The global shoppers Acting locally, thinking globally All about Dollar Tree Series introduction Most companies don't sweat such details in their Nativity figures. For Dollar Tree Stores Inc. of Chesapeake, the little things make all the difference. Little things like saving every penny it can. Like mailing samples back and forth across oceans until suppliers get them right. Like shopping so well overseas that customers get an extra bloom on a bunch of fabric flowers, a bonus set of wheels in a pack of toy cars.
American retailers depend heavily on foreign goods.
They buy from Asia and Mexico, where the labor is cheap. They travel to trade shows in New York and Canton, China, to see what the world has to offer. Hampton Roads' largest home-grown business does more. Dollar Tree's six international buyers spend more time overseas than much of their competition. They develop original products to keep inventory fresh.