Dollar Tree

I have never met any kind of dollar store that I didn’t like.

It’s hard to resist the crazy low prices for every single item. I can load up my cart with all sorts of things, like little crafty paint kits and other finds for our grandbabies, replenishing my greeting cards/gift bag supply, some household containers and even cleaners and so on (can’t forget the M&M’s) for $20!   

Now at Dollar Tree that $20 will be $25, according to rumblings about a price change that will make each $1 item sell for $1.25.

With rising prices everywhere, it’s unrealistic to think this place can keep to the $1 price tag for everything in the store – forever – that it committed to when it opened, in 1986.

A local resident on a Facebook community group I’m in posted her disappointment about this price increase, stating with her belief that once a dollar store, always a dollar store...no exceptions.

Others piled on, saying that Dollar Tree is making a mistake to change its brand, people will shop elsewhere, they shouldn’t just raise prices because other places are (although apparently not other dollar stores), what a rip-off, and so on. All of these things may be accurate but, the way I see it, it’s up to Dollar Tree to figure out how to stay in business, isn’t it?

While reading at least 25 comments attacking Dollar Tree’s decision, all I could think was Who cares? Why does it matter what Dollar Tree does for a measly $.25 per item? Let them do whatever they think is in their best interest and if we don’t like it, we don’t have to go there. This seemed to be a common feeling among other readers too.

Of course, I am sitting here in suburbia, and admittedly, that extra quarter per item for what I buy isn’t going to stop me from shopping there, nor will it make any difference to my bottom line.

The last comment I read was altogether different. This woman introduced herself as a teacher and said that Dollar Tree items (for $1) are a lifesaver. She explained that she stops by the store every couple of weeks to load up on supplies etc. for her class.  For each item she sets her sights on, she buys about 20 of them. The added $.25 cost for 20 items is $5. If she buys 4 per month, that’s $20 extra she’s paying, in addition to the $20 ($1 x 20 students). Her shopping trips set her back some $100 per month. This equates to what could be a few meals each month for her family. 

This of course is not the way it should be, that teachers are stuck having to spend their own funds when they already make salaries much lower than in the private sector. But, given that so many teachers do shell out their own money, I was pleased that this woman had been able to find what she needed for a relatively low price tag, and I also felt her frustration that the cost was going to increase the burden placed on her.   

As I thought about this “conversation” in days past, I was reminded once again that how we react to any given situation is the direct result of where we are standing. For me and some others who responded, the extra $.25 was NBD (No Big Deal). For others like her, teacher or not, this increase may be an unfortunate game changer.

It makes sense that our perspectives are driven by our own personal circumstances, but sometimes it’s easy to forget that there are people out there who feel differently than we do.

Blended Families

David and I had 7 sleepover guests last week: two of our grown daughters and their spouses were in 2 bedrooms, the babies were in separate rooms, and the youngest of the adult kids was on the couch. Our son and daughter-in-law and their two kids live close by, so they stayed at their place.

It’s always a treat to be surrounded by our adult kids, and with the grandbabies too...it's a dream come true. This has rarely happened due to 3 of the babies being born during the pandemic, the proximity of the kids and the craziness of life, but this past week a very sad event took precedent and brought us all together.     

As I mentioned in the email that accompanied this blog post, my ex-husband’s wife Nancy passed away, at age 59. She also leaves behind two grown children, ages 28 and 26. Her first husband also died early; he was in his 30s.  

Although I didn’t know Nancy that well, we had a couple big things in common early on: 1 - we had married the same man (20 years apart) and 2 – we were both moms and stepmoms.

Several years ago, during a wedding planning session for one of the kids, she and I found ourselves talking about the challenges and joys of blended families. While quite complex to bring two units together under the same roof – and potentially so difficult for the kids, all of whom were adolescents or teens – we agreed that the inherent opportunity in an expanded family to foster meaningful relationships, especially for siblings, is significant.

As moms/stepmoms of these “Brady Bunch” families, we also recognized that we felt responsible to help lay the foundation for these relationships if we wanted them to be viable decades from now, with connections that would last over time and extend to our kids’ kids...our grandbabies.

This was/is so important to us...Why?  

I can only guess Nancy’s thinking. I wondered whether it was at least in part because she and her kids had experienced profound loss when her first husband passed away, leaving her with two little ones under 3.

For me, living through Matthew’s tragic passing when he was just 20 years old made me acutely aware of how members of a family unit – regardless of biological ties – can pull together to support one another.   

Maybe it’s just a mom thing, always worrying about and trying to protect our young. I will say it’s provided a thick layer of comfort for me at least to know that all of these kids can, if they choose to, go through life’s up and downs...together.  

While the family tree is a critical part of who we are, that feeling of kinship with added members of the family shouldn’t be underestimated. The next generation – our grandbabies – won’t know from “step” and who came from what bloodline when they are born; what they will know is that all their cousins and aunts and uncles are fun and caring, and everybody loves them.

About a year into her treatment, Nancy reiterated to me her wish that all the adult siblings always be close, because we parents wouldn’t be around forever.

I responded that from what I could tell, there’s no need to worry about that.

I do believe all these kids are bonded for life.