Dollar General stores are incredibly small compared to other big retailers like Walmart. Their average size is less than a fifth of a typical neighborhood supermarket. Despite the small size, the model works because there are usually only one or two people, including a manager, working at each store. This has led to unique situations where customers have had to watch over the store so the lone employee could take a bathroom break. With these challenging working conditions, it's interesting to consider why people still choose to work at Dollar General.
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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