After Dollar Tree announced they were to shut down hundreds of Family Dollar retail stores, residents in Dayton, Ohio, are already feeling the consequences. Influenced by inflation and higher costs, Family Dollar and Dollar Tree have struggled with lower sales and even shoplifting in some areas.
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Regarding the Dayton store located at 1130 N. Main St., Family Dollar is set to close on November 23. It is currently selling items at a 20% discount, expecting the discount to rise to 40% as the closure date approaches. "I think it will be a tremendous loss not just for Riverdale, but adjacent neighborhoods, too," Victoria McNeal, Riverdale Neighborhood Association president told Dayton Daily News.
Karin Caudill is one of the many residents who will be impacted by the Family Dollar store closure. Her family has enjoyed the store prices for years. "I hate it for my kids and my grandkids, because they do shop a lot here," she said.
Caudill spoke about the increasing shoplifting incidents surrounding the store too. "People probably do steal but that can't be the whole reason why you're closing," she said. "I think it's personnel maintenance and maybe the pay too."
Family Dollar, Under Fire
In March 2024, Dollar Tree, Family Dollar owner, announced that 600 Family Dollar stores would be closed by July 2024. Additionally, 370 stores would be shut down in the coming years, alongside 30 Dollar Tree locations. RetailWire's Dominick Miserandino talked to CBS News in March about the situation.
"They might be the only store that serves the entire community in this area," Miserandino said. "They might have been one of the few jobs in the community. These communities are dependent on these stores."
Alongside other stores alike, Family Dollar has been subject to controversy after being accused of creating food deserts. This involves dollar stores outcompeting other grocery stores in strategic locations. They would eventually become one of the few options for local residents to purchase food.
Moreover, before Dollar Tree announced the closures, Family Dollar pled guilty in February 2024 to holding products under unsanitary conditions. "A criminal information unsealed today in federal court in Little Rock, Arkansas, charged Family Dollar with one misdemeanor count of causing FDA-regulated products to become adulterated while being held under insanitary conditions," reads a press release.
Family Dollar paid more than $41 million, becoming the "largest-ever criminal penalty in a food safety case.
