In 1995 Dollar Tree Stores Inc. went public. Thatβs the company that operates all those dollar stores you see in strip malls across America.
Because you read UnfairNation, youβre 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 β¦ 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. βAt least invest in something reasonable in the same category, a business with a future, like a department store!β
So you took their advice, hedging your bet, and bought $1000 worth of three upmarket retailers: J.C. Penney, Macyβs and Sears - you know β¦ 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 Tiffanyβs.
I think you know where this isβ¦
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