With inflation steadily on the rise, more and more of us are flocking to dollar stores for financial relief. However, despite the bargains offered at such retailers, safety and health inspection reports are causing concerns for shoppers.
In 2023 alone, Dollar General and Dollar Tree came under fire twice by the U.S. Department of Labor for unsafe store conditions, including congested exit routes and recklessly stacked packages.
And in 2022, Family Dollar, which is owned by Dollar Tree Inc, was the subject of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) health investigation that looked into its distribution center in West Memphis, Arkansas. The investigation was fueled by a customer who complained of unsanitary shopping conditions. A thorough inspection conducted by the FDA revealed that the entire facility had been overrun by rodents.
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According to the report, the FDA found “live rodents, dead rodents of various states of decay, rodent excreta pellets (REPs), gnawings, nesting, and odors indicative of rodents" throughout the distribution center. The exposé forced Family Dollar to temporarily close 400 of its stores across Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Missouri, and Louisiana.
After months of silence, it appears Family Dollar has reached a settlement hoping to repair the fractured relationship with its Midwest and Southern shoppers.
In the form of an olive branch, Family Dollar is offering certain customers a $25 gift card. To qualify, you must have shopped at a Family Dollar location in the aforementioned states between Jan. 1, 2020, and Feb. 18, 2022. However, you must apply for the $25 gift card by Jan. 9, 2024.
Those interested in applying can submit a claim online or fill out a form by hand and mail it to the Settlement Administrator at Family Dollar MDL Settlement, c/o Settlement Administrator, 1650 Arch Street, Suite 2210, Philadelphia, PA 19103.
A final approval hearing will take place on April 5, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. CDT.
The Settlement Administrator can be reached by phone at 1-866-774-449 or by email at info@FDWarehouseSettlement.com. You can also send a letter to the mailing address listed above.
