Shopping

For bargain shoppers on San Antonio’s Southeast Side, another familiar off-price retailer appears to be headed closer to home.

A new dd’s Discounts is planned at 2902 Goliad Road, Suite 116, San Antonio, TX 78223 in a former Big Lots site, according to a state permit filing outlining a substantial tenant renovation for the property. The project would bring the Ross Stores-owned discount chain into a 32,546-square-foot space along one of the area’s established retail corridors.

The filing lists an estimated construction cost of $1.4 million, with work scheduled to begin June 1, 2027, and reach completion by Sept. 1, 2027. Plans call for a full tenant interior fit-out with new finishes throughout the store, along with minor exterior modifications that include new entry and exit doors.

For nearby households, the project would add another large-format shopping option along Goliad Road while continuing dd’s Discounts’ expansion in a San Antonio market where the chain already has locations spread across several parts of the city.

dd’s Discounts already has a significant San Antonio presence

San Antonio is hardly new territory for dd’s Discounts.

Current business listings show stores across the city, including locations along SW Military Drive, Vance Jackson Road, SW Loop 410, NW Loop 410, U.S. Highway 90, Culebra Road and Interstate 10, as well as a nearby location in the Walzem Road area.

The planned Goliad Road store would strengthen the retailer’s presence on the South and Southeast sides of San Antonio, where price-conscious families already have access to a mix of national discount chains, neighborhood retailers and shopping centers.

The proposed 32,546-square-foot footprint is also sizable for the brand, giving the retailer room for its broad mix of apparel, footwear and household merchandise.

The permit represents planned construction rather than a confirmed grand-opening announcement from dd’s Discounts, so the construction timeline and eventual opening date could change.

What is dd’s Discounts?

dd’s Discounts is the lower-priced sister chain of Ross Dress for Less, both operated by California-based Ross Stores Inc.

Ross Stores launched dd’s Discounts in 2004 with 10 stores in California, creating a concept aimed more specifically at shoppers from moderate-income households. The company has steadily expanded the brand since then, particularly in Sunbelt markets.

As of August 2026, Ross Stores reported 376 dd’s Discounts locations in 23 states, giving the chain a national footprint that has grown considerably from its California beginnings. Parent company Ross Stores is simultaneously much larger, operating 1,952 Ross Dress for Less stores at that time.

That expansion is continuing. Ross Stores said in August that it expects to open approximately 25 new dd’s Discounts stores during fiscal 2026 as part of a broader plan for 115 new Ross and dd’s locations combined. The company opened 12 new dd’s stores during its second quarter alone.

Longer term, Ross Stores has said it believes dd’s Discounts has the potential to grow to roughly 700 locations nationwide.

What does dd’s Discounts sell?

The chain focuses on the kind of everyday categories that make it possible for customers to make several stops within one store.

Its assortment includes women’s, men’s and children’s clothing, shoes, accessories and home fashions, with merchandise geared toward customers looking for lower-priced alternatives to traditional department and specialty stores.

Ross Stores says dd’s Discounts offers first-quality, in-season apparel, accessories, footwear and home merchandise at prices generally 20% to 70% below the regular prices at moderate department and discount stores.

Because merchandise changes regularly, the experience is less like shopping a conventional department store with a predictable year-round assortment and more like a rotating bargain hunt. What shoppers find on one visit may not necessarily be there the next.

That changing inventory is part of the appeal of the off-price model.

How the off-price model keeps prices down

Behind the racks of clothing and changing selection is a retail strategy built around opportunistic buying and relatively simple stores.

Ross Stores describes its broader off-price approach as using significant purchasing power while buyers search for merchandise and negotiate directly with manufacturers. The company also keeps stores relatively straightforward, avoiding many costly department-store features and moving new purchases onto sales floors quickly.

That model allows an off-price retailer to purchase merchandise under circumstances that can include excess inventory, changing demand or other opportunities in the retail supply chain, then offer those goods at discounts to traditional retail prices.

For customers, the trade-off is variety over predictability: shoppers may find recognizable brands or unexpected items at substantial discounts, but sizes, colors and quantities can be limited.

The strategy has become increasingly relevant as households continue looking for ways to stretch discretionary spending. Ross Stores reported particularly strong customer traffic during the second quarter of 2026, when companywide comparable-store sales increased 10%.

Why the Goliad Road location matters for Southeast San Antonio

For neighborhoods surrounding Goliad Road, the project is more than another name being added to a shopping center sign.

A $1.4 million renovation of more than 32,500 square feet represents a sizable reinvestment in existing commercial space rather than new construction on undeveloped land. Bringing a national tenant into an existing retail property can also help draw additional customer traffic to neighboring restaurants, services and small businesses.

The store’s product mix could have particular appeal for families shopping for children's clothing, school apparel, shoes, household basics and seasonal merchandise without traveling to larger shopping districts elsewhere in San Antonio.

The proposed location at 2902 Goliad Road would also put dd’s Discounts relatively close to established residential neighborhoods and major routes serving the city’s Southeast and South sides.

No hiring information, store opening date or additional details about the location have yet been announced by dd’s Discounts. Based on the permit schedule, however, construction is currently projected to wrap up in September 2027.

For residents who make bargain hunting part of the household budget, the project is another sign that San Antonio remains an important market for one of the country’s growing off-price retail brands.

Stay tuned to My Neighborhood News for updates as the Goliad Road dd’s Discounts project moves closer to construction and additional opening details become available.

By Tiffany Krenek, My Neighborhood News 

Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.