Earning $100,000 a year might sound like enough to stop worrying about the price of everyday essentials. But with groceries, gas, and household expenses taking up more of the budget, even shoppers with six-figure incomes are looking for ways to spend less.

Dollar General is noticing that shift. The discount retailer says customers earning $100,000 or more are shopping at its stores more regularly, rather than stopping in only occasionally. And according to a recent report from TheStreet, CEO Todd Vasos says persistent inflation is changing how people across different income levels shop.

Dollar General Manteca California — Image Credit: TaurusEmerald, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Six-figure earners are becoming regular Dollar General shoppers

During a recent investor conference, Vasos said the company is hearing from more customers earning at least $100,000 who no longer feel as financially comfortable as their income might suggest. Higher everyday expenses are prompting them to pay closer attention to prices and seek out bargains.

The change is showing up in how often these customers visit Dollar General. During the company’s second-quarter earnings call, Vasos described higher-income shoppers as moving from occasional visits to making Dollar General part of their regular shopping routine. They’re looking for value on everyday necessities and other merchandise.

That doesn’t mean every household earning six figures is struggling to make ends meet. But it does suggest that bargain shopping is becoming a more routine choice for some customers who might previously have visited discount stores less often.

Inflation is changing how people fill their carts

For Dollar General’s lower-income customers, the pressure is affecting not just where they shop but how much they buy at a time. Vasos said these shoppers are making more frequent trips while purchasing fewer items on each visit, a pattern he linked to tighter household budgets and uncertainty about upcoming expenses.

Higher-income shoppers are changing their habits, too. Instead of assuming they can buy everything they need at their usual store, some are adding discount retailers to their regular rotation to stretch their budgets.

The difference is that households have varying amounts of room to adjust. Someone with more disposable income may choose to switch stores or cut back on extras, while a household with a tighter budget may have to make more immediate decisions about which essentials it can afford.

Dollar General is responding with more $1 merchandise

As customers look for lower prices, Dollar General is putting more emphasis on its inexpensive merchandise. During its second-quarter earnings call, the company reported that comparable sales in its Value Valley assortment, which features $1 items, grew more than 16%.

The retailer also said it planned to expand its selection of seasonal dollar-priced items by 40% during the second half of the year. Those changes give shoppers more low-cost options at a time when the company says affordability is influencing purchasing decisions.

Dollar General’s second-quarter 2026 financial results showed that net sales rose 5.2% to $11.3 billion, while sales at comparable stores increased 3.5%. The company reported growth in both customer traffic and average spend per transaction.

A higher salary doesn’t mean shoppers have stopped looking for deals

The appeal of discount shopping has always been simple: If you can get something you need for less, why pay more? What’s changing is the range of customers making those trips part of their routine.

Still, a dollar-store price tag doesn’t automatically make something the cheapest option. Shoppers can save more by checking package sizes, comparing unit prices, and tracking what their regularly purchased items cost at other stores.

Dollar General’s observations point to a broader change in shopping habits. For some six-figure earners, bargain hunting is no longer an occasional way to save a few dollars; it’s becoming part of how they manage everyday expenses.