Selling items for multiple dollars has allowed the stores to increase their product breadth — they’ve become, in a way, a melting pot of places like Shoppers Drug Mart, Canadian Tire and Walmart, says Sean Buchanan, a University of Manitoba professor who studies social issues in business.

He considers dollar stores “a reflection of this broader sort of consumer culture.”

“Basically the nature of consumption these days is, if you don’t pay a lot of money for something, it’s OK it doesn’t last very long,” Buchanan says. “You can throw it out, because you can just replace it.”

Sarah Elvins, a University of Manitoba professor who studies the history of retailing is also featured in this article, please visit Bang for the buck, or down-market dross for more.