By Robin Milligan
If you’ve driven Highway 2 north of Spokane lately, you’ve probably noticed something changing. There’s a new presence cropping up along the roadsides: modest yellow-and-black signs, and simple boxy buildings, each one tucked into the edges of towns like Chattaroy, Chewelah, Elk, Loon Lake and Nine Mile. Dollar General has arrived in the Inland Northwest; quietly, and with intention.
At first glance, these stores seem like a welcome convenience. They offer basic goods, they are open daily, and they save people the long trip into larger urban areas such as Spokane or Deer Park. As their numbers grow, a deeper conversation has started to unfold in our rural communities about what their presence means; not just for how we shop, but for how we live.
I started my research after I noticed two new stores that are only 10 minutes apart on the route to Newport from Spokane, which led me to think about why both locations were needed. But the more I learned, the clearer it became that Dollar General isn’t expanding randomly. They’re following a model designed specifically for rural America. And in many ways, it’s working.
Through the course of my research, I learned that Dollar General specializes in building small-format stores in places where retail options are limited. These are not mega-stores like Walmart or Target. Most Dollar Generals are around 10,000 square feet. Their footprint is intentionally modest, allowing them to be placed close to schools, trailer parks, and rural neighborhoods where people may not have reliable transportation. The store in Chattaroy, for example, is located just off Highway 2, positioned directly across from Riverside’s middle and high schools, taking advantage of a high-visibility corridor and reliable traffic that’s estimated at over 12,000 vehicles daily. Elk’s store, not far away, is similarly positioned to serve a slightly different part of the local population along the same roadway.
Dollar General’s strategy is to make shopping easier for people who might not otherwise have easy access to everyday essentials. Despite their rural-friendly design, these stores aren’t locally owned. Dollar General is a publicly traded corporation based in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. The stores are not franchises. Each one is managed and supplied by the corporation itself. The buildings are often developed by real estate investment groups, who then lease them back to Dollar General under long-term leases.
What that means for small towns is that, while the stores do typically provide six to 10 part-time positions per store, much of the financial benefit leaves the community; property is often owned by out-of-state investors, corporate profits go to shareholders, and decisions about pricing, product selection, and even whether a store stays open, are made far from the communities the stores serve.
For many people, Dollar General, and stores like them, fill a real need. They carry a range of essential items: canned food, boxed meals, cleaning supplies, toiletries, over-the-counter medications, paper goods, snacks, pet food, batteries, and seasonal items. These goods are especially important in rural areas where grocery stores may be 30 or more miles away, or where the nearest drugstore has already shut its doors. These stores quickly become part of the weekly or daily routine for many residents.
Whether or not Dollar General is truly “cheap” depends on how you shop and what you’re comparing. For items like toothpaste, hand soap, laundry detergent, toilet paper, and canned vegetables, prices are often very competitive (especially in smaller, budget-friendly package sizes). If you’re buying just one or two things, the total cost is usually lower than what you’d spend on a larger-sized product elsewhere. That can be a real help for people trying to stretch a paycheck or anyone who doesn’t have the gas money for a bigger shopping trip. Greeting cards, school supplies, gift bags, and small seasonal decorations are also consistently affordable. Recently, I found glasses sold at Dollar General for $1.25 being resold at a Goodwill in Spokane for $3 each! It is much cheaper to buy a strainer or potholders there too.
But there’s a flip side to the pricing model. Smaller packages can sometimes lead to a higher price per ounce or per unit. A four-ounce box of cereal, for example, might cost less than the full-size version at another store, but you’ll get less for your money. Frozen food tends to be limited in both variety and size and often costs more per serving. Over-the-counter medications are sold in small bottles with a high cost per dose. Pet food and batteries are also areas where quality and value don’t always stack up. The electronics, when they exist, are basic and often short-lived.
While Dollar General makes a lot of sense for convenience and one-off purchases, it’s rarely the best value for bulk buying or long-term stock-up trips. These stores are great for quick trips to buy basics such as toilet paper.
This convenience can come at a cost, especially when it comes to the long-term health of local economies. In some towns across the country, research has shown that when Dollar General opens, small grocers and independent general stores often close within a few years. These aren’t just anecdotes. A 2018 report by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance found that towns with Dollar General or Family Dollar stores were more likely to lose existing food retailers. It’s not necessarily because the chain stores are cheaper, though; it’s because they’re more convenient and they benefit from massive national supply chains that allow them to have lower prices and ride out economic dips in a way smaller stores can’t.
This tension between access and autonomy is something rural communities have been navigating for decades. Whether it’s big-box stores, fast food chains, or online retail giants, the story is often the same; we get more options, but we lose something along the way. Locally owned stores close. Profits leave the community. Local control shrinks. And in many cases, what we gain is short-term convenience for long-term dependence on companies with no local roots.
At the same time, Dollar General has moved into many areas that had already lost their local grocers. In that sense, the stores have become placeholders, serving a role no one else would. They keep residents from going without. They anchor small clusters of rural housing with affordable, familiar goods. They also offer modest jobs in places that need them.
The question isn’t whether Dollar General should exist in our towns. The stores are already here. The better question might be, “How do we make sure these stores are part of a more resilient local economy, not the only thing left standing in it?” I love the local flare of small towns, and I prefer to shop small and local when possible, but it isn’t always possible.
Some towns are exploring alternatives. Community co-ops, locally owned general stores, mobile markets, and even farmer-run food hubs are beginning to show up in parts of rural America where Dollar General has dominated for years. Others are advocating for policies that prioritize locally owned businesses in zoning decisions or offer grants to community-based entrepreneurs.
In the meantime, the choices we make as individuals still matter. Shopping locally when we can, even for just a few items, helps keep those businesses going. I think that as consumers we have the right to vote with our money, choosing to shop where we want our money to go when we have choices, and to make the best of it when the choices are slim.
Speaking up at community meetings about what we want to see in our towns can influence what gets built next. Even the way we talk about these stores matters. Rather than viewing Dollar General as either a villain or a savior, we might view it as a tool. Each store is just one piece of a larger picture that our rural communities have the power to shape.
We work with what we have; after all, rural life has always been about adaptation. We find creative ways to make it work. Dollar General is part of the landscape now, but so is our collective wisdom, our ability to build things from the ground up, and our ongoing commitment to shaping communities that reflect the needs, values, and stories of the people who live there.
Robin Milligan is an artist and entrepreneur living in Spokane, Wash. She curates art shows, runs an IT company, and teaches ceramics and painting from her home studio. When not working, Robin spends her time with her three children exploring nature, rockhounding, making art, and swimming.
