The Dollar General convenience store in Mineral Point faced an unexpected closure over the weekend as all of its employees walked off their shifts and quit their positions.
MINERAL POINT, Wis. (WKOW) -- The Dollar General convenience store in Mineral Point faced an unexpected closure over the weekend as all of its employees walked off their shifts and quit their positions.
Customers arriving at the store were met with signs taped to the front door reading ‘we quit’ on both Friday and Saturday. The exit came as all six employees, including the store manager and assistant manager, voiced their concerns of being underpaid, undervalued and overworked by the corporate structure. These photos were posted on the Iowa County Confessions Facebook page:
"They need to do better by their employees, they need to do better by their customers and they need to do better for the communities they build their stores in," said Trina Tribolet, the former store manager.
Tribolet tells 27 News that she and the staff strongly disagreed with Dollar General’s donation policy, which required them to throw away items that were near the expiration date or that the store no longer sold. They felt the items should be donated to local charities to help the community rather than a landfill. As a result, staff would label items they were supposed to throw away as damaged and donate them to charity.
"These were items that weren’t on the donation list but were totally usable," stated Caitlin Margan, the former assistant manager. “I was always told when I was younger and in school to recycle.”
The strain of understaffing and excessive work hours also factored into the employees' decision to quit. However, it was Dollar General's directive to stop donating unlisted items that prompted the everyone to walkout.
"Is donating items that weren’t on the donation list to charity against Dollar General policy, yes. But that’s why I wrote in my letter they need to change their policies," Tribolet explained.
In a letter posted for customers on the front doors, the staff expressed gratitude and farewells. They urged Dollar General to revise its donation policy to ensure items are not wasted but instead benefit the community.
We reached out to Dollar General for a comment, this is what was provide:
"At Dollar General, we are committed to providing an environment where employees can grow their careers and where they feel valued and heard. We apologize for any inconvenience our customers experienced during the three hours the Mineral Point store was closed this past weekend. The store reopened at 11am on Saturday morning to serve the community.
Additionally, we are proud to serve local Wisconsin communities with donations through our Feeding America partnership at 21 stores across the state. The Mineral Point Dollar General store has donated nearly 7,500 pounds of food to local food banks such as Second Harvest Food Bank of Southern Wisconsin over the past twelve months. Food safety is a top priority for Dollar General and Feeding America members, therefore, DG stores are required to follow Feeding America donation policies."
