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As elevated fuel prices and overall economic uncertainty continue to squeeze consumers, dollar stores are having a feast, with sales of consumable goods doing particularly well.
Dollar Tree and Dollar General both saw sales of consumables rise markedly during their most recent fiscal quarters, and executives of the retailers noted that sales growth was strong across their product lines as shoppers gravitated to the low-priced assortments they are known for.
“The consumer environment remains dynamic. Customers continue managing household budgets carefully, shopping with purpose and prioritizing value and affordability,” Dollar Tree CEO Michael Creedon said Thursday during the retailer’s earnings call for the second quarter of 2026.
Dollar General was especially pleased with the results of a program it started earlier this year where it is clustering $1 frozen foods in a single cooler, Chief Operating Officer Emily Taylor said during the company’s second-quarter earnings call, also held on Thursday. The retailer has focused in recent years on boosting sales of frozen and refrigerated foods through its DG Fresh self-distribution initiative.
“The customer response there has been very strong. And as you’d expect, the team is already looking at rapidly expanding that set as well,” Taylor said about the frozen food program, which Dollar General rolled out during the first quarter.
Dollar General also saw “great results” for products including food, snacks, and health and beauty products during the second quarter, Taylor added.
Dollar Tree’s consumable sales did exceptionally well during the second quarter, with growth of almost 6%, while discretionary sales rose by less than 2%. Creedon said during the call that those figures are a sign that the company’s value proposition is resonating well with shoppers, not that its discretionary sales have faltered.
“This wasn’t a question of consumable being the story and ‘oh no’ on discretionary. This was a story about discretionary being strong and consumables being very strong,” Creedon said.
Dollar General CEO Todd Vasos noted that while the company grew its market share of highly consumable products in both dollars and units during the first quarter, sales of nonconsumable goods outpaced consumables.
“This broad-based category growth is a testament to the relevance of our offering and our position as America’s neighborhood general store,” Vasos said.
