You Ever Notice...and What's the Deal...

[minor muppetz]

Has there ever been a "Dollar Store"? I feel like there was one, but every dollar store I know of is either Dollar Tree or Dollar General (I can't remember whether I've been to a Family Dollar). I feel like there was one just called "The Dollar Store", though it's possible people were just referring to it by what it was (the dollar store) as opposed to its actual name.

In Back to the Future Part II, when Marty sees old Biff in the future, and Biff thinks Marty is his look-alike son, Biff talks to him about what a loser Marty has become, as if Marty Jr. would agree as opposed to take offense (I've seen the original script which has a scene where Griff's gang makes a crack about future Marty's financial situation and the son laughs along with them). But even if Marty is a loser, shouldn't Biff be concerned if who he thought was Marty's kid told George? At the end of the first movie it seems like Biff was serving Biff more out of fear (he tried to con him out of two coats of wax before George told him not to con him), and at the end of part III he's rude to Marty until he realizes who he was talking to and is quite worried about his mistake. And when Marty mentions George McFly Biff quickly assures him that he's not talking about George McFly, perhaps out of fear that he'll tell George (as if George would do something if he heard he badmouthed him but not his son).

The only explanation I can think of, which is now occurring to me, is that Marty Jr. wouldn't know who it was who was insulting Marty, since Biff never introduces himself by name and it's clear that they don't know each other (Old Biff says that he's seen him around, and his resemblance to Marty when he was younger would make it obvious who he is).

 

[Drtooth]

I distinctly remember Dollar Stores that seemed to have the same things consistent that were usually found in malls. I don't know if they were exactly the same company or they just managed to get similar things. They seemed to be more of a dumping ground errr... ultimate closeout outlet than what Dollar Trees are. Then again, those started up around the early 90's at the latest. As a kid you go into these stores and only care about the toys they'd have. Everything I remember these places carrying, I wish I could go back in time and grab up now. The Simpsons Burger King dolls (but the Homers sold out quickly), the ghosts from the Real Ghostbusters toy line no kids wanted to buy at retail (the old woman among others), even saw the Nintendo PVC's at one point. The rare not Mario ones. Totally remember seeing a King Hippo. I bet they even had M.U.S.C.L.E.s at the time, but I didn't care about them until I was older.

Those all seemed ti disappear at the same time and fell out of fashion. Wouldn't doubt mall rents were a problem. Dollar Tree seems to have thrived the past decade and a half.

But what I really hate are the 99 cent superstore type places where nothing costs a dollar and everything is a really bad bootleg of something. I did used to go to one in my town center to get those awful East/West DVD's (the ones that released the lowest quality possible DVD's of public domain cartoons, and the infamous Space Thunder Kids type Korean animes spliced together), but everything else in that store was garbage bootlegged crap that you'd find on a tumblr that would get passed around.

 

[D'Snowth]

Has there ever been a "Dollar Store"? I feel like there was one, but every dollar store I know of is either Dollar Tree or Dollar General (I can't remember whether I've been to a Family Dollar).

Around here, everybody just casually refers to Dollar General as "dollar store."

 

[Pig'sSaysAdios]

Around here, everybody just casually refers to Dollar General as "dollar store."

Same.

 

[fuzzygobo]

Same here. The names of all the dollar stores are interchangeable around here. No different than running into any convenience store around here, calling it 7-11. There are three 7-11 stores close by, but a ton of knockoffs.

The scariest dollar store I was ever in was called "The Dollar Store". Not part of a chain, but a run-down one-man operation. I wouldn't trust any canned food with an inch of dust on them.
Eventually the Board of Health shut him down. The only reason he stayed in business at all was selling lottery tickets and cigarettes. (Sometimes to minors. Bad move!)

 

[D'Snowth]

We don't have any 7-11s here; as I said, our biggest convenience store chain here is Pilot, because our former mayor owns the chain, and they're headquartered in this state. We also have Weigel's, which is like Circle K, but with a Circle W (that Where cellphone app stole their logo). We do have some national chains, like Shell, but a lot of the other ones are disappearing, like Conoco and BP (which we all know the latter is universally despised after what they did to the Gulf of Mexico).

Now, as far the latter goes, we have a local little mom-and-pop-esque Hooper's Store kind of shop that's a burger joint-slash- convenience store; they have great burgers and such, but they've clearly been there for a looong time, as you can tell by their decor:

Aside from that, there's a grocery store in town that used to be a Food Lion when I was a kid, but it went out of business, and the store itself sat empty foever before a new local joint moved in . . . but they clearly didn't bother even trying to clean up the inside of the store, as I illustrate in this video from a shelved film I was working on two years ago:

 

[D'Snowth]

Lately, people on Facebook have been speaking out about something that's been rattling around in the back of my puny brain for some time now . . . but, why, exactly, do we even need transgender bathrooms when we already have unisex bathrooms anyway?

 

[Sgt Floyd]

I dont understand what the big deal is about going into the bathroom you want. I mean...I dont think its illegal for someone who looks like a female to enter a mens room and vice versa (though someone who looks like a man entering the womens room is another story...unless like...the person is with their young daughter or something)

My parents have been talking about it, and they say that the only thing this is accomplishing is that it gives pervs the right to go harass women. A guy who wants to spy on women and overall be a creep can just claim hes a trans women and no one can do anything about it. At least, that's the fear. And I mean, not fully knowing what the law covers, its a valid point.

*sets up flame shields*

 

[fuzzygobo]

At any outdoor event, where they have those rows of Porta-johns, there is no discrimination. Stand in line, first come, first serve.
In today's politically correct universe, especially in schools, anyone who has a revelation they had an identity change, there will be a committee that will end over backwards to accommodate their newfound needs.

Target is getting heat for allowing transgenders to use whatever bathroom they want, regardless of consequences. If they didn't, they'd still have protestors condemning them for being homophobic, hateful, xenophobic, claustrophobic, arachnophobic, and any other phobic you care to name.

On the subject of protestors, it's also hysterical there are people out there protesting Trump, Hillary, cops, universities, big bad corporations..... but they don't know WHY they're protesting.

 

[D'Snowth]

After several months, gas is now back up above $2.00 a gallon again. Ho hum.

But you know what I've come to notice/realize when it comes to gas prices? Whenever the prices rise, they always do so in nickels and dimes; conversely, however, whenever the prices drop, it's in pennies.