Sharpsburg Family Dollar has inconsistent hours
The reason behind the irregular operating hours at the Family Dollar store in Sharpsburg remains a bit of a commerce conundrum.
The discount store located at 909 Main St. closes on random, unannounced days when, according to online hours of operation, it should be open from 9 a.m.-10 p.m. daily.
A visit by a Triblive reporter on Sept. 21 and again on Oct. 7 during the day revealed a closed store with locked doors and a dark interior.
A subsequent visit on Oct. 15 revealed an open store, but a store employee said she was not allowed to comment on anything related to the store and dismissed any further questions asked by a TribLive reporter.
A post last week in the private Facebook group Sharpsburg Connections and Memories by Chad Wozniak Jr. notified customers of “temporary” hours due to ongoing staffing shortages.
The temporary hours include being closed on Sundays and Tuesdays and open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. the rest of the week.
“WE NEED WORKERS” read Wozniak’s post. “Sorry for the inconvenience.”
Wozniak and a representative from Family Dollar could not be reached on Nov. 3.
Multiple calls placed to the store resulted in an automated message saying the number is no longer in service and there’s no signage on the doors providing any information to the public about the closings.
Sharpsburg resident and former postal carrier Ronnie Manzini has lived in the borough for 13 years and described the closing woes at Family Dollar as a disappointing failure.
“It’s a part of daily life here,” said Manzini, who said he no longer even tries to shop at the store because of the erratic closures.
Manzini drives by Family Dollar five days a week for work and checks to see if the store lights are on.
“If I would catch it open, I’m surprised,” said Manzini, 37. “I’ve quit trying to even go there. It’s supposed to be convenient. It’s significant because we don’t have a grocery store here in Sharpsburg.”
Nyketta Glover has lived in Sharpsburg for 15 years and is a former Family Dollar employee at the store in question.
She expressed frustration and anger over the sporadic shopping situation.
“People around here want answers,” Glover said, an employee at a nearby senior center in Sharpsburg. “The seniors complain every day about Family Dollar being closed.”
Glover would like to see the store open regularly with a regular staff.
“Our community needs it,” Glover said.
Dollar General and Family Dollar did not respond to multiple media inquiries by a Triblive reporter over the past several months concerning the Sharpsburg location.
Dollar Tree Inc. acquired Family Dollar in 2015 and this year sold Family Dollar to a private equity firm for $1 billion
Last year, Dollar Tree announced it planned to close hundreds of Family Dollar stores.
Joyce Hanz is a native of Charleston, S.C. and is a features reporter covering the Pittsburgh region. She majored in media arts and graduated from the University of South Carolina. She can be reached at jhanz@triblive.com
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