Another Milepost On The Road To Oblivion

Via Atrios, a reminder that thanks to the economy there's a growing segment of the population for whom Wal-Mart is out of their price range.

Discount retailer Dollar General says it will add 5,000 jobs as it opens 600 new stores over the next 12 months.

Shoppers have flocked to discount stores during the recession as they look to spend less money on their purchases. During the first nine months of its fiscal year, Dollar General's profit surged while revenue rose 13 percent to $8.61 billion.

The company, based in Goodlettsville, Tenn., says it will add job throughout its operations.

Dollar General says it added 4,000 jobs in 2009. It operates 8,800 stores with about 78,000 staffers. 

That's pretty damn scary.  And yes, I've been in a Dollar General.  There's one in walking distance of my apartment, 3 more within a short drive, and 2 more near where I work.  The stores are relatively clean, there's just stacks of canned goods and other grocery items in open pallet boxes, nothing fancy.  But the prices are the real draw.  It's the convenience store version of Wal-Mart, and frankly if I need to run in someplace and grab a couple of 2-liters or some dish soap or something without the hassle of meeting half the county at the Super Enormous Wal-Mart on a Saturday, I'm all for that.

On the other hand, the jobs that Dollar General happens to be making aren't really high-paying.  For every company like DG hiring 5,000 this year, there's Verizon cutting 13,000.  You can't really sustain a middle class on an economy like that.  It's the roll-down economy:  The Macy's shoppers 5 years ago are shopping at Belk's now.  The Belk's folks are at Target.  The Target folks are at Wal-Mart, the Wal-Mart folks are dropping a rung to Dollar General.

Good for Target.  Good for Wal-Mart.  Really good for Dollar General, you figure another 600 stores in 2011 will get them to 10,000 outlets and 90,000 employees.  Not so good for Macy's.  Or the middle class.