CLOSE SOME STORES, OPEN OTHERS...MAYBE CONCENTRATE MORE ON BASIC SECURITY?

Dollar General Stores announced this week that it would shutter 400 stores next year while opening 300 new stores to increase profitability. It'll be interesting to see which stores the neighbourhood variety store will close and where they will open new stores.

Regardless, the Tennessee-based chain should seriously consider doing more in the area of security. Since April 1, there have been 15 robberies of Dollar General stores in Polk County alone, and a sheriff's department spokesperson told the Lakeland Ledger:

"(Dollar stores) are potentially easy targets...The security is definitely lacking. They don't have the cameras in most of the stores and it's not because they don't have the money."

The spokesperson, PCSO Criminal Investigations Chief W.J. Martin, also noted that many of the stores usually have only one employee on duty. He mentioned that the sheriff's office has spoken with Dollar General about increasing security in their stores, and that is something that should be done posthaste, before a customer or employee is hurt or killed and the company faces a huge litigation for negligance.