SEPTEMBER 18, 2023:
A coalition of rural organizations is out with its latest policy recommendations to help small towns thrive. The report says in states like South Dakota, Main Street businesses need help in fending off the “corporate takeover” of rural economies.
The 2023 Rural Policy Action report, which has input from nearly 30 organizations, urges federal policymakers to advance bills that would strengthen antitrust laws in hopes of seeing fewer mergers, including in agribusiness.
Katy Milani with the Independent Business Institute for Local Self-Reliance contributed to the report. She argues big box chains have been given a lot of flexibility to add stores across rural America.
“We have seen, in the last 50 years, significant consolidation in our economy. You go to any town across the country and a lot of them look the same, it’s the same dollar store, it’s the same Walmart.”
The report also calls for investment in foundational infrastructure in rural areas, such as healthcare access. The authors say these communities are more diverse than people think, and residents deserve equitable opportunities. Milani says there are too many questions that can’t be ignored.
“What does economic-racial justice, around rural issues and also gender – what does that look like?”
Milani says the F-T-C needs stronger enforcement of laws addressing deals that bigger retailers get from suppliers, allowing them to mark down prices. She says discussions need to be free of the political divide that often clouds public discourse.
Chains like Dollar General defend their growth, saying they often get requests from rural areas for new stores.
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AUGUST 24, 2023:
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. regulators have announced (Aug. 23, 2023) a settlement with the company that runs Dollar Tree and Family Dollar aimed at improving worker safety at thousands of the bargain stores across the country. Labor Department officials cited issues at the stores including blocked exits, unsafe storage of materials and improper access to fire extinguishers and electrical panels. The department says that the chains operated by Dollar Tree Inc. are required make changes to correct within two years violations cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Dollar Tree and Family Dollar have also agreed to pay $1.35 million in penalties to settle existing contested and open inspections of similar alleged violations — and face hefty violations for any future offenses.
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APRIL 3, 2023:
Consumer health advocates are voicing concerns about the rapid expansion of chain “dollar stores,” sounding the alarm over what they see as predatory tactics. They claim that Dollar General and Dollar Tree/Family Dollar consciously target disenfranchised areas.
Springfield, in rural southeastern South Dakota, has seen recent debate over this type of economic development. Mayor Scott Kostal acknowledges there can be unwanted ripple effects, but for areas with unique needs, he says business opportunities can be hard to pass up.
“Our needs here, with a prison in town are 24-hour, 7/365 that facility is running – so, there’s shift work. And a lot of folks want to shop close to home for those things that you just want to run out for.”
At the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Senior Researcher Kennedy Smith says their investigation found that workers at these stores are often underpaid and overworked.
“We have a number of documented reports of workers who are pretty quickly promoted to something like Assistant Manager, which is a position that’s exempt from overtime, and then they’re expected to work 60-70 hours a week.”
The report also says these chains drive other retailers out of business, leave more people without access to fresh food and extract wealth from local economies.
Kostal says these chains should keep the community’s long-term wellbeing in mind.
“Those are very much integral to a small community’s survival and how well our quality of life is going to be. And folks do see that, and do recognize that.”
In a statement, the Dollar General Corporation said the Institute “is not a reliable source for information regarding Dollar General, or our efforts to meet the value and convenience needs of millions of Americans for nearly 85 years.”
(Story provided courtesy of the Greater Dakota News Service.)
All true statement. Push to make you a assistant manager or Store manager. Open most holidays. Like Tomorrow for instance. A store manager is going to be in that store from open until close. Possibly only ones there all day. When in fact they should be at home with there families.. They will loose more $$ tomorrow proudly..