This chapter explores the unsafe conditions within Dollar General stores, including expired products, dirty conditions, and blocked emergency exits. It focuses on employee David Williams' efforts to bring about change within the company, including addressing shareholders and urging them to approve a resolution. The chapter also discusses Dollar General's response to the findings and their efforts to improve safety.
The Dollar General retail chain has 19,000-plus locations, more than Walmart and Wendy’s combined. Its business model is to open in towns too small to support bigger retailers, sell necessities at low prices and keep staff to a minimum, sometimes as few as one or two people per shift. This bare bones approach has led to profits but also numerous OSHA citations and millions of dollars in proposed fines against the company since 2017.
Bloomberg reporters Josh Eidelson and Brendan Case join this episode to talk about their reporting on Dollar General, what current and former employees say about what it’s like to work there–and how the company has responded.
Read more: Why Dollar General Might Just Be the Worst Retail Job in America
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