dollar stores thrive in bad economy

One of Wal-Mart's problems is the rise of dollar stores, which the Great Recession has rendered trendy: It's hard to resist merchandise priced at just a buck. For investors, not all rock-bottom retailers are created equal. Here's how to shop for these stocks (and stretch your investing dollars in the process).

Maybe it isn't so surprising: Dollar store sales are going up, up, up! And we're not talking peanuts here. Family Dollar Stores reported net sales of $715 million, in a five-week period ending July 5th, 2008, an increase of 10.7% from the same five-week period last year. The company opened 24 new...