Workers Are Rising Up!
Dollar stores are transforming communities and the U.S. economy. Their race-to-the-bottom business model is built on underpaying and under-protecting workers who are becoming a massive workforce as the Dollar General and Dollar Tree/Family Dollar corporations push out local businesses and become the sole source of food and household goods in many communities.
To better understand this phenomenon and its impact, Step Up Louisiana and the Center for Popular Democracy conducted a survey of more than 300 Louisiana dollar stores in the summer of 2023. This survey found widespread safety violations, many of which pose an imminent threat to both employees and customers.
Search Violations
Key report Findings
347
potential health and safety violations were found across the 322 stores visited including electrical hazards, fire extinguisher violations, and sanitation issues.
1/3
of the stores visited had "serious safety concerns," including stores where emergency exits were blocked and stores that had no working phone or panic button.
These findings…
represent a snapshot of the safety situation at Louisiana dollar stores at one moment in time. Rather than a collection of isolated incidents, they suggest a systemic problem with these retailers.
What role dollar stores play in Louisiana communities and the state's economy is a matter for public debate, but the dangers posed by these stores are indisputable. There are simple steps the two major dollar store chains can take to address this situation, and we call on them to adopt the demands detailed by their workers at the end of this report. We have also detailed the policies that policymakers at all levels can implement to safeguard dollar store workers and customers.
While Dollar General, Dollar Tree, and Family Dollar have been pressed by the growing safety crisis into some initial action, they have not yet shown a willingness to respond to the problem with the speed and scale needed. Rather than hope that they change their approach, policymakers must step in to protect Louisiana residents. We cannot wait for a fire with blocked exits, a shooting at an unsecured store or another tragedy to take place before we take action.
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59%
of stores visited were pervasively understaffed, with only one or two employees working.