Yahoo Movies Fact check: False claim Dollar General is switching to 24-hour operations
The claim: Dollar General announced its stores will be open 24 hours a day starting on Aug. 22
As Americans cope with high inflation, some social media users are claiming that a well-known discount retailer will soon keep its doors open around-the-clock.
“Starting Monday August 22 all Dollar General stores will start to stay open around the clock and they will have some new expanded merchandise,” reads the Aug. 14 Facebook post. It was shared more than 200 times in five days.
But the retailer did not make this announcement, and a Dollar General spokesperson told USA TODAY the claim is “not accurate.”
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USA TODAY reached out to social media users who shared the claim for comment.
Dollar General store hours vary by location
Though the Facebook post makes it appear that the company made the announcement on Aug. 13, Dollar General’s website shows no such news release was published that day.
Katie Ellison, a Dollar General spokesperson, said the post is “not accurate” in an email to USA TODAY. Ellison said that store hours vary by location and can be found on Dollar General’s website.
A store in Dallas, Texas, for example, is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., while a store in Dayton, Ohio, is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. A store in Oakville, Washington, is open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., and a store in Frostproof, Florida, is open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
AFP Fact Check also debunked the claim.
USA TODAY has also previously debunked claims regarding retail stores, including baseless assertions about Walmart locations moving back to 24-hour operations.
Our rating: False
Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that Dollar General announced its stores would be open 24 hours a day starting on Aug. 22. The retailer did not make any such announcement, and a spokesperson said the claim is “not accurate.”
Our fact-check sources:
AFP Fact Check, Aug. 16, Dollar General not switching to 24-hour operation
Dollar General, accessed Aug. 16, News
Katie Ellison, Aug. 15, Email to USA TODAY
Dollar General, March 16, 2020, Dollar General Announces First Hour of Operations to be Dedicated to Senior Customers
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: False claim Dollar General announced 24-hour stores
