MINERAL POINT, Wis. (WJW) — All that was left behind were some signs.
Employees at a Dollar General in Southwest Wisconsin walked off the job over the weekend, leaving the store closed.
Potential shoppers were greeted Saturday with signs and a letter taped to the front door, as seen on the Iowa County Confessions Facebook page.
“The store is closed,” one sign read. “The whole team has walked away due to a lack of appreciation, being overworked, and being underpaid.”
“We quit!” another sign said. “Thank you to our amazing customers. We love you and will miss you.”
An issue with the company’s donation policy also led to the walkout.
Former store manager Trina Tribolet told TV station WKOW that the policy required employees to throw out anything near an expiration date or that was no longer being sold at the store. Employees said they felt the items were still usable and should have been donated.
Dollar General said in a statement to WKOW that it makes donations through its Feeding America partnership “at 21 stores across the state.”
“The Mineral Point Dollar General store has donated nearly 7,500 pounds of food to local food banks such as Second Harvest Food Bank of Southern Wisconsin over the past twelve months,” the store said. “Food safety is a top priority for Dollar General and Feeding America members, therefore, DG stores are required to follow Feeding America donation policies.”
Dollar General also apologized to customers following the walkout:
At Dollar General, we are committed to providing an environment where employees can grow their careers and where they feel valued and heard. We apologize for any inconvenience our customers experienced during the three hours the Mineral Point store was closed this past weekend.
Dollar General said the store reopened at 11 a.m. Saturday.