Jerry Shannon, an assistant professor in the geography department of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and an assistant professor in the financial planning, housing and consumer economics department of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, shared his research about food deserts and the spread of dollar stores in an Atlanta Journal-Constitution article.
According to the article, Dollar General, Dollar Tree and Family Dollar grew from 20,000 stores to nearly 30,000 stores in 2018, with thousands of future store openings planned.
Throughout Atlanta and across the country, areas are placing bans and restrictions on these “small box discount stores.”
However, experts fear that these decisions will disproportionately impact lower-income and predominantly black communities.
Shannon mentioned that dollar stores often have a negative stigma attached to them.
“They’re seen as being really detrimental both in terms of economic development and the types of goods they can offer the community,” said Shannon.