Dollar General remodel adds produce to Wrightsville store, changes daily work

Fresh fruit and vegetables have changed the rhythm at Dollar General’s store at 301 Cool Springs Road in Wrightsville, Pennsylvania. The remodel puts the location among more than 7,000 Dollar General stores nationwide that now carry produce, with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, apples, bananas, strawberries, potatoes, sweet potatoes, lemons, limes and salad mixes joining the usual discount-store mix.

For workers, that is not just a merchandise change. Produce resets bring tighter rotation, more date checks, more attention to cooler temperatures and cleaner displays, and a sharper focus on damaged goods and shrink. A store that once served mostly as a quick stop for pantry staples and paper goods now has to manage a fresher, faster-moving section that needs to look right all day, not just after the morning truck. That creates more work for a small crew, more pressure on replenishment, and more customer questions at the register as shoppers start treating the store like a quicker grocery trip.

Dollar General has been expanding that role for years. The company said it surpassed 5,000 stores offering fresh produce in January 2024, then said by the end of fiscal 2025 it had more than 7,000 produce locations nationwide, including 1,350 in USDA-designated food deserts. As of Jan. 30, 2026, Dollar General said it operated 20,893 stores across the United States and Mexico, which shows produce remains a slice of a much larger chain but one that is growing fast.

The company has used remodels to push that shift deeper into local markets. In Kingston Township, Pennsylvania, Dollar General said a 2023 remodel expanded the footprint by about 50% and added more than 50% more coolers for refrigerated and frozen food. In York, another remodel at 5 Cinema Drive also added produce, and senior vice president of real estate and store development Matthew Simonsen said the company wanted to be a positive business partner and good community neighbor there.

Wrightsville fits that pattern. Dollar General framed the upgrade as part of its effort to offer quality products, convenience and better access to nutritious food in smaller communities. For associates and managers, though, the real test starts after the ribbon is gone: keeping the produce case rotated, the cooler stocked and the shrink under control while still running the rest of the store. In chainwide terms, the remodel is a service upgrade. In store terms, it is a new daily operating standard.