A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Dollar General is one of the country's fastest-growing grocery stores. It has more locations selling fresh produce than Walmart, and that's a big help for people in rural food deserts. Here's Stephan Bisaha of the Gulf States Newsroom.
STEPHAN BISAHA, BYLINE: Yes, vegetables usually cost a bit more than a dollar. But the truth is Dollar General is less like your classic dollar store where everything costs a buck and more like a mini Walmart. And like Walmart, a big part of their business is food, even if it's not always for people.
RICHARD PETCHER: For me, I stopped in to get a gallon of milk for my bottled baby goats.
BISAHA: So you've gotten milk for your goats from here?
PETCHER: Uh-huh, bottled baby goat.
BISAHA: Uh-huh.
Richard Petcher lives in rural Fruitdale, Ala. And despite the name, it's not easy finding fruit in Fruitdale.
PETCHER: The soil here is really not very good.
BISAHA: The one store in town that is selling fruit is Dollar General. This one started stocking fresh produce last year.
PETCHER: I had some organic greens with my omelet this morning, which wouldn't have been possible if I'd made a trip to Mobile four days ago. It wouldn't have been fresh.
BISAHA: Fresh is a growing part of Dollar General's business. Now well more than 5,000 of its stores sell fresh onions, bananas, even avocados. The produce section is tiny compared to a Walmart's, but it's still packed with variety.
SARA JOHN: Even if it is only a small number of healthier items, it is impacting the millions of shoppers, of people who live close to a dollar store.
BISAHA: Sara John at the Center for Science in the Public Interest has long advocated for Dollar General to sell healthier options. That's because Dollar General's huge reach into rural areas can make a big difference. But there's a reason most dollar stores still don't have a produce aisle. Selling fresh produce is really hard. Dollar General has built its success on a low-cost model that requires fewer workers, hiring them part time and selling things like greeting cards and candles that don't need much attention.
JOHN: Fresh upkeep takes time. You have to go through, find spoiled items, making sure you're stocking them in a really timely manner.
BISAHA: The company said it's saving money by using AI to help with ordering, but it would not say if it's giving employees more time to handle the greens. In fact, some workers have not even been given enough hours to keep their workplaces clean and safe. Dollar General reached a $12 million settlement last month with federal regulators over safety violations, like blocked fire extinguishers and emergency exits. So with how difficult and costly fresh produce can be, John worries Dollar General's green thumb won't last.
JOHN: If there is a change in the business model or it's no longer profitable, then, of course, I think that would roll back, which could be detrimental for communities.
BISAHA: But the reason Dollar General is doing this, despite all the challenges, is because it's what customers say they want, and they say it loudest with their wallets. Food sales, from fresh to canned, make up more than half of dollar store sales, according to John. So the company is planning on bringing fresh produce to about 1,500 more stores. Mayor Harold Crouch praises Dollar General for selling fresh greens in his rural town of Chatom, Ala., and giving his kids healthier snacking options, like cherries.
HAROLD CROUCH: And their grandmother's going to let them sit in the car, and they will open it up, and those three grandchildren will eat it before they get home.
BISAHA: I'm sure you'd rather do that with the cherries rather than a pack of Oreos.
CROUCH: Absolutely, absolutely. And they're going to do that, too.
BISAHA: Which means more sales from both the produce and the cookie aisle.
For NPR News, I'm Stephan Bisaha in Birmingham, Ala. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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