Dollar General
Dollar General () is a chain of limited-selection consumable
retail stores operating in 30
U.S. states. The chain operates 8,164
stores (as of July 28, 2006), and its headquarters provides covered parking and is located in
Goodlettsville, Tennessee, a suburb of
Nashville.
Founded in
1955 by Cal Turner in
Scottsville, Kentucky, Dollar General stores are typically in small
shopping plazas or strip
malls in local
neighborhoods. The company acquired the 280 stores of the
P.N. Hirsh Division of Interco, Inc. (now
Furniture Brands International, Inc.) in 1983 and in1985 added 206 stores and a warehouse from
Eagle Family Discount Stores, also from Interco, Inc. In recent years, the chain has started constructing more stand-alone stores, typically in areas not served by another general-merchandise retailer. In some cases, stores are within a few city blocks within each other.
Dollar General offers both first-quality and lesser-quality merchandise â€" including off-brand goods and closeouts of name-brand items â€" in the same store, often on the same shelf.
Although it has the word "dollar" in the name, Dollar General is
not a
dollar store in the strict sense of the phrase, because it has goods that are priced at more (or less) than a dollar. However, goods are usually sold at set
price points of 10¢, 25¢, 33¢, 50¢, $1, $1.50, $2.00, $2.50, $3.00, $4.00, $5.00, $6.00, $8.00, $10, $12, $15, and $20. Most items are $1 or less.
Dollar General typically serves
communities that are too small to attract a
Wal-Mart. It competes in the dollar store format with national chains
Family Dollar and
Dollar Tree, regional chains such as
Fred's in the southeast, and numerous independently owned stores. More recently, its move toward multiple stores in suburban areas is an effort to give customers the low prices they might find at Wal-Mart or
K-Mart, but without the hassle of shopping in supercenters. Indeed, some of its newer stores are within sight of Wal-Mart Supercenter locations.
Since the turn of the century, Dollar General has experimented with stores that carry a greater selection of grocery items. These stores (similar to the Wal-Mart Supercenter, but much smaller) operate under the name "Dollar General Market". These stores are similar to
Aldi's and
Save-A-Lot in that they are "no-frills" supermarkets - supermarkets that don't offer special services such as a
pharmacy or a
video store, and offer a selection of groceries.
* Unlike most businesses, Dollar General does not accept major
credit cards, with the exception being
Discover. However, Dollar General does accept
debit cards (even if they are through
Visa or
MasterCard) and
food stamp cards.
* Dollar General is heavily involved in educational charities to help kids read.
*
Dollar General Website
