There's a reason we don't say "I'd Buy That For A Dollar!" any more

 

On occasion, I make note of a concept called a 'food desert'. In brief, those are places where there is minimal to zero access to food that isn't some sort of  quick-service food operation, or that's purchasable but prefab/frozen/dehydrated/etc. Essentially a no-fresh-groceries zone. 

They tend to be in what you might call low-income areas. Often but not always urban, they tend reliably with gerrymandered oppressed voting districts too.

This is going to kill people.  Well, more people, given that even the king of drag-ass, OSHA, 'last year criticized the company for a “continued disregard for human safety” that “suggests the company thinks profits matter more than people.” '. That's nothing new to anyone with sense, and certainly applies to far more companies than this. But for it to actually be said is always a legitimate surprise.

In many locations, establishments like Dollar Tree and its contemporaries are potentially the only affordable source for... produce. I can't even bring myself to say 'fresh produce', because some of the incarnations I've been to would give that word a hell of a workout.

The problems here are numerous, and they chain together something like this: 

• Small 'dollar stores' exist where they do because there's no viable space for the larger 'discount' chains like Walmart or Target, and the travel time and distance to such places can be logistically prohibitive.
• Bargain hunting is a myth now. Look at my supermarket comparisons from just the other week. People see 'sale prices' that aren't really any more affordable, but they still pay out. They already committed to being there and may not have the time to find an alternative- if one even exists.
• Bargain hunting is also a long-developed and constant state of mind, particularly in lower-income areas. Having been achingly poor for most of my life, I will forever despise what it's done to my shopping and spending habits. I'd rather go hungry rather than pay 'full price' for what I want to eat.

So consider. How far would you travel to get groceries? How much would you spend to get there and back? How much could you transport at a time? How much can you afford at a time? 

All questions that can loom very large for people who live in and around food deserts. Dollar stores are a shitty mitigation, but at least they exist. This latest debacle is just going to introduce more stressors where there are already too many.