Hard times at the dollar store

Everyone who knows me knows that I love to shop at dollar stores. I can cheerfully throw away $20 on twenty items I don't need that probably don't work anyway, as long as each item only costs a dollar. Think of the money I save!

I have a favorite dollar store. At this store, the owner is pleasant, the store is clean, there's lots of stock, and all the salespeople smile and seem happy at life. No week passes that I don't stop there and buy a few things.

On my last visit, I saw a sign on the door, telling us customers that owing to the cost of things generally and energy specifically some prices would be raised to $1.25 and others to $2.

It shouldn't matter--what's an extra quarter, or even two bucks? But somehow, the name dollar and a quarter store doesn't have the same ring to it.