The impending closing of two Family Dollar stores caused a shopping frenzy downtown and crosstown Tuesday as 50-percent-off prices attracted hundreds of deal seekers.
An East State St. store showed a steady stream of shoppers while discount hunters packed a store on Chambers St. where three cashiers could not keep pace. The closings come two weeks after parent company Dollar Tree announced a plan to shutter 600 Family Dollar stores.
Over the next several years, the once popular discount chain will also close 30 Dollar Tree stores, according to a press statement released in mid-March.
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Two Family Dollar stores featured sales ahead of future closing. (LA Parker/The Trentonian)
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Two Family Dollar stores featured sales ahead of future closing. (LA Parker/The Trentonian)
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Half-priced Easter candy and decorations attracted many shoppers. (LA Parker/The Trentonian)
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Shelves emptied quickly at Family Dollar on Chambers St. (LA Parker/The Trentonian)
“While we are still in the early stages of our transformation journey, I am proud of what our team accomplished in 2023 and see a long runway of growth ahead of us,” Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rick Dreiling said in a release.
“As we look forward in 2024, we are accelerating our multi-price rollout at Dollar Tree and taking decisive action to improve profitability and unlock value at Family Dollar.”
“This (closing) only hurts the people in this community who will have no place to shop that’s close. It’s a shame,” one employee noted. She began employment in October when the nearby Walgreens closed.
“I’ll find another job. I have no problem with working,” she said.
Quamaine, another employee, said his Family Dollar position represented a second job.
“I’ve been here for about a year. So, I’ll still be working,” he said.
Dollar Tree acquired Family Dollar nearly a decade ago in a deal that cost more than $8 billion.
Tags: Family Dollar stores closing Trenton part larger companywide closure plan
