If you live in Lower Burrell and have to go to a dollar discount store, you won’t have to go far: The fifth discount store in the city, a Family Dollar, is moving into the former Walgreen’s store at 108 Greensburg Road near Parnassus.
There are two Dollar Trees, two Dollar Generals and the new Family Dollar, according to city officials.
The new Family Dollar is expected to open in mid- to late-October, said Travis Smeltzer, a contractor for Family Dollar. The floors have been redone, and all new fixtures have been installed.
Lower Burrell officials have mixed views of the proliferation of dollar discount stores in the city.
“It’s a free market, and business is built on competition,” city Councilman Robert Hamilton said. “Although looking at the needs of Lower Burrell, I would be hopeful in the future we would find some alternative businesses to drive more commerce to the city.”
Mayor John Andrejcik worries the national dollar discount stores might hurt small local businesses.
But he acknowledges people are drawn to them.
“There are definitely shoppers out there looking for places like that,” he said.
An expert’s take
Dollar discount stores have their place in the shopping ecosystem as they continue to expand, said Jeff Inman, associate dean for research at the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz business school.
“They’ve filled an important niche with lower priced products,” he said. “It puts pressure on the Walmarts and Targets of the world.”
The discount dollar stores are a piece of the shopping puzzle, fitting among options of grocery stores, convenience stores and Walmart.
“It gives you more options,” Inman said. “When you walk into a Walmart, it’s a proposition to drive, park and walk in. You don’t just pop in and pick something up.”
But if the dollar discount stores replace grocery stores, that’s not good, as there are very few, if any, fruits and vegetables, Inman said.
During the pandemic, the stores have been helpful to people who are strapped for cash, he added.
How many more dollar discount stores can one town take?
“At some point, they will run out room,” Inman said. Just like drugstores, which were popping up everywhere several years. “There was a shake out, and now there are less of them.”
