Where there is more Pepsi than pepper

There is a lot of space in Alabama outside of cities. Maybe that's why I've noticed the yellow signs of the company I've been driving by every half hour lately in the upstate. Dollar General parks in parking lots of low-rise, windowless buildings. Anyone who stops there will immediately experience how severe social differences are in the United States.

In major cities, there is a wide range of supermarkets from Walmart, Kroger and Giant to the expensive organic chain Whole Foods, which is huge – at least for those who can afford it. However, the situation is very different in rural and low-income areas: Dismal discount stores like Dollar Tree, Family Dollar or Dollar General are often the only shopping options. It is estimated that about 40 million Americans live in “food deserts” without access to fresh, healthy produce within 10 miles.

Alabama is one of the poorest states

Alabama, one of the poorest states with a median annual household income of $59,000 (US value: $76,000), is a shocking example. You won't find any small village shops. The Dollar General I visited had a small rack of fresh produce. But the fruit (five apples for $5.95, a small bowl of blueberries for $3.95) was incredibly expensive.

The choice of vegetables was limited to carrots, cabbage, peppers and corn on the cob. Bread was only available in a bag. Three (!) 2-liter bottles of Pepsi-Cola were offered for $5. Packages and ready-made meals were stacked in the narrow aisles. Socks and toys were also available at bargain prices.

Dollar General wants to open new stores

Because of inflation, poor Americans, who are often black, have to save their money. And that's a good thing for Dollar General: The discounter plans to open 800 new stores this year and generate $40 billion in sales. With 20,000 stores, it already operates four times as many Walmart branches — yet many Americans have never set foot in a store like this before.

Carl Dominz He is the USA correspondent for RND. He explains the motivations of the world's largest economy in his “Global Economy” column, which he writes alternating weekly with colleagues from Beijing, London and Brussels, as well as Russia and Eastern Europe. You can find all previous articles in the column here.