“I think it will be a tremendous loss not just for Riverdale, but adjacent neighborhoods, too,” said Victoria McNeal, president of the Riverdale Neighborhood Association.
Multiple shoppers told this newspaper that the store sees a significant amount of shoplifting and they believe this played a role in its closure. A store employee said shoplifting is a major problem that hurt profit margins.
A Family Dollar in northwest Dayton shut down earlier this year, part of a wave of closures of retail chain stores that have struggled in recent years.
Karen Caudill, 55, said she loves the Family Dollar store because it has great deals and a good selection.
On Wednesday afternoon, she purchased six pet bandanas for about $1.65. She said the Family Dollar on North Main is the only place in Dayton that she’s been able to find the Tangy Pickle Dorito chips she loves.
Caudill’s 37-year-old daughter, Amanda Sizemore, said Family Dollar has great prices, even compared to other dollar stores and big box retailers like Walmart.
Caudill said her other daughter lives near the Family Dollar and she and her kids shop there all the time, buying food, drinks, baby products and household items.
“I hate it for my kids and my grandkids, because they do shop a lot here,” she said.
McNeal said she’s very disappointed to see that the Family Dollar is closing.
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Credit: JIM NOELKER
She said the store was temporarily shut down at times but it was remodeled just last year. She said she knew it had issues with theft, staffing and cleanliness, but that foot traffic seemed OK.
She said a clerk told her the store is closing because of losses due to theft.
“They were there for a long time,” she said. “They were good for a long time.”
Dollar Tree announced that it was going to close hundreds of Family Dollar stores this year. A store in northwest Dayton, at 440 N. James H. McGee Blvd., closed months ago.
Ohio was home to more than 400 Family Dollar stores, including about 25 locations in Montgomery County.
Some large retail chains have been struggling. Rite Aid earlier this year announced it was closing all of its Ohio stores.
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