"Does it Matter that People are Buying More Food than ever at Dollar Stores?"
***There will be no recording or livestream due to unpublished research being presented***
Abstract
Dollar stores, including chains such as Family Dollar, Dollar Tree, Dollar General, and independently-owned discount stores, have existed for nearly 70 years but did not gain nationwide popularity until the 1990s. They have also increased their food offerings and become increasingly popular as alternatives to traditional grocery stores, especially in lower-income areas. This panel session showcases the latest studies on dollar stores, including research conducted at both Tufts and Arizona State University. We will discuss the rapid expansion of dollar stores and the broadening of their food offerings. With much of the growth of dollar stores occurring in areas with limited fresh produce offering and this expansion happening faster in rural than in urban areas, the implications of dollar stores for food access, equity and dietary quality remain unclear. We will provide an overview of the current dollar store literature, impact of dollar stores’ entrance on other business types, and foods purchases in dollar stores, followed by an open discussion on dollar stores’ role in the food retail landscape.
Speaker Bios
Dr. Lauren Chenarides is an Assistant Professor at the Morrison School of Agribusiness in the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. Her research focuses on understanding barriers to accessing affordable, healthy foods and the consequences of poor food access on consumer spending, diet, and health; analyzing trends and developments in food retailer competition, market concentration, and marketing strategies; and, examining the impact of entry by non-traditional food retailers on local competition. Dr. Chenarides holds a B.A. in Mathematics from the College of the Holy Cross, and a Ph.D. in Agricultural, Environmental, and Regional Economics from Pennsylvania State University.
Dr. Wenhui Feng’s research applies policy analysis to a variety of health policies. She primarily focuses on obesity-related policies, including menu labeling, active transportation, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. She also examines the generosity of the health and social safety net, including the relationship between program generosity and health outcomes. Her current work is to evaluate local health departments’ role in shaping a system that supports healthy behaviors, and dollar store food purchases.
Dr. Sean Cash is an economist with the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, where he holds the Bergstrom Foundation professorship. His research focuses on how food, nutrition, and environmental interventions and policies affect both producers and consumers. Ongoing and recent projects in this area include the efficacy of food label and price interventions as public health and environmental tools; children’s food choices in commercial and school environments; consumer interest in cellular agriculture; food labeling of ethical attributes of food production; online food retailing; and how point-of-sale health messaging impacts consumers’ demand for food. He also conducts research in the areas of environmental impacts in food production.