Will New Jersey Be Losing Dollar Tree and Family Dollar Stores?
RIO VISTA, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 13: A sign is posted in front of a Dollar Tree store on March 13, 2024 in Rio Vista, California. Dollar Tree announced plans to close nearly 1,000 of its underperforming Family Dollar stores across the U.S. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Dollar Tree and Family Dollar are closing down 1,000 stores! I’m still getting over the heartbreak of Toys R Us going out of business. Seriously, where else can you find such a variety of items at such affordable prices?
I frequent Dollar Tree for all sorts of things. I especially like going there to buy cleaners and buckets, for $1.25, you can’t beat it! It is my go-to place for cleaning essentials because they carry name-brand cleaners such as Spic and Span and Palmolive.
During the Christmas season, I love going to the Dollar Tree for decorations and those adorable little hats and gloves. The hats, gloves, and socks, are of nice quality and look like I paid a lot more for my items. They are perfect for giving away as prizes when we play family games at our Christmas Eve celebrations. It’s sad to think that those traditions might have to change now.
Dollar Tree acquired Family Dollar back in 2015, thinking it would strengthen both brands. But, it seems like they are unfortunately facing some challenges in maintaining their value. I guess the competition in the discount retail space is fiercer than ever.
Anytime a company makes a major announcement like this, it affects its shares on the stock market. I was not surprised to hear Dollar Tree’s shares plummeted by 14% on Wall Street after this announcement. According to CNN Business, the company’s CEO assured everyone that they are taking action to improve profitability and value at Family Dollar. Let’s hope they can turn things around.
Despite the closures, Dollar Tree still operates thousands of stores across the U.S. and Canada. Hopefully, they will leave the New Jersey stores alone. Every time I go to Dollar Tree, there are always customers in there buying things. People rely on these budget-friendly items. Hopefully, they will find a way to serve their customers for years to come, otherwise, we need to go there and stock up on holiday decorations, birthday cards, and wrapping paper!
Netflix Shares 2023's Most-Hours Spent on Films and TV Shows
Right before the end of the year, Netflix shared new information about their viewers. Since launching their weekly Top 10 and Most Popular lists two years ago, the streaming giant has been providing more information about what people are watching. On Tuesday (December 12), Netflix published their What We Watched: A Netflix Engagement Report, which is a comprehensive report of what people watched on Netflix over a six-month period (January to June 2023). They took into account the hours viewed for every single title they have as their original content as well as licensed content that was watched for over 50,000 hours, the premiere date for the content, runtimes, and whether a title was available worldwide.
In total, this new report covers more than 18,000 titles — representing 99% of all viewing on Netflix — and nearly 100 billion hours viewed. Over 60% of Netflix titles released in the first six months of the year simultaneously appeared on their weekly Top 10 lists. So, while this report is broader in scope, the trends reflected similarly mimic those in the Top 10 lists. For example, television series Ginny & Georgia, Alice in Borderland, The Marked Heart, Outer Banks, You, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, XO Kitty, and films Murder Mystery 2 and Extraction 2. Meanwhile, new series like The Night Agent, The Diplomat, Beef, and FUBAR generated huge audiences. Non-English stories garnered 30% of all viewing, and older, licensed titles were in demand from Netflix. 55% of viewing came from Netflix films and series, while 45% came from licensed titles, like Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, and Suits.
Netflix said in their report that this would be bi-annual data that would show the engagement of their viewers. They claim that the information provided will “give creators and our industry deeper insights into our audiences and what resonates with them.” Take a look below at Netflix’s 7 Most-Viewed Items for the first half of the year:
Meet Maryann, who has been chasing magic since the early 90s. Back then, she hosted a love and dedication show at nights on Magic. Talk about romantic vibes! Since then, she traded her evening slot for mornings. When she’s not talking to you on the air, she’s living the glamorous life of a chicken, duck, pigeon, and German Short-Haired Pointer mom. Since Joel can never follow what she says, there is an entire feature called " What are you Talking About" at 9:10. Running is her secret to staying out of trouble – or at least staying ahead of the extra pounds. She has a husband named Matt, and a son named Zack, who she says makes her world a little adventure.
