Dollar General continues to make headlines—for both good and bad reasons. The chain recently introduced an initiative to help shoppers identify the right kind of pain relievers to suit their needs, but it was also cited for allegedly overcharging at several stores. Through it all, Dollar General maintains a large customer base that seek out the chain's low prices and convenient locations. But some shoppers say that lately the pros don't outweigh one significant con, which has prompted them to stop shopping at Dollar General altogether. Read on to find out what has customers turning away from the dollar store chain.
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Dollar General has been slammed for allegedly overcharging.
ShutterstockDollar General has been dealing with a deluge of bad press after the state of Ohio announced that it was suing the chain for allegedly overcharging customers.
Consumers in Ohio complained that they were being charged more at the register than what was displayed on the shelf, prompting inspections in multiple counties. According to Journal-News, an October investigation performed by Butler County Auditor Roger Reynolds of the Division of Weights and Measures revealed error rates ranging from 16.7 to 88.2 percent at Dollar General stores, which is considerably higher than the permitted error rate of 2 percent.
"Everything we buy these days costs more—Ohioans can ill-afford businesses that draw people in with the promise of low prices only to deceive them at the checkout counter," Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said in a press release announcing the lawsuit."This seems like a company trying to make an extra buck and hoping no one will notice. We've not only noticed but are taking action to stop it."
Now, customers have taken issue with the discount chain for another questionable practice—and this time it has to do with stores' organization.
Customers say shopping in-store isn't always easy.
ShutterstockWhen shopping at any retailer, it's common to see employees unpacking and shelving new inventory. It requires you to have a bit more patience while you're filling your cart, but it's not typically a huge inconvenience. Nevertheless, one shopper called out Dollar General for making things particularly difficult.
A TikToker who uses the handle @_mesmerizeyou posted a video on Oct. 7 that shows her trying to make her way down the aisles at a Dollar General store, which are filled with boxes of products. The text over the video reads "Dollar General be like :" and shows the TikToker trying to squeeze herself and her cart between shelving and the tall stocking carts.
This apparently isn't a unique experience.
Billy F Blume Jr / ShutterstockDollar General shoppers took to the comments to say that their store has the same problem. "EVERY DOLLAR GENERAL WORLD WIDE!!!" one commenter wrote, while others said that they thought the issue was unique to their local store.
"I thought it was just the DGs in my town I guess it's everywhere," one TikToker said, with another adding that they "can barely get through the store."
One user even said they were worried that the inventory could pose a safety hazard. "Gurllllll yes I was just in the DG yesterday and was scared something was gonna fall on me and didn’t even get my paper plates!" the comment reads.
For other shoppers, the jam-packed aisles are the final straw. "I refuse to go anymore. It's absolutely awful to try to shop and move around all that," one commenter wrote, with another adding, "I wont even go in there anymore. I get so angry when the cart gets caught on something too!"
Some Dollar General employees chimed in.
QualityHD / ShutterstockDollar General employees shared their thoughts in the comments, offering varying opinions on store stocking policies.
"I work at a dollar general and we are not allowed to leave boxes or anything there, it can stay but only if we are working on it," one employee wrote, while another noted that they get truck deliveries twice a week, and as the store is so small, they "have no where else to put [inventory] sadly."
Others said packed aisles can be attributed to staffing policies at Dollar General. "I work at dollar general and we aren't allowed to hire just stockers at my location so we only have a manager and a cashier working," one employee wrote.
Another employee, however, said that that overflow of inventory is actually due to the amount of time that employees are permitted to work. "As someone who's worked at two [Dollar General stores]—it's not always an issue of lack of employees, it's a lack of hours that the manager is able to give employees. So if there's 2/3 people on shift hopefully one of them can focus on stocking but that's not enough to even make a dent in inventory."
Best Life reached out to Dollar General for comment, but has yet to hear back.
