Dollar General
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Dollar General (NYSE: DG) is a chain of variety stores operating in 30 U.S. states. The chain operates 8,164 stores (as of 2006), and its headquarters is located in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville.
Founded in 1955 by Cal Turner in Scottsville, Kentucky, Dollar General stores are typically in small shopping plazas or strip malls in local neighborhoods. The company acquired the 280 stores of the P.N. Hirsh Division of Interco, Inc. (now Furniture Brands International, Inc.) in 1983 and in 1985 added 206 stores and a warehouse from Eagle Family Discount Stores, also from Interco, Inc. In recent years, the chain has started constructing more stand-alone stores, typically in areas not served by another general-merchandise retailer. In some cases, stores are within a few city blocks within each other.
Dollar General offers both first-quality and lesser-quality merchandise — including off-brand goods and closeouts of name-brand items — in the same store, often on the same shelf.
Although it has the word "dollar" in the name, Dollar General is not a dollar store in the strict sense of the phrase, because it has goods that are priced at more (or less) than a dollar. However, goods are usually sold at set price points of 10¢, 25¢, 33¢, 50¢, $1, $1.50, $2.00, $2.50, $3.00, $4.00, $5.00, $6.00, $8.00, $10, $12, $15, and $20.
Dollar General typically serves communities that are too small to attract a Wal-Mart. It competes in the dollar store format with national chains Family Dollar and Dollar Tree, regional chains such as Fred's in the southeast, and numerous independently owned stores. More recently, its move toward multiple stores in suburban areas is an effort to give customers the low prices they might find at Wal-Mart or K-Mart, but without the hassle of shopping in supercenters. Indeed, some of its newer stores are within sight of Wal-Mart Supercenter locations.
[edit] Concepts
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Since the turn of the century, Dollar General has experimented with stores that carry a greater selection of grocery items. These stores (similar to the Wal-Mart Supercenter, but much smaller) operate under the name "Dollar General Market". These stores are similar to Aldi's and Save-A-Lot in that they are "no-frills" supermarkets - supermarkets that don't offer special services such as a pharmacy or a video store, and offer a selection of groceries. A novel idea in 1955 transformed a local enterprise into a nationally respected and industry leading discount retailer.
When the first Dollar General store opened in Springfield, Ky., on June 1, 1955, the concept was simple – no item in the store would cost more than one dollar. The idea became a huge success and other stores owned by J.L. Turner and his son Cal Turner were quickly converted. By 1957, annual sales of Dollar General’s 29 stores were $5 million.
The Turners did not reach this level of success without obstacles. James Luther (J.L.) Turner’s father died in an accident in 1902 when J.L. was only 11. J.L. had to quit school so he could work the family farm and help provide for his mother and siblings. He never completed his education. J.L. knew his limited education demanded that he become a quick study of the world around him.
After two unsuccessful attempts at retailing, J.L. became a traveling dry goods salesman for a Nashville wholesale grocer. J.L. left the sales job after 10 years and settled his family in Scottsville, Ky. During the Depression, he began buying and liquidating bankrupt general stores. J.L.’s only child, Cal Turner, Sr., accompanied his father to these closeouts at a young age, gaining valuable business knowledge and skills.
In October 1939, J.L. and Cal opened J.L. Turner and Son Wholesale with an initial investment of $5,000 each. Wholesaling quickly gave way to retailing – J.L.’s third and final attempt at retailing. The switch to retailing resulted in annual sales above $2 million by the early 1950s and the rest is history.
J.L. passed away in 1964. Four years later, the company he co-founded went public as Dollar General Corporation, posting annual sales of more than $40 million and net income in excess of $1.5 million. In 1977, Cal Turner, Jr., who joined the company in 1965 as the third generation Turner, succeeded his father as president of Dollar General. Cal Jr. led the company until his retirement in 2002. Under his leadership, the company grew to more than 6,000 stores and $6 billion in sales.
Today, the Dollar General is a leading discount retailer with more than 8,000 stores in 35 states.
[edit] Facts
- Unlike most businesses, Dollar General does not accept major credit cards, with the exception being Discover and Visa (as of 9/20/06). Dollar General also accepts debit cards (through Visa or MasterCard) and food stamp(EBT) cards.
- Dollar General is heavily involved in educational charities to help children read. This is based on the personal history of Cal Turner, who had to drop out of school in third grade to support his family after the death of his father.
- When advertising for new jobs, Dollar General likes to boast about its' "free covered parking". What it fails to mention is that their headquarters are located in the sprawling Nashville suburbs, where you don't ever have to pay for parking. It has become a joke around the DG campus and is a reason that Doug Druen left the company.
