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A variety store or '''price-point retailer''' is a Retail Store that sells inexpensive items, usually with a single Price Point for all items in the store. Typical merchandise includes Cleaning supplies, Toy s, and Candy . "Variety store" may also refer to a Convenience Store , especially in Canada , the Philippines , and in northern New England in the United States (where variety stores, unlike convenience stores, do not sell gasoline and often sell pizza and freshly made sandwiches). PRICE POINTS The store is usually named for the price of the merchandise sold in the store (but see below); the names vary by area and time, as each country has a different currency, and the nominative price of the goods has increased over time due to Inflation . Modern names include:
Some variety stores are not true "single price-point" stores despite their name. Often the name of the store, such as "dollar store", is only a suggestion, and can be misleading. Some stores that call themselves "dollar stores", such as Dollar General and Family Dollar in the United States, have items that cost more or less than a dollar. Some stores also sell goods priced at multiples of the named price. The problem with the name is also compounded in some countries by Sales Tax , which leads to taxable items costing the customer more than a dollar. Some purists maintain that the phrase "dollar store", in the strict sense, should only refer to stores which sell only items that cost exactly $1. Some stores can have prices which are not round multiples of currency, such as the "99-cent store" or "88-yen store". As inflation increases the nominative price of goods, the names of such stores must also change over time. PRODUCTS Variety store products include cooking supplies, small tools, personal hygene supplies, kitchen supplies, organizational supplies, small office supplies, holiday decorations, electronics supplies, gardening supplies, home decor novelties, toys, pet supplies, Out Of Print Books , DVDs and VHS tapes, food products and automotive supplies. Some items sold at a dollar store would be a dollar or less anyway, whereas other items are a substantially better deal. There are four reasons a dollar store is able to sell merchandise at such a low price:
Some stores carry mostly new merchandise, some mostly Closeout merchandise bought from other stores below regular wholesale cost. Depending upon the size, some variety stores may have a frozen food and drink section, and also one with fruits and vegetables. The Deal$ and 99 Cents Only Store chains in the U.S. are two such examples. Some stores may have a section of single price point (dollar) items combined on the same premises with a section selling larger, relatively more expensive merchandise like CD players, lamps, and silverware. The flagship store of Jack's 99 and Jack's World in New York City is an example of such a store. Jack's 99 carries all types of items that retail for 99 cents, whereas Jack's World sells branded goods at discount prices. HISTORY The concept of the variety store originated with the five and dime, or '''dimestore''', a store where everything cost either five cents (a Nickel ) or ten cents (a Dime ). The originator of the concept may be Woolworths , which began in 1878 in Watertown, New York. Other five and tens that existed in the USA included W.T. Grant , J.J. Newberry's , McCrory's , Kresge, McClellan's , and Ben Franklin Stores . These stores originally featured Merchandise Price d at only five cents or ten cents, although later in the century, the price range of merchandise expanded. Inflation eventually dictated that the stores were no longer able to sell any items for five or ten cents, and were then referred to as "variety stores". Given that $0.05 in 1913 when adjusted for inflation is $1.02 in 2006 dollars, this retailing concept has shown remarkable vitality over the years. Well-known five and dimes included:
Of these, only Duckwall-ALCO and Ben Franklin continue to exist. INTERNATIONAL Europe In Spain there are Todo a 100 shops ("everything for 100 Pesetas " (0.60 €)), although due to the introduction of the euro and inflation, most products cost a multiple of 0.60 or 1 euro. Most of these shops maintain their name in Peseta s, and most of them have been renamed as '''Casi todo a 100''' ("almost everything for 100 {Link without Title} ") or '''Todo a 100, 300, 500 y más''' ("everything for 100, 300, 500 or more"). Coloquially, the expression ''"todo a 100"'' implies that something is either cheap, kitsch or low quality.
Europe
Asia
Australia
ECONOMICS In Economic terms, the Pricing strategy of dollar stores is inefficient as some items may actually be sold elsewhere for less than a dollar. However, this is balanced by the marketing efficiencies of a single price structure and consumers accept potentially overpriced items. The pricing inefficiency becomes unacceptable at higher price points. Thus there are no "100 dollar stores" where all items sell for $100; consumers expect to pay the correct amount as inaccuracies result in significant dollar amounts. Most merchandise in these stores is imported cheaply from foreign countries, most commonly in Asia . Usually merchandise is imported by a general merchandise importer/wholesaler, then sold to the stores at a wholesale rate. Although some people may compare dollar stores with low-income areas, this comparison is not always necessarily true. For example, Atherton, California has a variety store within its city limits, even though it has an income of over $200,000 a year. IN POPULAR CULTURE
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