Summer at Fraser’s Mill

The Dollar Store

T hey got home late, and Grace’s parents were tired, so she decided not to mention the dollar store to them that evening. She would look it up herself and see what she found.

She ended up staying up much later than she had meant to, until she realized, long past midnight, that she had to sing at Mass in the morning. The information about dollar stores was so worrisome that she hadn’t been able to tear herself away.

She’d found one interview with a man who used to own two grocery stores in different towns. A dollar store had moved into one town and put the first grocery store out of business. Now the man was trying hard to keep his second store afloat, but he was worried and just trying to get through the year.

Grace would never have thought a dollar store would be a big competitor for a grocery store. She had thought of dollar stores as places where you could get cheap silverware and plastic dishware for parties. But apparently the goods the stores sold overlapped a decent amount. Moreover, the dollar stores got their goods at rock-bottom prices because they were part of huge chains with central distribution hubs. They could afford to sell things more cheaply than small grocery stores.

The dollar stores didn’t sell fresh fruits or vegetables or meat. They just had pre-packaged, non-perishable foods. If a dollar store put a small-area grocery store out of business, that would leave the area without fresh food—a “food desert.” People would have to travel to get healthy food. The elderly, the poor, and those without good transportation tended to shop close to home. They couldn’t travel to get their groceries, so without a grocery store nearby they would end up eating unhealthy processed food from the dollar store.

Why weren’t more people talking about this? Grace was amazed she’d never heard about it before. She found article after article about the rise of dollar stores, how they were moving into small rural areas and stealing all the business, and how the chains were opening new stores at an alarming rate. It was an epidemic.

Did her parents know all this? Were they keeping it from her so they wouldn’t worry her? She’d ask them tomorrow. In the meantime, she needed to say her prayers—especially for the wellbeing of Murray’s Grocery—and get some sleep. What was that old saying, “Give it to God and go to bed?” Ultimately, the grocery store was in God’s hands. Although Grace would still need to do her part helping the store too.

§

Grace decided to approach her parents about the dollar store issue on Sunday afternoon, after they had finished dinner. She felt bad talking about business things on a Sunday, but if she left this for one more day she would burst. Besides, maybe there were things they could do to help the store that they could start implementing tomorrow.

Grace’s parents were sitting on the front porch. Because it was Sunday, they weren’t working on Mom’s story. Dad read aloud from a magazine article about an archaeological dig. He liked reading things aloud, and his wife liked to listen to them. Grace didn’t have the patience to listen to things being read aloud. She liked to read them more quickly herself.

Grace came out on the porch barefoot, guiding the screen door so it wouldn’t bang. “Hi,” she said.

“Oh, hi,” Mom said. “How’s your afternoon going?”

“Well, it’s pretty good, but there’s something I’m worried about, and I wanted to talk to both of you about it. It’s about the store.”

Dad put down the magazine, taking off his reading glasses. “Sure, Gracie,” he said. “Go ahead.”

“Well, yesterday I was talking to Dorothy, and she told me that when dollar stores come into a town, the local grocery stores lose a lot of business. I didn’t want to stress you out last night, because we were all having a nice time at the dance and then it was late. So I looked it up myself, and it’s really scary! I keep finding all these articles about how dollar stores come in and have lower prices for everything, and then the grocery store loses business and eventually has to close. And that dollar store at the edge of town is opening this week!”

“Oh, sweetie, I’m sorry,” Mom said. “Your father and I did hear dollar stores can be a challenge to local grocery stores. We’ve been talking about it, on and off, but we didn’t want to worry you when you were just here for a few weeks helping out.”

“Oh, Mom, I wish you had told me,” Grace said. “I feel terrible about you and Dad sitting around worrying about the store and trying to be cheery for my sake.”

Mom shook her head. “We’ve been so busy lately with your dad’s broken foot, we haven’t had time to sit around and worry about anything else. Besides, who knows if it’ll be a problem at all? The dollar store is all the way down at the end of town. It’s not as though it moved in right next door. We’ve been doing all right competing with the Walmart in Cadillac—lots of people from town go out there for their groceries, but we’re still doing fine.”

“The stuff I read last night said loss of profits is pretty much inevitable,” Grace said. “Even if the dollar store isn’t right next door. If it’s in the same community, it starts stealing your business.”

Dad sighed. “I’ve seen some of those articles too. But there’s nothing we can do about it. That store is going to open up in Fraser’s Mill, this week, and everybody’s gonna have to live with it there.”

“Well, maybe there’s something we can do about it,” Grace said. “I know it’s too late to stop them from coming into town, but there’s gotta be something we can do to improve our own business. I’m here for almost another month—I can help!”

This outburst brought a smile to Dad’s face. “That’s my girl. As stubborn as they come.”

“That’s right,” Grace said. “I’m absolutely determined about this. No dollar store is gonna drive us out of business.”

“I’ll tell you what,” Dad said. “Liz, tell me what you think about this. Why don’t we wait and see how things go with the store totals for a week or two after the dollar store opens. I reckon that’s enough time for the excitement of the grand opening to wear off. If it turns out the dollar store is hurting business, we can start talking about possibilities then. No need to get all worked up if there isn’t a problem.”

“That sounds good to me,” Mom said. “Things went pretty well this past week. I’d like to keep on doing what we’re doing unless we need to change it.”

Grace could have expected her parents’ plan to be conservative. “All right,” she said. “But I’m going to do some research on my own, too, to see what kinds of things store owners can do to improve business.”

“You’re not going to use up all the time for your National Board prep, are you?” Mom asked.

“No, I won’t,” Grace said. “Besides, this is more time-sensitive. I have only a few weeks to help you in the store, and there isn’t actually a deadline for the National Board stuff until I’m in the school year putting portfolios together for the different components. It’ll be all right if I focus on the store for now.”

“Well, you’re a good daughter,” Dad said. “Thank you.”

“Of course, Dad.”

§

The dollar store opened on Wednesday, advertised by an enormous banner out front. Grace had to go down to the gas station that morning and passed the big parking lot full of cars. The townspeople must be checking the place out. Of course, those cars could all be out-of-towners, but since Fraser’s Mill wasn’t on the direct route to any larger cities, it was unlikely so many people would be passing through.

Grace was tempted to go in to see what the store was like, but she wouldn’t want to buy anything, so it felt like spying. She looked away from the dollar store and finished pumping gas. She had the morning off, and she was going to Alex’s farm to help harvest produce.

At this time of year, most of the farm’s produce came from their greenhouses. Greenhouses were great to have in Michigan—you could start planting seeds months before you could grow anything outside. But the Martins also had a strawberry patch that was ripe for picking, and asparagus was in season as well.

Grace found Alex in the first of the greenhouses on her hands and knees, cutting cucumbers off the vine. “Hey, Grace,” she said. “Grab some shears and come help. We’ve got enough cucumbers to feed the whole county.”

The farm didn’t just sell vegetables to the grocery store. They had a roadside stand, and twice a week they sold goods at the farmer’s market in Cadillac. This was an all-day event, and Alex’s family took turns doing it. Today wasn’t a market day, however, so all four of the Martins—Alex, her parents, and Sam—were home working on the farm.

“Good thing you’re wearing jeans,” Alex said. “I forgot to tell you to wear old clothes.”

Grace laughed. “It hasn’t been that long since I helped on the farm,” she said. “I bet I still remember how to milk a goat.”

“Unfortunately, I already milked the goats.” Alex smirked. “I’m supposed to pick strawberries after this. It’s pretty hot work.”

“That’s all right. I brought a hat.”

A lot had happened since the girls had last seen each other. Alex told Grace she was seeing a movie with Charlie on Friday night. Good movies in theaters were scarce right now, but a theater in Cadillac was showing The Princess Bride, a favorite of both Alex and Charlie.

“What are you going to wear?” Grace asked.

“I don’t know yet. Probably jeans and a plaid shirt, with cowboy boots. Do you think that’s too casual?”

“No, it’ll be great. The cowgirl look is good on you.”

Alex laughed. “Good thing, because I wear it all the time,” she said. “Well, I’m sure Charlie won’t show up in a three-piece suit.”

They finished the cucumbers and went out to pick strawberries, a warm, prickly job. Alex hadn’t heard about the situation with the dollar store yet, so Grace filled her in.

“How could the town let a dollar store move in when it was going to hurt the town’s businesses?” Alex threw up her hands. “Who sold them the land? Do you know who used to own that piece of land by the gas station?”

“Maybe whoever sold it didn’t know it was for a dollar store,” Grace said. “The articles I read said dollar stores often buy land through other companies so they don’t need to disclose what the land is being used for.”

Alex shook her head. “Sounds awfully shady to me.”

“No kidding,” Grace said. “Their business model is great for them and terrible for everybody else. It’s only the first day, and that store is crawling with customers. I’ll bet we haven’t had a customer at the grocery store all morning.”

“People are probably just interested in the grand opening.” Alex brushed off a strawberry and bit into it. “Maybe it’ll die down in the next day or two.”

“I sure hope so.” Grace sighed. “I wish I knew how to keep them from stealing all our business.”

“Have you been inside the store yet?” Alex asked.

Grace shook her head. “I don’t want to darken their door. If they learn I’m from the grocery store they’ll know I’m competition. It feels like spying.”

Alex’s eyes gleamed. “I’m not above a little spying. Why don’t I check it out after we drop off the produce, and I can tell you all about it?”

“You’re incorrigible,” Grace said. “But you might as well. I’m dying to know what that place is like inside. Let’s hurry up and get the rest of these berries picked.”

§

Done with the farm work, the girls drove into town and parked at the gas station. Grace waited in the truck while Alex walked over to the dollar store. There were just as many people at the dollar store as before—people who might become regular customers there.

Less than five minutes later, Alex hurried out of the store. As she approached the truck she slowed down and did an exaggerated stealth walk.

Grace laughed. “You look like the Pink Panther,” she said. “So what’s it like in there?”

“Busy.” Alex hopped in the truck and started the engine. “The store’s packed with stuff. They have lots of things you don’t sell at the grocery store—like party supplies and craft stuff—but they’ve got lots of items you do sell. Canned food, pasta, soap, toilet paper, toothbrushes, things like that. It’s all awfully cheap. Some of it’s more than a dollar, but it’s still really low-priced.”

“Did you happen to notice what any of the specific prices were?” Grace asked.

Alex shook her head. “Sorry—I didn’t think to notice.”

“I didn’t think of it either until just now,” Grace said. “Well, thanks. I like to have some idea of what I’m up against.”

“Do you know what you’re going to do about it?”

“I have no idea. But I’m gonna do something.”