Dollar General workers covered by federal retail wage rules, DOL says

Dollar General cashiers, stockers and managers fall under federal retail wage rules when the store meets the Labor Department’s definition of a retail establishment and when employees handle interstate commerce, from card swipes to shipments.

The Labor Department’s Fact Sheet #6 defines a retail establishment as one where 75% of annual dollar volume of sales is not for resale and the business is recognized as retail in its industry. Under that rule, workers can be covered in two ways: the company can have at least $500,000 in annual sales, or an individual employee can engage in interstate commerce activities.

Those activities include ordering goods from out of state, verifying and processing credit card transactions, using the mail or telephone for interstate communications, keeping records of interstate transactions, and handling, shipping or receiving goods moving in commerce. The register, the back room and the paperwork fall inside that system.

In its 2024 annual report, the company operated 20,594 Dollar General, DG Market, DGX, pOpshelf and Mi Súper Dollar General stores as of Jan. 31, 2025. The company was founded in 1939 and marked its 85th anniversary in 2024. Fiscal 2024 net sales were $40.6 billion.

On July 11, 2024, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced a corporate-wide settlement with Dollar General and its retail subsidiaries that required $12 million in penalties and storewide safety changes. The agreement required stronger safety structure, additional safety managers, reduced inventory, more efficient stocking to prevent blocked exits and unsafe material storage, safety training for leaders and non-managerial workers, and a safety and health committee with employee participation. It also required correction of certain hazards generally within 48 hours.

Covered, non-exempt retail workers are entitled to the federal minimum wage, set at $7.25 an hour since July 24, 2009, and overtime at one and one-half times the regular rate after 40 hours in a workweek. The Fair Labor Standards Act also sets youth-work limits, generally establishing 14 as the minimum age for non-agricultural jobs, restricting hours for workers under 16 and banning workers under 18 from hazardous occupations.