Dollar General reinforces ethics code, bans child and forced labor

For Dollar General store workers, the code is not just a headquarters document. It is the rulebook for the moments that turn a normal shift into a compliance problem: cash handling, inventory counts, customer disputes, vendor relationships, safety complaints, and how coworkers are treated.

The company says its Board of Directors approved amendments to the Dollar General Corporation Code of Business Conduct and Ethics on August 30, 2023, to codify its existing policy and practice banning child labor and forced labor across the company’s supply chain. Dollar General also says its vendor standards call for zero tolerance of child labor and no forced or involuntary labor.

That message is aimed at suppliers, but the company says it reaches every employee too. Dollar General’s human rights policy says all employees and suppliers are governed by the code, and signing it is a requirement for employment. The company says violations can lead to discipline or loss of employment. In plain terms, a cashier, assistant manager, or store manager who looks the other way on theft, falsifies records, ignores a safety problem, or cuts corners to get through a shift is not just making a bad judgment call. Under the company’s own rules, that can become a job-ending issue.

The staffing model helps explain why this matters on the floor. Dollar General says a typical store has a store manager, one or more assistant store managers, and three or more sales associates. With that small crew covering a high-volume discount store, problems spread fast if nobody documents them or escalates them through the proper chain of command. The code’s emphasis on honesty, fairness, respect, and accurate reporting is meant to set a baseline for those everyday decisions, not just legal review in Goodlettsville, Tennessee.

The company’s code also says Dollar General does not tolerate illegal or unethical conduct by anyone, regardless of position, and may report misconduct to the proper authorities. That has meaning for workers handling suspected theft, timekeeping pressure, harassment complaints, or awkward vendor interactions. The message is that shortcuts, silence, and retaliation are risks, not solutions.

The safety backdrop makes that warning sharper. On July 11, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor and OSHA announced a corporate-wide settlement with Dollar General that required $12 million in penalties, plus broader changes: more safety managers, lower inventory levels, safety training for leadership and non-managerial employees, and employee safety and health committees. OSHA said the deal was meant to make employee safety a priority after repeated workplace safety issues.

Dollar General said it operated more than 20,000 locations nationwide as of January 31, 2025. At that scale, a code of conduct is not symbolic paperwork. It is part of how the company tries to control labor risk, safety risk, and store-level behavior before a small problem becomes a corporate one.