That Mercedes in the dollar-store parking lot isn’t an illusion. High-earners joined the rest of the country in flooding discount retailers such as Dollar General, Aldi grocery store and Five Below as prices for food and staples rose. Now, with inflation at half its peak, they aren’t letting up.
“Not everything on the shelves is well-made, but there are things that are, and I am not ashamed to go into those places and get them, and I’m not afraid to tell people about it,” Pierce says.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/dollar-store-shoppers-wealthier-6e08ce1f?mod=hp_lead_pos11