in low-income communities. We applaud these stores and hope to see this more of this work done locally.”
Dollar stores tend to move into low-income urban and rural areas, but store closures in urban areas shouldn’t have that large of an impact because often there are other dollar stores or retail establishments around, said Yasuyuki Motoyama, associate professor of city and regional planning at the Knowlton School at The Ohio State University.
There is a Dollar General less than 0.4 miles south of the Family Dollar on James H. McGee Boulevard. There’s also a Family Dollar store about 1.5 miles away, on the 1000 block of North Gettysburg Avenue.
Dollar store chains saw significant expansion in the last decade or longer, but there appears to be industry consolidation taking place and the chains may be closing stores that are near other dollar store locations that aren’t as profitable, Motoyama said.
Motoyama also said store closures in semi-rural areas could result in a significant reduction in food access.
It’s not clear at this time which Family Dollar stores across Ohio could close this year and in coming years.
In addition to the 25 Family Dollars in Montgomery County, there are about three locations in Miami County and two in Greene County, according to records from county public health departments.
Motoyama said he has mixed feelings about dollar stores and and their value because they sell some food products and some stores are closer and more convenient to residents than their other shopping options.
However, he said, “At the same time, these stores have less produce, less healthy items, so from a long-term health perspective I have some concerns too.”
Dayton residents and property owners also can pay their utility bills in cash at Family Dollar stores, plus CVS locations, saving them a trip to City Hall.
Dollar stores across the local region, state and nation have been criticized by some community members who have accused them of being “bad neighbors.”
Dayton officials and residents have raised public safety, health and cleanliness concerns about some Dollar General properties.
The city of Dayton years ago objected to liquor permit applications from half a dozen Family Dollar stores after neighbors complained about trash, poor parking lot maintenance and nuisance activities at some locations.
An employee who works at the Family Dollar on James H. McGee Boulevard told this newspaper that in past years the store was dysfunctional and poorly managed and had issues with staffing, faulty mechanical and heating and cooling systems.
The employee said the store still sees a significant amount of shoplifting, and dumpster-divers often create a big mess behind the store, when they rifle through the trash bins.
But the employee said the store more recently got its act together and was in much better shape. He said unfortunately that evidently was too little too late for ownership.
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