LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — Trips to the grocery store just got a little easier for some people in Lancaster County as the Dollar General Corporation stocks shelves with healthier food options.
Mary Cunningham, a shopper, first noticed the fresh produce on Thursday while visiting the Dollar General chain store in West Hempfield Township. Cunningham was able to check off her shopping list for the store which Cunningham says now includes, “Some cherries, I got some grapes and I got some apples.”
The store's West Hempfield location is the newest chain to add fresh produce to its shelves, which Cunningham says is, "really fresh.”
Another shopper, Krystle Dunmire, said, "the produce is actually amazing.”
This addition is part of Dollar General Corporation’s Food First initiative, which provides customers with healthier food options and a larger variety of products to shop.
"I’m amazed with the variety of products they have inside," Cunningham said after shopping the new produce section.
In a press release, company officials said the expansion of private brands, like Clover Valley, has allowed them to make these changes. Now, Dollar General is providing fresh fruits and vegetables in at least 3,900 of its 20,000 stores as of 2023.
And as a discount store, consumers say the prices for these products fit the bill.
Cunningham stated, "I can honestly say I was surprised. I can get cherries for $2, like they’re like $4.99 at the regular supermarket.”
When comparing the West Hempfield Dollar General produce prices to the nearest grocer, Giant Food Stores prices were considerably higher, ranging from $1.49 to $3.00 dollars more.
With just over 17,000 people living in West Hempfield Township in 2020, Dollar General explained in a press release that this expansion is crucial with many residents, “relying on the retailer for their basic everyday and household essentials."
Cunningham said the closest big chain grocer to her house is five miles away. She continued, "This saves me a trip to the big stores; I can stop by on my way home.”
As a busy mom, Dunmire shops at Dollar General when she needs groceries quick, which she says is even easier now.
"I just picked up bananas the other day, and we couldn’t do that before and it's really nice,” Dunmire said.
This is the fourth location in Lancaster County to offer fresh produce. The others include store locations in East Cocalico, Elizabethtown and Fulton Township.
The Dollar General Corporation plans to have fresh produce in 5,000 of its 20,000 locations by 2025. And as the initiative expands, Dunmire says she is excited to see what fresh produce the fall season will bring to stores and hopes that the chain may even carry flowers someday.