Business Dollar Tree won’t sell eggs because they’re too expensive - $1.25 Tree

https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/18/business/dollar-tree-egg-prices/index.html

Dollar Tree will stop selling eggs because they're too expensive | CNN Business

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Dollar Tree will stop selling eggs because they're too expensive | CN…

archived 18 Mar 2023 11:02:01 UTC

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By Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN
March 18, 2023

Eggs have gotten too expensive for Dollar Tree.

Dollar Tree (DLTR), which sells most products for $1.25 and a small selection of items for $3 or $5, will stop selling eggs at stores because the company can’t make money offering them at flat prices.

Egg prices have surged, fueled by short supply caused by the deadly avian flu, high production costs and egg producers increasing their own profits.

Egg costs jumped 38% for producers annually in February and 55% for shoppers, although eggs are beginning to get cheaper. The average price for a dozen Grade A large eggs was $4.21 in February, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Most retailers have raised egg prices on customers to adjust for higher costs, but Dollar Tree doesn’t have as much flexibility to raise prices.

“Our primary price point at Dollar Tree is $1.25. The cost of eggs is currently very high,” said company spokesperson Randy Guiler. Dollar Tree, which has around 9,000 US stores, will bring back eggs when “costs are more in line with historical levels.”

But that probably won’t be in time for a key egg-purchasing holiday, Easter, which is April 9 this year.

Reuters first reported that Dollar Tree would stop selling eggs. Family Dollar, owned by Dollar Tree, will continue selling eggs.

Shoppers on tight budgets have increasingly turned to dollar stores for food.

Dollar Tree, Family Dollar and Dollar General, the largest of the three chains, have spread in recent years and added more food basics, although fresh and healthy options are limited. Dollar stores are the fastest-growing food retailers in America, according to a study by Tufts University released this year.

Dollar Tree used to sell cartons of eight or six eggs for $1. In 2021, Dollar Tree announced it would raise prices to $1.25 because selling everything for $1 was squeezing business.

Dollar Tree also made the decision to pull eggs because it has a lean staffing model in stores, said David D’Arezzo, a former executive at Dollar General and other retailers who now works as an industry consultant. Workers changing price tags every week on eggs to account for wild swings in the market would be an extra strain on store operations, he said.

The chain caters to low and middle-income customers and it doesn’t want to offer eggs at sticker shock prices to hurt its price reputation with shoppers, D’Arezzo said.

 

[Breadbassket]

Not too surprising, places like Dollar General and Dollar Tree must maintain their razor thin profit margins otherwise things go wrong.

 

[Battlefield2142EU]

Not too surprising, places like Dollar General and Dollar Tree must maintain their razor thin profit margins otherwise things go wrong.

That and no one with an EBT card buys healthy foods like eggs. It’s all sugary sodas and cereals.

 

[The Lawgiver]

I have never once seen eggs at dollar tree. candy? some soft drinks? maybe. but EGGS? who in the fuck buys EGGS at fucking dollar tree? That's like buying pre-cooked steaks at the sharper image, which actually HAPPENED but it was a weird funny limited time promo deal. Never seen them at family dollar either, guess it's a regional thing? fucking weird.
Still it says something when every discount chain no longer maintains it's gimmick. Dollar tree had everything at one dollarplus tax, five below had shit at $5 or beow, the ones that were weird were dollar general and family dollar where they had similar names to dollar tree but lacked a set price for anything and were more or less a strange combo of discount, gift, and convenience store chain with items you'd normally find at a fucking chain pharmacy but replacing the drugs with snack foods.

Seriously 5 below should be renamed fucking five and up because almost all the shit is $5.55 MINIMUM with everything else that isn't absolute dollar store quality shit you could get at dollar tree for cheaper. I do not go to five below to pay 50 dollars for generic brand speakers and 10 dollars for fucking shitty funko pops. I go there to see what kind of shit is possibly bought from an overstock or closeout marked down to 5 dollars. They don't seem to do it much anymore, and dollar tree no longer seems to do it at all, leaving the only place you're actually gonna get proper discounts on shit is WEIRD fucking discount chain places like fucking ollies and even that's a gamble if it's gonna be a good discount or even fucking anything useful you don't already own.

At least dollar tree despite the price increase kept it's gimmick a bit intact and you can occasionally find some useful or just cool but useless shit there, eggs or no eggs.

 

[Table Country]

Imagine not owning egg-laying fowl

 

[Baroque]

It's pretty obvious to anyone who's ever been in a Dollar Tree that the reason they wouldn't sell eggs is that you can tell when they're over a year old.

 

[Quarterback Rex Grossman]

Their cakes are always stale and the chips always broken. They have a ton of DVDs and Blu-rays though.

 

[Dysnomia]

Dollar Tree (DLTR), which sells most products for $1.25 and a small selection of items for $3 or $5, will stop selling eggs at stores because the company can’t make money offering them at flat prices.

There are some eggs available for under $5 though. Maybe they can't secure enough of those eggs? But still having eggs under $5 available for lower income customers is good. But I don't run a $1.25 store so I don't know how plausible it is.

Walgreens has $4.99 eggs but they are always sold out. They don't really have more than a few cartons per store. Any place with cheaper eggs doesn't keep them in stock for long. If you are shopping around for cheaper eggs everyone else is too.

It's pretty obvious to anyone who's ever been in a Dollar Tree that the reason they wouldn't sell eggs is that you can tell when they're over a year old.

Their food is generally trash and since they are no longer really a $1 store fuck them.

 

[vomitusdeux]

dollar stores are only good if you're dirt poor. I used to get really cheap ass bargain bin PS4 and 3DS games and DVDs. Still do but it's rare they stock anything but DVDs that were direct to DVD or no one wants now. I haven't seen a single video game in years. Not even the really shitty ones no one wants.

 

[smartypants302]

dollar stores are only good if you're dirt poor. I used to get really cheap ass bargain bin PS4 and 3DS games and DVDs. Still do but it's rare they stock anything but DVDs that were direct to DVD or no one wants now. I haven't seen a single video game in years. Not even the really shitty ones no one wants.

They also the only shop for 100s of miles in small towns in rural areas of the country. They filled in the niche for low population areas that could not sustain a big store like Walmart, especially in the southwest.

 

[A-Stump]

I have never once seen eggs at dollar tree. candy? some soft drinks? maybe. but EGGS? who in the fuck buys EGGS at fucking dollar tree?

Lol they sell steaks/pork chops at dollar tree in the frozen food section

 

[Jason Wynn]

Lol who the fuck buys perishable food at the freaking dollar tree

 

[Diana Moon Glampers]

There are places where these stores are all that's easily walkable. I saw an area of Florida like this, dismal with people clearly buying a meager family grocery shop at Dollar Tree.

 

[Chris_Stuckmann]

 

[Agent Abe Caprine]

I have never once seen eggs at dollar tree. candy? some soft drinks? maybe. but EGGS? who in the fuck buys EGGS at fucking dollar tree? That's like buying pre-cooked steaks at the sharper image, which actually HAPPENED but it was a weird funny limited time promo deal. Never seen them at family dollar either, guess it's a regional thing? fucking weird.
Still it says something when every discount chain no longer maintains it's gimmick. Dollar tree had everything at one dollarplus tax, five below had shit at $5 or beow, the ones that were weird were dollar general and family dollar where they had similar names to dollar tree but lacked a set price for anything and were more or less a strange combo of discount, gift, and convenience store chain with items you'd normally find at a fucking chain pharmacy but replacing the drugs with snack foods.

Seriously 5 below should be renamed fucking five and up because almost all the shit is $5.55 MINIMUM with everything else that isn't absolute dollar store quality shit you could get at dollar tree for cheaper. I do not go to five below to pay 50 dollars for generic brand speakers and 10 dollars for fucking shitty funko pops. I go there to see what kind of shit is possibly bought from an overstock or closeout marked down to 5 dollars. They don't seem to do it much anymore, and dollar tree no longer seems to do it at all, leaving the only place you're actually gonna get proper discounts on shit is WEIRD fucking discount chain places like fucking ollies and even that's a gamble if it's gonna be a good discount or even fucking anything useful you don't already own.

At least dollar tree despite the price increase kept it's gimmick a bit intact and you can occasionally find some useful or just cool but useless shit there, eggs or no eggs.

The one in my area has a pretty diverse freezer section for a dollar store. It also has a really good selection of hot sauce.

 

[ZazietheBeast]

They got mostly goyslop. However, mine has canned sausages as well as seeds for gardening. So there's that going for it.

 

[Pissmaster]

I'll defend Dollar Tree because they have some good deals on small things like utensils and paper plates, but I've never bought anything other than a drink out of their freezer section. If I were a shareholder, I'd raise hell over the presentation of their freezers. The concept of buying perishable food there is already an uphill battle, but does it always have to look like the section was hit by a tornado? Can't they get those spring things that line up the products and push them forward when someone takes one?