Who doesn't love a good dollar store? They can be a little messy, but they're undeniably popular here in the U.S.

As families continue to struggle with inflation, as many goods as possible on the cheap is an option.

Dollar Tree who owns Family Dollar says it will be closing 370 more locations this year, according to foxbusiness.com.

Popular MA Discount Store Closing Locations

Massachusetts Has 55 Locations of 'Family Dollar'

• Amesbury
• Ashland
• Attleboro
• Ayer
• Belchertown
• Bellingham
• Boston
• Brockton
• Chelsea
• Chicopee
• Clinton
• Danvers
• Dedham
• Dorchester
• Dracut
• Dudley
• East Boston
• East Hampton
• Everett
• Fairhaven
• Fall River
• Fitchburg
• Gardner
• Haverhill
• Holbrook
• Holyoke
• Lawrence
• Leominster
• Lowell
• Lynn
• Methuen
• Middleborough
• New Bedford
• Pittsfield
• Plainville
• Rockland
• Salem
• Somerset
• Southbridge
• Southwick
• Spencer
• Springfield
• Stoughton
• Taunton
• Townsend
• Turners Falls
• Waltham
• Webster
• West Bridgewater
• Westfield
• Whitman
• Winchendon
• Woburn
• Worcester

There is no word on which Massachusetts stores would be affected by the closures of Family Dollar. The company announced late last year that they would be closing 600 stores during the first half of 2024. So, with the announcing of 370 additional stores closing, that would bring the total to nearly 1000 stores.

Dollar Tree who bought Family Dollar in 2015 cited poor earnings as the reason for the closures...

Dollar Tree CEO Rick Dreiling said during an earnings call in December that its Family Dollar stores had softer same-store sales due to unexpected costs from a recall of various over-the-counter drugs and medical devices in nearly two dozen states last fall.

The most popular items sold at Family Dollar

• Cleaning supplies
• Toiletries
• Snacks and beverages
• Canned foods
• Health and wellness products
• Household goods
• Kitchen supplies
• School and office supplies

Family Dollar competitor Dollar General has 52 locations in Massachusetts. They certainly do take carding smokers seriously as well! Remember this?

I was patronizing a Dollar General on the hunt for laundry detergent today when I found myself behind an older woman in the queue paying for her goods.

What I heard next was quite humorous to say the least. I'm not trying to be ageist and all of the that, but this woman was clearly over 18. Like, by five plus decades older.

77 Year-Old Woman Denied Cigarettes At Western Mass. Retailer

The clerk behind the counter told the older woman that her license was expired after she asked to purchase four packs of Sonoma Gold.

Technically, if an ID is expired, it is not a valid form of identification in Massachusetts even though it was before its expiration date. This rule is weird. It clearly shows the woman was 77. (I asked her age in the parking lot).

Of course I know that you have to ask for identification in Massachusetts for anyone if they look under 27. That is still a thing, right? Or is it?

What The Feds Say

Generally speaking, these rules apply to all cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, cigarette tobacco, roll-your-own tobacco, and "covered tobacco products":

• Check photo ID of everyone under age 27 who attempts to purchase any tobacco product. Only sell tobacco products to customers 21 or older.
• Do NOT sell tobacco products in a vending machine unless in an adult-only facility.
• Do NOT give away free samples of tobacco products to consumers, including any of their components and parts. -fda.gov

What Massachusetts Says

It is illegal to sell tobacco products to any person under the age of 21. Retailers are required to check identification (ID) for any tobacco purchase. Only government-issued photo identification can be accepted as proof of age. -mass.gov

If the woman looked over 27, why ask for ID at all? Must they now?

Social Media Post

As of this writing, I just found this post on Facebook.

Went to dollar general last night to buy lighter's they asked me for my ID I said you want ID for lighters i have been coming her for 33 years and never been asked for ID they just lost my business.- Karen Watkins on Facebook