July 18, 2008
Family Dollar has been revamped
Family Dollars are looking more like grocery stores but without the mega selection.
Locations for these discount stores in the Roanoke Valley and surrounding areas recently have been redesigned and stocked with wider food selections. They now sell milk, eggs and other refrigerated items. And many of the stores have additional varieties of quick preparation meals, such as more spaghetti and spaghetti sauce options, said Josh Braverman, a spokesman for Family Dollar.
The changes are a push by this North Carolina-based discount retailer to appeal to consumers who are looking for convenience and basic goods, from paper products to certain foods.
“In looking at how the economy has evolved since last October or November, we really put a focus on those consumable goods that people use every day,” Braverman said.
For customers heading to the stores for quick trips, Family Dollars have shifted the placement of certain products to complement others, such as selling plates near the food section, Braverman said.
The stores also now are accepting different electronic payments, including credit and debit cards and electronic benefit food stamps.
And Family Dollar even is following environmental trends. Tomorrow as part of a celebration of its new look, its area stores, including six in the Roanoke Valley, will give away reusable grocery bags to the first 100 customers. Also, the first 50 people will receive $5 gift certificates.
Certain stores discounts will last through Tuesday.
Comments
[July 18, 2008 10:48 AM]
Other JohnI've seen similar changes with Dollar General adding the Dollar General Market as a store layout that sells many grocery items. The selection is not huge, but it's good enough to get a lot of items along with the more traditional DG offerings. I liken it to a Wal-Mart Lite concept...large variety of items, with limited variety within each sub-category, but with very competitive low prices on what is offered. I was actually surprised to see that our local Food Lion carries a larger variety of cat food, kitty litter, and mops than the Wal-Mart SuperCenter nearby...as an example of the "we sell a whole lot of everything, but not a whole lot of anything" model that has made Wal-Mart such a monolithic retailer.
[July 18, 2008 12:24 PM]
LPI remember the old days of going to FD with my mom and they had a little box of cards where they would register you if you were eligible to write checks with them. Then each time you came in you had to have your card pulled and show your license if you were paying with a check. Good to see they've moved to a more modern way of allowing folks to pay!
[July 18, 2008 11:42 PM]
JennyLP, That's interesting that these stores once required people to register to write a check! Times sure have changed.