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🟡 FORMERLY PE OWNED
Dollar General
discount · Goodlettsville, TN
PE Firm
KKR
Year Acquired
2007
“KKR made billions. OSHA made a permanent file. Workers got blocked fire exits.”
What Happened
- •Since 2017, OSHA has fined Dollar General over $26M across 180+ inspections for willful and repeat safety violations
- •Agreed to a $12M settlement with OSHA in July 2024 for systemic safety failures, including single-employee stores
- •KKR bought Dollar General for ~$7.3B in 2007 and IPO'd it in 2009; rapid expansion prioritized growth over worker safety
- •Stores plagued by chronic understaffing, expired inventory, and conditions so dangerous workers launched organized protests
The Damage Done
- â–¸OSHA fined Dollar General over $26 million across 180+ inspections for willful and repeat safety violations since 2017
- â–¸Agreed to a $12 million safety settlement in July 2024 for systemic failures, including running stores with a single employee
- â–¸Stores plagued by chronic understaffing, expired inventory on shelves, and blocked emergency exits
- â–¸Workers launched organized protests over conditions so dangerous that stores were dubbed 'Dollar Danger' by employees