Residents of Becker might not have to travel to St. Cloud or Monticello — or even Big Lake — to buy everyday necessities at a local dollar store. 

 

Steps to construct a Dollar General at the corner of 1st Street and Bradley Blvd. have begun with a late summer or early fall opening forecasted.

 

“The Dollar General store is expected to complete construction in mid to late August,” said Community Development Director Marie Pflipsen. “We anticipate the store opening shortly after construction is complete.”

 

Pflipsen says she has not discussed jobs or hiring potential with the business owner or with the company. The store would be owned by Dollar General as a corporate store. 

 

“We are hoping to do a ribbon cutting once the store is ready to open,” said Pflipsen. “I already bought the scissors!”

 

Among discount retailers, Dollar General, with its 15,432+ stores (136 in Minnesota), is a force to be reckoned with. According to reports, Dollar Tree-owned Family Dollar continues to be a drag on the parent company and regional discount chain Shopko filed for bankruptcy in January and is closing all of its stores by the summer.

 

Dollar General, meanwhile, reported $25.6 billion in revenue in 2018, a 9% increase year-over-year (according to DigiDay Media, an online publisher of media and marketing industries). 

 

The company succeeds because stores are often located in areas away from competition, and it’s made good in-store experiences a priority. 

 

It employs a careful merchandising strategy, a look and feel that’s inviting and easy to navigate, and it’s using technology to foster efficiency wherever possible. It’s also aggressively remodeling and renovating stores: For this fiscal year, Dollar General plans to build 975 new stores (including Becker’s) and carry out 1,000 store remodels.

 

As of this week, Dollar General is taking applications for the store manager position at: careers.dollargeneral.com. Click on “search”, type in store manager and locate the Becker store to fill out an application.