Dollar General, Family Dollar, and Dollar Tree are expanding at a breakneck pace across urban neighborhoods and small towns alike. The evidence shows that these stores are not merely a symptom of economic distress — they’re a cause of it.

Today we published three new resources to help communities and policymakers grappling with the aggressive growth of these chains: a report, a strategy guide, and a compilation of the harms they cause. These new resources build on work we began in 2018, when we helped community leaders in Tulsa enact one of the first ordinances limiting dollar stores and then published a groundbreaking report on the topic.

The dollar chains are now facing a rising tide of local opposition. Since 2019, 75 cities and towns have defeated dollar store projects, many drawing on ILSR’s technical assistance.

Many of these places couldn’t be more different from one another. As I told the New York Times, whichcovered our findings in an exclusive: “As divided as Americans are politically, there’s remarkable agreement that too much of what passes as a legitimate business model is, in fact, fundamentally destructive and unfair.”

But as our new report makes clear, local action is not enough. The chains are using predatory tactics to drive out local grocers. Those tactics warrant action by federal policymakers. We hope you’ll join us in calling for change.

My best,
Stacy