A Day at Dollar General

Dollar General

Sitting at 6 East Main Street in the town of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania is Main Street's oldest store. Brightly colored advertisements and sales posters line the front windows of the store, providing the customers with ways to save money. Polished, wooden trim outlines the windows giving the outside of the store a refreshing, clean feeling. When facing the front of the store, a customer can glance up to see bright, yellow lettering inviting them into the store. As customers walk up to the streak-free glass doors, beneath their feet is a monstrous "Welcome to Dollar General" floor mat forcing them to enter the establishment.

Margret, a tall skinny middle-aged women, dressed in a plain black polo and black Dickies work jeans is the manager of the store. She has curly brunette hair and a smile you will never forget. Margret has been an employee of Dollar General for a total of eighteen years and the manager of the store for seven years. Born in Nescopeck, Pennsylvania in 1974, this forty two year old women has been a dedicated Dollar General employee since she was twenty four. Margret grew up in a low class household with two older brothers who helped their parents pay the bills. When Margret graduated high school, she proceeded to move out on her own with the money she earned from previous jobs. She moved to Bloomsburg and struggled paying her rent and bills for a while and decided she needed to get a second job. "I really struggled for a while once I was living on my own, so I decided to apply for a job at my local Dollar General" said Margret. Little did she know as soon as she applied for the job, she was being considered for being hired. About two weeks later she received a call from Dollar General saying she had been hired.

After eleven years of being an assistant sales associate, she was offered training to become the manager due too the current manager retiring. She was ecstatic, this was the first time in her life that she only was going to have to work one job. "Nothing could have been better at that time, I was exhausted from working two jobs every single day" Margret said. Seven years later, Margret is currently making thirteen dollars and hour and not struggling near as much as she was.
       

Cal Turner

Dollar General was founded in 1939 by Cal Turner and his father J.L Turner in Scottsville, Kentucky and opened in Springfield, Kentucky.. Previously named "J.L Turner and Son Wholesale" the named was changed to "Dollar General" in 1968 due to J.L Turner's passing. However, the particular store on Main street was opened in 1983, making it the oldest store on the Main street stretch.
     
As you enter the store you hear an employee say "Welcome to Dollar General, is there anything I can help you find today?" Whatever it is you are looking for, a Dollar General employee will be there to help you find it. "Here at Dollar General we strive for outstanding customer service, and excellent organization" says Margret. "There is nothing more important to me than customers being able to find everything they need, and great employees willing to help our customers along with doing their daily tasks."

Candy aisle

   
The overall layout of the sales floor is very organized and carefully thought out. Brightly colored two liter bottles of over twenty five different flavors of soda are a large portion of the beverage section in the store. Along with the two liter bottle of soda there is a variety of energy drinks, bottles and cans of soda, Starbucks coffee, and every kind of Gatorade imaginable. Continuing through the store a customer will see aisles containing Prego pasta sauce, Dollar General brand paper products, Kellog's brand cereal and many more different types of food. Customers often say, "I've been coming here since I was a child, and not once was there a product I've wanted that you haven't had." The candy aisle however, is that best aisle in the entire store. Chewy, crunchy, sticky, mouthwatering candies are located in this part of the store. Vibrant colors fill the aisle as Starbursts, Kit-Kats, M&M's, and many other candies jump out at you. Margret says, "Candy is the most sold product at this Dollar General, so it is important that we focus on this aisle during inventory and reorganizing."

Storage Shelves

Behind the scenes of Dollar General is where the real action begins. Carefully organized shelves contain products for everyday needs such as cleaning and restocking products. Bins, totes, and large garbage cans are used to separate different cleaning supplies and various items used in the restocking process.

On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday is truck day. "On truck days, the employees scheduled for the day must put the products received from the truck onto the shelves. If for some reason all of the products don't fit on the shelves, they are taken to the back room and placed on U-boats" says Margret. U-boats are large, bright blue carts used for bringing inventory from the back room, to the sales floor for stocking. These carts are very difficult to maneuver until you get some practice.

"Back when I first became manager I had hired this girl and we started to train her on a truck day to get her used to moving the carts. Well it just so happened that her first U-boat she had to take to the back room held two liter bottles of soda. I noticed her struggling and asked her if she needed an help pushing it to the back room, she told me she was okay. So about twenty minutes went by and she still hadn't come back from the back room. I decided to go back and see what was taking her so long. When I got to the room I saw bottles rolling all over the room, some open and unopened. The girl was crying saying she was sorry. I did all I could to not laugh but after about fifteen seconds, I cracked. I feel to the ground with tears rolling down my face from laughing" Margret said laughing! "To this day, that is the funniest thing that has ever happened in my life!"

Back when Margret had first gotten a job at Dollar General she was ecstatic. She loved coming to work every single day because of the atmosphere of the store. A customer who has been shopping at Dollar General for a while said "When I first saw Margret at the cash register, I knew she was a nice young women." This is a reason why Margret strives for kind employees.

Today, Margret loves coming to work for a variety of reasons. The first reason Margret loves her job is because of the customer interaction, Customers who have been shopping at Dollar General for a while know Margret and have a strong bond with her. They tell jokes and mess around with her as she checks out their items. "Having a strong connection with customers makes it easier to have fun at work. Most individuals these days can not say they love their job" says Margret. Another reason she loves her job is because it is fairly simple to do. Throughout the week all the manager and employees have to do is keep the store clean and organized, along with a few other daily tasks of Margret's choice. On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday the employees just have to put items of the shelves. Margret's favorite and final thing she loves about her job is her employees. Employees, such as myself, are what keeps Margret in a good mood and always smiling. When it comes Margret's time to clock out for the day she knows she has an excellent person to release her of her duties for the day. "There is nothing my employees wouldn't do for me, I'm so happy I have them on my side to keep this store up and running."

Dollar General is a store filled with a collection of amazing, hardworking employees. Having Margret as the store manager is a great asset to this Dollar General. With Margret being focused on organization and friendliness, this store will thrive with long lasting customers. Physically talking with current customers made me realize how important being friendly and organized is in the retail business. I'm so glad to be a member of this team, and being able to bring joy in Margret's life!