I think Dollar General has begun to challenge themselves. How crappy can a store look and how little can they spend while still making a profit? The Bloomington stores seem to be their test stores.
On one hand, I was impressed with the fact that the cashier seemed to be in a good mood. I have been in on some days and it seemed like the employees were simply there in the hopes that death would come in and rescue them from their Dollar General Hell.
I'm glad she was in a good mood, because on a busy Sunday afternoon, she seemed to be the only one in the store, so I got to enjoy a nice long wait in line since there seemed to be no backup.
The shelves were messy and cluttered, but that's pretty common for the local stores. The crowning touch is the credit card machine that's held together with electrical tape! It's a wondrous sight to behold.
So if you want cheap crap, this is definitely the place to go. If you want to see what it would look like if Wal Mart pooped out a sad little store, this is the place to go. If you want to have an enjoyable shopping experience in a store that's obviously cared for and treated well, you're gonna have to keep driving. This ain't it. read more