The entire staff at the Dollar General in Mineral Point, Wisconsin, resigned after completing their shifts on Friday
Former general manager Trina Tribolet, who had been heading the store as a manager for about a year, told Spectrum News 1 that she and five other employees had been discussing quitting “for months.”
After the staff resigned, a sign stating “We quit!” was reportedly displayed on the store’s locked doors on Saturday, and a note was left at the store saying they quit “due to a lack of appreciation, being overworked and underpaid.”
Tribolet said the day after she quit was her first weekend off since Christmas, indicating she had been working seven days a week for months on end.
However, the “last straw” was reportedly due to the Dollar General’s donation policy and the excessive waste of food that could have been donated.
“It’s sickening, and it’s saddening, especially for someone that has morals,” Tribolet said. “If you’ve ever been at the bottom and never had anything, you know what it feels like to see items get thrown away. That could have gone to somebody that needed them.”
“We’re throwing away coffee that’s not expired but it’s close. Or you’re throwing out a box of Lucky Charms that you know there’s a whole world of kids who would love to eat those,” Tribolet continued.
“But you can’t donate them out because you’re supposed to throw them away. There have been tears that have been shed.”
According to Feeding America, over 44 million people in the U.S. face hunger, including 1 in 5 children.
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All six staff quitting simultaneously on Friday forced the store to be closed for several hours before re-opening on Saturday.
Dollar General defended their policy and conveyed that the company adheres to the donation guidelines set by Feeding America.
They expressed pride in contributing to the Wisconsin communities, highlighting the company’s involvement through its partnership with Feeding America across 21 locations within the state.
Specifically, the Dollar General store in Mineral Point has contributed approximately 7,500 pounds of food to local food banks, including the Second Harvest Food Bank of Southern Wisconsin, over the last year.
However, according to Feeding America’s guidelines for corporate donations, items nearing their expiration dates, including canned goods recommended as suitable donations, are accepted.
According to a March 2023 report by Business Insider, “Dollar General has 19,147 stores across the U.S. and Mexico and employs more than 163,000 people.”
The annual income of an average shopper at the American chain is approximately $40,000.
In 2023 alone, Dollar General stores across the United States earned an annual revenue of $39 billion.
