Found in my Drafts Folder: 200 Dollar Store

While prepping my site for the big shove over to WordPress, I happened across an old draft that I haddn’t published. Man it’s amazing what a few years can do… now my writing is lazy and I hate using big words.

h4. 200 Dollar Store

We all understand the basic concept of the dollar store’s marketing strategy; take knickknacks, non-expiring canned goods, the un-familiar afro-American Santa figurines, every product produced by the Lorimar Cosmetic Company, aluminum tins and sell them all under one roof for a dollar or less. There was, of course, immediate innovation and the 99-cent store was born. However, the price drop of one cent did little to instill further consumer confidence or loyalty, but there was a certain ring to ninety-nine cent store, so it stayed part of the cultural vernacular. But I digress.

Based on the same dollar store economic model, of selling objects at a prix fee, Pier 1 Imports sells all of their goods for $200. (For the layman this is an approximate increase of 200%) It seemed logical, that with inflation, the dollar store would eventually evolve to become the Dollar-Ten Store or even the 2 Dollar store, but to jump to the 200 dollar store concept so far ahead of schedule, pure innovation! The idea, so simple in its logic as to seem preposterous, sell patrons various hand made Peruvian Wicker cabinetry, brushed steel giraffe ornamental statuettes, imitation hand-painted imitation hand-carved rustic wood rooster figurines, and shit-loads of candles all for $200 (4 for $200 with the candles).

These are exciting times we live in people, seize the day, or seize a bucket full of glass pebbles for $200. The choice, in this wonderfully diverse mercantile industry, is yours.