<< It isn't typical for me to ask for others to help me conceptualize something, but DG is well outside my comfort zone. Yet it seems that with maybe the lessening of out-of-the-US competition we may see some positives develop. >>

Hi dealraker.

Before I sold it, my business had offices in Tennessee and rural
Alabama. From my perspective, it didn't appear to matter how
close a Dollar General was located to a Wal-Mart, sometimes
within sight of each other, and yet there would appear be a
steady flow of traffic going through DG.

Maybe someone just wants some potato chips and a Mountain Dew,
so they just think it's more convenient to stop at DG than
to spend the time at Wal-Mart Superstore. I dunno.

In the rural areas I would find myself often popping into a DG
store for one or two items. The folks I observed shopping
in these places didn't appear to be the demographic that were
likely to buy their paper towels online.

Often the customers and employees would know each other and
exchange banter. So maybe there's a social dimension which
maintains repeat business. Most of my employees and their
families would shop at both Wal-Mart and DG. A typical office
exchange:

"Hey, I'm going to stop by Dollar General. You guys need anything?"

-Rubic


Disclaimer: I no longer live in the US, so have no I idea what the
current situation is. It's been a few years since I shopped at either
a Dollar General or a Wal-Mart.