Dollar stores come from inflation.

The concept of a bargain store with everything costing a set amount are not new.

I have seen the burnt out husks of many $.25 stores in my travels through Detroit.

"Five and Dime" stores were very popular in the early 20th century.

These stores were popularized in the US in the early 19th century (Frank Woolworth opened the first five cent store in 1879).

The term for these types of stores are a "Variety Store" and can be found in a staggering amount of countries and currencies.

Plunkett-Powell, Karen (1999). Remembering Woolworth's: A Nostalgic History of the World's Most Famous Five-and-Dime. St. Martin's Press (New York).