Workers at a southwestern Wisconsin Dollar General walked out briefly in protest of the discount retailer’s donation policy and worker conditions at the store.
The Mineral Point store’s workers walked out March 9, temporarily closing it. The store reopened after about three hours, and Facebook posts showed signs the workers made announcing their walkout and some of the reasons behind them.
“The store is closed. The whole team has walked away due to a lack of appreciation, being overworked and underpaid,” one sign read. Another said, “We quit!”
Madison TV station WKOW 27 interviewed former store manager Trina Tribolet and first reported on the walkout. Tribolet advocated for better conditions and underscored issues with the store’s donation policies.
Workers disagreed with the company’s policy of throwing away items close to their expiration date and those that the store didn’t sell any longer, she said. Workers felt that they should be donated and did so, giving them to local charities.
Tribolet also told the news station that understaffing and trying work hours played a part in their discontent.
“They need to do better by their customers and they need to do better for the communities they build their stores in,” she told WKOW.
A picture posted to a local Facebook group showed a letter that said “Policies, Processes, and Procedures need to change! Don’t make claims about supporting and helping communities when the reality is that it’s all about the bottom line and not about support or help.”
The Tennessee-based company said in a statement to USA TODAY that the store reopened after about three hours.
“We are committed to providing an environment where employees can grow their careers and where they feel valued and heard,” the statement said. “We apologize for any inconvenience our customers experienced during the three hours the Mineral Point store was closed this past weekend.”
Its statement also indirectly addressed the workers’ concerns over its donation policies:
“The Mineral Point Dollar General store has donated nearly 7,500 pounds of food to local food banks such as Second Harvest Food Bank of Southern Wisconsin over the past twelve months. Food safety is a top priority for Dollar General, therefore, DG stores are required to follow Company donation policies.”
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Dollar General has undergone explosive growth in the last decade, particularly in small towns like Mineral Point, which has a population of just over 2,500. In 2019, CNN reported that about 75% of its stores are in communities with 20,000 people or less.
Its success has come as other discount retailers like Family Dollar have lagged far behind. Family Dollar announced yesterday that it was closing about 1,000 stores.
