Today, I learned that Frenchtown will be obtaining a new
Dollar General store in the neighborhood. My initial reaction to this news was,
why a dollar general store and why not a Winn-Dixie or Publix instead? I feel
as though placing a Dollar General store in a community that lacks access to
healthful and fresh produce is harming the community by keeping the residents
constricted to an area of convenient stores. For example, when the Frenchtown
residents shop at the Dollar General in their neighborhood they will most likely
have access to cheap junk food and products that will not benefit their health.
With limited options, many people living in food deserts get meals from
fast-food restaurants and convenient stores. This is where I feel the Planners
of the community food systems fails, because by placing another convenient
store in Frenchtown is just suppressing the community to stay a food desert.
Even though the alternative food venues such as farmers
market, community gardens, and farm-to-school programs are increasingly playing
a greater role in promoting access to healthful foods. What does building a
Dollar General store adjacent to a thriving farmers market say to the
Frenchtown community? I think it says a lot! It is frustrating to see a
community trying to come together for a good cause and then see it overpowered
or reminded that money is king. At least with the alternative food venues the
money is generated within the community longer than shopping at Dollar General.
All in all, maybe the attraction of the new Dollar General store will bring in
more traffic flow for the Frenchtown Farmers Market.
I agree, in an ideal world, a nice supermarket would have been built in Frenchtown instead of a Dollar General. But realistically, Publix or Winn-Dixie chose not to move to that location because they did not see a chance to make profit at that location. And sadly, as our society exists today, the vast majority of private corporations are not going to prioritize anything above making profit.
ReplyDeleteI definitely see how it's disappointing that this development is taking place instead of something more substantial for the residents. At the same time though, Dollar Tree does offer more than just food so it may be a way for members of that community to purchase household supplies on a limited budget. Additionally, perhaps this may be a good base for other brand-name stores to move into the area. Sure it's not supporting localized industry, but it is providing more options for people who are very limited by their environment.
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