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Cities are passing dollar store bans. But do they work? : The Indicator from Planet Money In recent years, we've seen dozens of cities ban new dollar stores from opening up. The thinking goes, by keeping dollar stores out, it'll be easier to get much-needed grocery stores to come in. On today's show, we visit two cities that have passed dollar store bans, New Orleans and Birmingham, to see if they've worked.

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The Indicator from Planet Money

Do dollar store bans work?

By 

Stephan Bisaha

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Do dollar store bans work?

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A woman shops at a Dollar Store in ALhambra, California on August 23, 2022.
Enlarge this image
Frederic Brown/AFP via Getty Images
A woman shops at a Dollar Store in ALhambra, California on August 23, 2022.
Frederic Brown/AFP via Getty Images

In recent years, we've seen dozens of cities ban new dollar stores from opening up. The thinking goes, by keeping dollar stores out, it'll be easier to get much-needed grocery stores to come in. On today's show, we visit two cities that have passed dollar store bans, New Orleans and Birmingham, to see if they've worked.

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For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.