Dollar General — Local services in Parsonsfield

This complaint is in regards to your Dollar General, located at 141 Federal Rd, Parsonsfield, ME 04047. I am a local who often shops at this Dollar General. Today, my boyfriend and I entered the store as we have plenty of times before, but noticed it was absolutely freezing. I swear I could see my breath in front of my face. There was only one other vehicle in the parking lot at this time. We rushed through our shopping, grabbing less than half of what I came there for because we couldn't stand the cold any longer. It was less than 30 degrees outside in Maine today, and there was no difference to us between the cold outside and the cold inside.

The associate on duty was extremely kind and attentive. She was likely working alone, as there was a bell to ring for service that we used at the register. Not only did she appear to be working alone, but she was wearing mittens and multiple layers of clothing inside due to the freezing temperature. I asked her what the store planned on doing to remedy this, and she said orders had been placed, but no repairs had been made. She had not been given the option to stay home. My fingers were red after spending just a few minutes there.

I want to say that I have held several leadership positions throughout the years, mostly in retail management, and would be ashamed to subject my staff to that. If the store is cold enough that your employees (the ones making you money, working for you every day) are dressing like they are about to go skiing and build snowmen just to get through their shift in the store, maybe it would be a better idea to keep the store closed until repairs are made. If your retort is that they would miss out on their pay, I'm sure you can find it within your budget to compensate them for a missed shift or two somehow.

In this circumstance, it is not only your employees that you are subjecting to a painfully freezing store. It's your customers as well. As I said, I could not get through more than a few minutes of shopping due to the temperature. It left us with the impression that this company does not care about its employees or customers. Although it is one of the only places to get things within a reasonable distance, as we live in a rural town, I will not be returning as a customer. I know many people in our small town feel this way too. Unfortunately, there are no OSHA regulations regarding workplace temperatures, and situations like this are not addressed in the way they should be, since there is no legal action that can be taken unless an injury or catastrophe were to happen- and hopefully, the lack of consideration and utilities at this location does not cause injury to anyone!

It is unfortunate that there are very few legal obligations that hold businesses accountable for their actions (or inactions). Therefore, it is ultimately within the company's control whether they want to take advantage of that. However, I'm sure the lone worker that kindly helped us today would face consequences should she go home and return only if she did not have to insulate herself with outdoor gear to get through her shift.

When employing human beings, and having a demographic comprised of human beings, it is important to avoid making inhumane decisions. As a retail manager, staff and customer retention in this economy is a challenge. This is all determined on the treatment of your employees, of which their work environment is a significant part of. My community and I are not impressed by the factors that influenced the unfortunate decision to keep your freezing cold store open.

I hope this situation can be resolved with all fairness and compassion possible extended to the staff at 141 Federal Rd,...

I do like the convenience of it and that they are open til 10pm every night, and most of the employees are pleasant and helpful. I did not like the fact that they honored a price mix up one day and because they didn't fix it the first time they wouldn't do it the second time for the same item. The woman that price checked it the first time was also the same woman that checked it again and I could hear them talking about how they thought I was showing them the same picture that I had taken of the product the first time. I don't feel comfortable in there sometimes depending on who is there, I've been followed around the store like I'm going to steal, as if I'm being profiled. I've been in retail for most of my career and know loss prevention, like how to say I think you're stealing with out actually saying it, getting you're name without asking what its and where you live or where you're from. Other than that and being pushed out the door on the dot. You don't rush customers out the door, I get wanting to go home at the end of the day but you also want happy customers. My rant is finished thank you to those employees that don't make me feel uncomfortable and keep up the good work it is...

I have shopped many Dollar General Stores. This one is head and shoulders better than any other I've ever shopped. The store is well-organized with mostly full shelves. The employees are friendly and helpful. Stock waiting to be put on shelves is off the floor on a large rolling cart making it easier to move around the store. The layout makes sense. Shelves are tagged with prices easily read and maintained neatly. Even though it was my first visit, I found it easy to find what I was looking to purchase. The store is also clean. Shelves and floors look clean. The parking area was picked up and free of trash. The entrance door area was well kept and clean. This Dollar General looks like it wants customers to have a pleasant shopping experience which I can't say for many...