Don’t shop at dollar stores (if you can)
Not only are dollar stores filled with junky products that won’t last and often contain hazardous chemicals, they also hurt the small businesses in the local neighbourhoods they operate in. Since these dollar stores are large chains, they have more buying power with their suppliers and can buy more products for less than what small businesses can. Their lower prices undercut local shops and eventually drive them out of business. This hurts the local business owner, of course, but also hurts the whole community because the profits that were once being re-circulated to the other businesses of the area now go to some corporate head office, never to be seen again by that community.