2009 has been a really tough economic year. Record unemployment, declining home values and job insecurity have American families carefully watching their budgets. Dollar stores, unlike other retailers, have experienced strong traffic and sales this year. From a consumer viewpoint, are dollar store products a good deal or just a marketing ploy?

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What is your perception of a "dollar store"? My only experience until this fall was the $.99 store in a neighboring city. When it…