Complaint Review: Dollar Store Services - Las Vegas Nevada

IF you're planning to buy into a franchise, go to work in that line of business BEFORE you buy into a franchise. I've seen it too many times before. I suspect that if you'd gone to work in one of their $1.00 Store's you would have had a much better idea of what you were getting into before you spent $130,000. Heck, they would have PAID YOU to learn the business as a clerk, asst. manager or even a manager. One month, three months or six months, however long it would have taken you to learn the ins and outs of that business. It would have been alot cheaper then $130,000. What's a few months of your time worth? YOU would have gotten the contacts with the RIGHT wholesalers. You would have known where to place a store. The cost to open any business runs about 50% over what is usually budgeted. It doesn't matter if it is an oil place, a sandwich place, a mail place, a jewelry replace, a frame shop, an ice cream shop, a dollar store, GO TO WORK THERE FIRST. See if you like it. One guy I know bought into a subway type franchise. Turns out he hated the food industry. They closed after one year. I've had my shop for 13.5 years. I've been in this business for 24 years. I love what I do. I can see doing this for the next 20 years. It pays the bills. I'm gonna go on vacation next week, my wife's making me go, my first since 2003, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Because RipOffReport.com will not allow the removal of an earlier posting, I am filing the following supplement. Although I had previously written about my discontent with $1.00 Store Services, I have now had the opportunity to meet with $1.00 Store representatives regarding my grievances. $1.00 Store Services was willing to listen to my complaints, and has addressed them to my satisfaction.

As a client of both Dollar Store Services and JW Imports, with some of the complaints I have heard, I agree, with many however, I do not. First of all, anyone expecting the company to take responsibility for the failure of any store is in for a rude awakening. No where in any documentation is there a "get out of jail free" card that says if you flop, gosh, we'll be happy to give you your money back. They are a "store in a box", nothing else. Do they provide counseling in location, lease negotiation, etc, Yes, if requested. But the final decision in all processes is the clients, and the clients alone. I waited for 14 months until "I" found the perfect location for my store, negotiated for 4 months my own lease, and did my own research on demographics, traffic counts, competing businesses, etc. Wether my business is profitable (which after 4 months, yes it has been)is really not the case. If I had to close the doors tomorrow, the fault would not lie with Dollar Store Services, but in my own inability to properly market, stock, and budget my investment. I work 14 hours a day, every day to keep the place running tight, do my own tax reporting, my own ordering, cut corners everyway I can. I know others in your shoes in our area that went through the same company. One store owner had 6 employees, a manager and an assistant manager to handle a 2000 sq ft store. Ridiculous. This isnt Neiman Marcus, this is a bust your butt industry that requires 2 to 4 stores to make big bucks. If anyone is looking to retire off one Dollar Store, better to buy stock in Dollar Tree. All that said, I wish you everyone well in this and future ventures; however I cannot see where any blame lies heavily in any direction.

Sounds like you did your homework. I wonder in cases like this if they are using specific stores to represent the profitable ones. Did they select who you should go to for references or did you walk into them randomly? It sure does seem like dollar stores of one sort or another are popping up all over the place...some are in great locations...others are kinda hard to get to or know about unless you just happen upon them. Could be getting like Subway and the like...too many to support...and they should have been limiting franchises to keep them profitable.

I appreciate your comments and yes we did a feasibility study and have a business plan, I will send it to you if you like. We also talked with owners of other stores, unfortunately for us we believed what they told us and sold us. We spoke with other owners of the businesses that bought it through them (they gave us the phone numbers). Nobody will give you exact numbers/figures because every business is different. We hired this company to do their job. We feel that they didn't come through on their end and are only greedy people with no morals. A few months after we bought our store from them, another store that they opened went out of business. I also called that owner and he said that they enjoyed their services. Bottom line is do not believe what theses people sell you, they have it all laid out and even get you the financing.. to pay them a lot of money

Just curious...I have heard of this happening to others and can undertand that any business is a gamble, but here's the biggie: Did you do a feesability study prior to going into this or did you just wing it? Did you do a business plan? Did you have it reviewed by anyone? Did you go to the small business association for help or research? Did you go visit dollar stores elsewhere and talk to owners? Did you go to the county and get a traffic count? Did you do a demographic study? Did you do the math on just how many products you must sell per day or per hour at $1 to make a profit on what slim margins I can imagine the product(s) generate? Did you figure out how much employees cost? I am sorry to hear of your plight and do feel they have misled you, but you seem to have not done the proper homework that should be done prior to opening a business and risking that much money. If you did, you may well have just taken your money and gone down to the strip and put it all on black. You would have had better odds...I guarantee! Statistical studies show that 90% of business fail in the first 2 years, and that most of that failure is because of lack of planning and lack of adequate cash flow and reserves. You need to assume a loss for the first 2 years of being in business as a rule. If you weren't ready for that, you weren't ready to go into business of any kind. Wish you well.

Just curious...I have heard of this happening to others and can undertand that any business is a gamble, but here's the biggie: Did you do a feesability study prior to going into this or did you just wing it? Did you do a business plan? Did you have it reviewed by anyone? Did you go to the small business association for help or research? Did you go visit dollar stores elsewhere and talk to owners? Did you go to the county and get a traffic count? Did you do a demographic study? Did you do the math on just how many products you must sell per day or per hour at $1 to make a profit on what slim margins I can imagine the product(s) generate? Did you figure out how much employees cost? I am sorry to hear of your plight and do feel they have misled you, but you seem to have not done the proper homework that should be done prior to opening a business and risking that much money. If you did, you may well have just taken your money and gone down to the strip and put it all on black. You would have had better odds...I guarantee! Statistical studies show that 90% of business fail in the first 2 years, and that most of that failure is because of lack of planning and lack of adequate cash flow and reserves. You need to assume a loss for the first 2 years of being in business as a rule. If you weren't ready for that, you weren't ready to go into business of any kind. Wish you well.

Just curious...I have heard of this happening to others and can undertand that any business is a gamble, but here's the biggie: Did you do a feesability study prior to going into this or did you just wing it? Did you do a business plan? Did you have it reviewed by anyone? Did you go to the small business association for help or research? Did you go visit dollar stores elsewhere and talk to owners? Did you go to the county and get a traffic count? Did you do a demographic study? Did you do the math on just how many products you must sell per day or per hour at $1 to make a profit on what slim margins I can imagine the product(s) generate? Did you figure out how much employees cost? I am sorry to hear of your plight and do feel they have misled you, but you seem to have not done the proper homework that should be done prior to opening a business and risking that much money. If you did, you may well have just taken your money and gone down to the strip and put it all on black. You would have had better odds...I guarantee! Statistical studies show that 90% of business fail in the first 2 years, and that most of that failure is because of lack of planning and lack of adequate cash flow and reserves. You need to assume a loss for the first 2 years of being in business as a rule. If you weren't ready for that, you weren't ready to go into business of any kind. Wish you well.

Just curious...I have heard of this happening to others and can undertand that any business is a gamble, but here's the biggie: Did you do a feesability study prior to going into this or did you just wing it? Did you do a business plan? Did you have it reviewed by anyone? Did you go to the small business association for help or research? Did you go visit dollar stores elsewhere and talk to owners? Did you go to the county and get a traffic count? Did you do a demographic study? Did you do the math on just how many products you must sell per day or per hour at $1 to make a profit on what slim margins I can imagine the product(s) generate? Did you figure out how much employees cost? I am sorry to hear of your plight and do feel they have misled you, but you seem to have not done the proper homework that should be done prior to opening a business and risking that much money. If you did, you may well have just taken your money and gone down to the strip and put it all on black. You would have had better odds...I guarantee! Statistical studies show that 90% of business fail in the first 2 years, and that most of that failure is because of lack of planning and lack of adequate cash flow and reserves. You need to assume a loss for the first 2 years of being in business as a rule. If you weren't ready for that, you weren't ready to go into business of any kind. Wish you well.