Good Lifestyle

Dollar stores have become omnipresent in the United States, spreading at a rapid pace in recent years, the new locations appearing constantly. Last year, Dollar General Corp. and Dollar Tree, Inc. (who also owns the Family Dollar brand) 1,300 new stores through the three channels by the end of the 2022 exercise, by Wall Street's journal .

However, not everyone is satisfied with the expansion of the Dollar store. Some of these reduction chains are criticized for the Potential damage They may have on communities, and they have been sentenced to a fine for Buyers' supervision in some areas. But it is not the only dollar downwards can be transported. These retailers have also been reported several times for dangerous store conditions that could put customers and employees in danger. Read the rest to find out more about the latest quotes.

Read this then: Communities are fighting against Dollar General and Dollar Tree - This is why .

In February 2022, the campaign for healthier solutions and the laboratory of Salthy Stuff by Ecology Center published a joint product screening report Highlighting the presence of dangerous chemicals in the items sold by some of the most popular dollar stores in the United States.

The researchers tested 226 products purchased in different dollars, a family dollar, a general dollar, five below and 99 cents only in several states and in Canada. According to the report, 52% of the products detected were tested positive for one or more worrying chemicals, including lead.

"We must not have to wait as long as the stores to a dollar adopt Safer chemical policies , " José Bravo , National coordinator of Campaign for healthier solutions, said in a statement at the time. "Some channels such as 99 cents only stores and five below have so far shown little or no interest in adopting safer chemical policies, while Dollar Tree conducts the retail sector and Dollar General Continu to progress slow. "

But it is not only the products you buy that should worry you - the stores themselves could put you in danger. In recent years, three-dollars' store chains in the United States have been cited several times by the US Labor Ministry Administration (OSHA) for dangerous store conditions.

Dollar Tree is the last channel to be cited by the OSHA. In an April 24 Press release The agency said the retailer faced a total of $ 770,136 in sanctions offered for dangerous conditions found in two Rhode Island stores. The dangers discovered by inspectors included obstructed outings, dangerous storage and blocked access to fire extinguishers.

But it is not the first red flag of the chain. According to the press release, the OSHA previously quoted Dollar Tree for similar dangers in stores in Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Texas and Wisconsin. The managers say that these conditions not only create a dangerous workplace for employees, but that they also put Risk buyers .

"In an emergency, workers and others must have Quick and safe access with unlocked output roads, " Eric S. Harbin , Said the regional administrator of the OSHA in Dallas, in a February press release. "Retailers like Dollar Tree who do not ensure that the storage areas of their stores are organized and safely endanger all those who work and stores there."

In a previous statement at Better life , Dollar Tree spokesperson Kristin Tetreault said society takes concerns such as "seriously" and immediately works to solve the problems identified.

"At Dollar Tree, we focus on maintaining a safe environment for our partners and our customers and ensuring that our stores are in accordance with all health and safety regulations," she said.

For more information on the retail trade delivered directly in your reception box, Register for our daily newsletter .

Dollar Tree, Inc., however, does not face fines for the dangers found in Dollar Tree stores. The company also accumulated massive costs for dangerous store conditions reported throughout the family dollar chain, which it acquired in 2015.

Back in August 2022, he was struck with $ 1.2 million The value of the OSHA penalties after repeated violations was discovered in two family locations in Ohio. Then in December, the agency nailed to another $ 364,645 in fines For the company, when an inspection revealed four repeated violations to a family dollar in Georgia.

"Family Dollar and his parent company, Dollar Tree Stores Inc., continue to reduce the safety of its employees and others for profits by storing dangerous goods", " Jerred Stevens Said the director of the acting regional office of OSHA in Savannah, Georgia, in a press release. "Many and many times, we find the company that surfed on its stores and allowing goods to block the aisles and emergency exits. This must stop before someone is seriously injured or unable to leave in safely in an emergency. "

Each new quote is added to a "long history" of security violations for Dollar Tree, Inc., according to the OSHA. Since 2017, the agency has said that its federal and state programs have found more than 300 violations of more than 500 inspections in Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores across the country.

Tetrault previously said Better life that the company takes problems that arise in Family Dollar stores " very seriously "Moreover." Please know that the security of our partners and our customers is our first priority, "she said.

The Dollar tree company is certainly not alone with regard to this longtime problem. In the past five months only, the OSHA inspectors have discovered conditions in the Dollar general stores in seven different states: Ohio, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin. And this is only part of the apparent history of the dangers of the company. AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB

Since 2017, Dollar General Corp. was struck more than $ 16 million in fines And quoted in more than 180 inspections in stores nationwide for "many voluntary, repeated and serious safety violations linked to dangerous conditions", according to the OSHA.

Consequently, Dollar General recently became the first and the only national retailer to be added to the Labor Department " severe violencer "List - which covers companies that have not succeeded Correction of dangerous conditions Despite the reception of several quotes.

"I am happy that the OSHA does not wait for a tragedy to happen to document these dangers" Joseph McCartin , a work historian at the University of Georgetown, said The New York Times Regarding the addition of the severe offender of Dollar General. "But at the same time, what is revealed by the many inspections and mounting costs of the OSHA is that Dollar General doesn't care."

When asked in the past his OSHA violations, Dollar General said he was "determined to provide" a safe environment for his partners and his customers.

"We regularly examine and refine our security programs, and strengthen them with training, communication, recognition and continuous responsibility in progress," said the company in a previous declaration For Better life . "When we learn situations where we have failed to respect this commitment, we are working to resolve the problem in a timely time and to make sure that the expectations of the company concerning security are clearly communicated, understood and implemented . "