Popular dollar stores...

It's no secret that more shoppers are turning to discounters to make ends meet, and some of the stores that are benefitting the most are dollar stores. Stores magazine wrote a story this week about that exact trend, focusing on Matthews-based Family Dollar and its efforts to boost its food offerings. It reminded me a lot of our dollar gourmet recipe challenge earlier this year, where the N&O challenged Triangle residents to make a gourmet recipe using ingredients from the dollar store. If you missed it, here's the original challenge. And, of course, here's the follow-up, complete with the recipe for the winning heart-healthy meatloaf plus some of the other finalists' dishes.