By Gary Dickson garydickson@siouxlandobserver.com

Have you been wondering what that building is being constructed just west of Earl May Garden Center on War Eagle Drive?

Well wait no longer. It’s just what Riverside and North Sioux apparently needs: another dollar store.

More specifically, it’s a brand, spankin’ new Dollar Tree at 4140 War Eagle Dr. And they’re already advertising for employees, in case you are interested.

Dollar Tree will join their sister store, Family Dollar, which already is in the Riverside neighborhood of Sioux City, at 2200 Riverside Blvd. There are also competing bargain retail dollar stores close by. One of two Dollar General stores is just down the street and around the corner at 1030 Riverside Blvd. The second Dollar General store is further north at 1936 Riverside Blvd.

But what if you miss all those bargain stores and you’re headed for home in McCook Lake, Jefferson, or Wynstone? Not to worry. There’s a Dollar General at 1100 River Dr. that’s got you covered.

So, how many dollar stores in such a small area is too many? We may not have reached a saturation point yet. According to Dollar General, about 75 percent of Americans live within 5 miles of one of their stores. Only 60 percent of us live that close to hospitals.

Counting the three brands of Dollar General, Dollar Tree and Family Dollar (the last two have the same corporate owner), dollar stores have more stores than McDonalds and Starbucks combined. There’s no Starbucks in Riverside, North Sioux City, or Dakota Dunes. But there’s two coffee shops: High Ground Cafe and Expresso Bar in North Sioux and Cup of Joy in Dakota Dunes. There’s just one McDonalds — in North Sioux City.

Consumer Reports surveyed 2,280 adults in 2021 where they asked questions about dollar stores. The most common reasons adults cited for shopping in these stores were convenience and they’re inexpensive.

The survey also found that the people who shop in these stores at least once a week tend to have lower incomes, with 31 percent making under $30k annually and 23 percent making between $30k and $59k annually. Twenty-seven percent of those shopping weekly live in rural areas, with 17 percent living in suburban areas and 17 percent living in urban areas.

The Consumer Reports survey found that people go to these stores to shop primarily for household items and cleaning supplies. They also purchase party goods and home decor. The third category being shopped for is groceries.

Grocery stores are starting to see dollar stores as a problem, though.

On April 9, Dollar General spokesperson Crystal Luce told NBC News that the company’s stores generally devote 60 feet of space to fresh produce, turning aside the question of whether that is enough space to feed a community.

“We are not a grocer,” Luce said.

Dollar Tree/Family Dollar issued a statement saying their operations complement grocery stores and alleviate the effects of food deserts. Dollar Tree, however, took eggs off the shelves when prices skyrocketed earlier this year.

“We are not a grocer.”

Dollar General spokesperson Crystal Luce

In a recent report, the authors from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance indict the tactics used by dollar stores, saying they target struggling neighborhoods and small towns and use predatory tactics to undermine grocers.

The new Dollar Tree store in Riverside happens to be located directly across the street from Fareway Grocery.

(Photos by Gary Dickson)