An investigation found “live rodents, dead and decaying rodents, rodent feces, urine and odors,” at a warehouse in Arkansas.

An investigation found “live rodents, dead and decaying rodents, rodent feces, urine and odors,” at a warehouse in Arkansas.

Family Dollar Stores was this week ordered to pay $41.6 million for using a rodent-infested warehouse to distribute food, cosmetics and medical devices to more than 400 stores across the South.

The largest criminal penalty of its kind comes after a U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigation found “live rodents, dead and decaying rodents, rodent feces, urine, and odors, and evidence of gnawing and nesting,” at the company’s distribution center in West Memphis, Arkansas, the Justice Department said in a statement.

  • @givesomefucks@lemmy.worldEnglish
    64•4 months ago

    I think it was John Oliver that did a story on them.

    It’s a total shit show, but for some people in food deserts it’s their only accessible option.

    • Flying Squid
      18•4 months ago

      Yes it was. And their whole philosophy is to cut as many costs as possible, even when it makes zero sense. Such as not keeping a warehouse pest-free.

      As John Oliver showed, they also tend to have one employee per shift per store, which makes things almost impossible to manage.

  • phi1997
    27•4 months ago

    What did they do wrong? They’re just providing value by offering consumers free pets with their food!

    • @dohpaz42@lemmy.worldEnglish
      37•4 months ago

      There are a disproportionate amount of people out there that cannot afford to buy food from anywhere else. And it’s probably going to get worse as grocery prices continue to rise.

      • BlackbeardMEnglish
        35•4 months ago

        John Oliver did a good piece that showed how, in some cases, people are paying more at a “dollar” store than they would elsewhere. Per-unit prices are higher because they shrink the product size to keep the price low, which triggers a psychological response in people who think they’re getting a deal, when in fact they’re getting scammed. The real problem is that because of that psychological bias, people have flocked to “dollar” stores in rural areas to such an extent that their old school grocer has long since gone out of business. I own farmland in one of these food deserts, and if you don’t shop at the “dollar” store, you buy groceries at a gas station or travel 25+ minutes to get to the next town. In those areas, there simply isn’t food anywhere else, which is so incredibly sad.

        • @mipadaitu@lemmy.worldEnglish
          37•4 months ago

          Also, if you only have $4, you can’t save money by buying a $5 bag of rice. You have to spend more to buy a bunch of $1 tiny bags of rice one a time.
          It’s cheaper to buy a house that’s well built and maintain it, but then you have a higher upfront cost.
          It’s really expensive being poor.

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boots_theory

        • @pearsaltchocolatebar
          5•4 months ago

          Yup, I live a mile from one and go fairly frequently because construction makes getting to a grocery store a pain.

          Food prices are definitely higher than an actual grocery store. It’s basically just a large convenience store cosplaying as a discount store.

        • Rentlar
          4•4 months ago

          The great thing is that much of the cost savings you would have gotten from the farther grocery store, would evaporate from the automobile transportation cost.

        • VaultBoyNewVegas
          8•4 months ago

          Not American so I couldn’t care less about dollar store itself but when I see comments saying choosing an easier option is lazy and people should cook more, it pisses me fucking off. I have a chronic disease, I have been suffering from a flare up with it for 5 weeks, my disease means that I literally shit blood and also regularly have to use the toilet while also being in pain, if I choose " frozen and unhealthy crap" to cook it’s because I literally fucking can’t stand in a kitchen and do prep and cook and keep an eye on the fucking thing cooking. All I had to eat yesterday was some sandwiches and toast, today I haven’t eaten anything because I’ve no appetite.

          I’m not the only person who has an illness or a disability who can’t cook every fucking day with all that is involved in it. Grow some fucking perspective.

            • @Odelay42@lemmy.world
              5•4 months ago

              You need to check your privilege and pause for a moment. Your opinion is not more valuable than theirs. Insults and judgement in angry posts undermine whatever point you were trying to make.

    • @papertowels@lemmy.one
      1•4 months ago

      Food deserts typically have more family dollars/dollar general type stores. Folks that live in these areas oftentimes have no other choice, because a dollar general that doesn’t have to worry about fresh fruit and veggies spoilage can operate at lower costs than a grocery, and will price them out.

      • @Default_Defect@midwest.socialEnglish
        2•4 months ago

        There’s a small small town I pass through somewhat regularly that only has a dollar tree, a gas station, and two restaurants (one of which just burned down). The drive to an actual grocery store is non-trivial. It’s real thing.

  • @Wahots@pawb.social
    4•4 months ago

    The department said the fine was the largest ever in a food safety case in the United States. As part of a plea agreement, both Family Dollar Stores and Dollar Tree must meet " robust" corporate reporting guidelines for the next three years.

    Three years? Good God, make it ten. That is disgusting and dangerous. Three years is not enough time for a company to be making mistakes that large.