💰 If I Had a Dollar …

What the rise of dollar stores tells us about inequality

In 1995 Dollar Tree Stores Inc. went public. That’s the company that operates all those dollar stores you see in strip malls across America.

Because you read UnfairNation, you’re a smart person who understands a lot about income inequality - so you decided to buy $1000 of Dollar Tree stock in 1995, right on opening day … for a dollar per share.

This was the dot-com era of high profits and budget surpluses - your friends said you were crazy buying a stock designed to sell high-volume, poor quality merchandise. “At least invest in something reasonable in the same category, a business with a future, like a department store!”

So you took their advice, hedging your bet, and bought $1000 worth of three upmarket retailers: J.C. Penney, Macy’s and Sears - you know … companies that sold things for more than a dollar and were located in upper middle class, affluent neighborhoods.

Just for kicks you also bought some shares of a really affluent retailer, like Tiffany’s.

I think you know where this is…