Like McDonald's, which attracted more high-end customers with spruced-up restaurants while not abandoning its dollar menu, Wal-Mart's trick will be to build on the early success of some upscale apparel lines while continuing to offer low price points across its products, Shapira indicated.

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It competes mainly with Dollar Tree and Family Dollar, but also with Target and Wal-Mart.

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The same revolution in logistics and computer-driven merchandising that led to Wal-Mart is now being used by companies like Dollar General to build highly profitable stores within cities.

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Wal-Mart Express is anticipated to compete with stores like Dollar General (NYSE: DG).

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The chain, controlled by hedge fund manager Eddie Lampert, competes most with Wal-Mart and Target, as well as Costco and discount chains like Dollar General.

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You will work three years to get what a person that started at Wal Mart five years ago got in less then one because that person got an extra dollar for working on a Sunday, an over night pay bonus, a raise at three months then yearly and a store discount day one.

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So he is confident that Dollar General will maintain a 5% comparable-store sales gain largely due to its price advantage over Wal-Mart.

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Wal-Mart's international performance further underscores the trend of U.S. firms benefiting from the weakened dollar, as well as becoming increasingly dependent on their international business to provide growth while domestic performance sags.

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