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She is not an outlier. The retail model that began more than a century ago as the "five-and-dime" is back, and it's gone big. Dollar store shopping is attracting consumers across multiple demographics, including America's wealthiest. Households with an annual income of more than $100,000 make up 19 percent of the spend at national dollar store chains, comparable to the 23 percent that comes from households with an annual income of less than $25,000, according to a July report from retail analytics firm NPD.

The main difference between the 1 percent and the 99 percent is how frequently they turn to dollar stores: Lower income shoppers come in more frequently and spend more. Considering that the average employed millennial earns just $34,100 annually, it's logical that this generation would drop more dollars on the discount products offered by the likes of Dollar Tree Inc., Dollar General Corp., and 99 Cents Only Stores LLC. 

Retailers are understandably eager to get their hands on a chunk of the $600 billion annual spending power of the millennial demographic. Though Dollar General didn't return a request for comment, the company's chief executive, Todd J. Vasos, said during a first-quarter earnings call that millennial shoppers make up about a quarter of the company's sales line. 

"The millennial shopper is a segment that I was particularly excited to see emerge as a core consumer for DG, as this segment is so important to the future of retail and Dollar General," Vasos said.

At 99 Cents Only, a West Coast-based dollar store chain, shoppers aged from 18 to 39 make up 36 percent of consumers. "With millennials, there is no stigma with them shopping at dollar stores because they grew up in a different environment than our parents, who covet things," said the chain's director of marketing, Erin Estelle. "We're more frugal because we've had to be ... There's no shame in that, and millennials know that."

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