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.

  • @dohpaz42English
    37•9 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.

    • BlackbeardEnglish
      35•9 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.

      • @mipadaituEnglish
        37•9 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

      • @[email protected]
        5•9 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•9 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•9 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
            5•9 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.