Carol Fisher-Linn
Dollar General in Great Valley offers more than discounted goods; meet their community-minded manager, Dale Hayward.
Today, discount stores are part of the business culture across America and around the world. It seems Dollar General Stores are found mostly in America, but one can find discount deals under other names in U.K., Paris, etc.
In Cattaraugus County my first personal experience with a discount store in the immediate region was Fisher’s Big Wheel (FBW) in Salamanca, New York. A corporation of about 100 stores, FBW wanted to reach out to the smaller communities lacking immediate access to big malls and shopping centers. For the entire life of that store in Salamanca (17 years) the manager was Joe Giblin who, with his wife Mary Ellen, were constants in the store. It was like going shopping with family when you walked through the doors.
In those long-ago years (late70’s – 1994), as a single mom raising a brood, I needed to stretch my dollars and found respite at Fisher’s Big Wheel. I loved the store immediately but found that it took a while for the concept of a “discount” store to be accepted by my friends and neighbors in Ellicottville. Things changed, however, when people in Ellicottville, especially the new home-owners trying to outfit their second home for skiing, found that they could save a bundle shopping at Fisher’s. Eventually, I saw many familiar Ellicottville faces at FBW when I shopped.
Today, on the outskirts of town of Ellicottville (in Great Valley), we now have our own local discount store. Dollar General Store built the Great Valley store in 2003 and has recently completed a huge renovation this past fall. It is a go-to for all ranks of people in the Ellicottville area. It has been a welcome addition to our shopping choices, made even more so since October when they expanded their cold foods, added frozen and raised the level of the lines with many popular brand names.
On their DG history webpage, we find this – “A passionate commitment to serving our customers, employees and communities is the foundation of our growth.” From humble beginnings in October 1939 during the Depression, the founding Turner family members started buying up stores and wholesaling goods. This eventually changed to retailing with the first Dollar General store opening in Springfield, KY in 1955 based on the concept that no item sold for more than a dollar. Times change, prices rise, but they still offer a quarter of their items close to that $1 figure.
What was interesting about the Turners is that they were simply farmers helping farmers – not big business owners looking for profit. “How well you live your life is largely determined by your attitude toward other people. If you truly care about them, you can mature beyond selfishness and really make your mark where it counts.” – Cal Turner, Jr.
Knowing this history and discovering the company culture, it makes sense that when you walk into Dollar General in Great Valley, you feel that same sense of helping spirit, especially if you come face to face with a big, gentle-looking gray bearded guy named Dale Hayden. Dale, who hails from Franklinville, has served as manager of Dollar General for the past four+ years, having ridden out COVID with us in those painful times. A frequent DG customer “Ann” tells of a day during COVID when lines were long, people were cranky and fidgety and there was one person only at the register. The impatience was palpable, said Ann. Dale looked up from register and likely felt the tension in the air. He simply announced, “I’m the only person here, so please be patient with me and I’ll get to you as quickly as I can.” That simple reading of the room diffused the strain and Ann reports that after tensions relaxed, people start chatting with each other and all was good. That may sound like a little thing, but it turns out Dale always reads the room, is always ready to help customers find products, lend a hand however he can, and watch for incoming products, such as wipes which, if you remember, disappeared immediately during COVID, and putting them aside for the customer. It’s the little things – that “attitude toward people” that DG founder spoke about.
Those little boxes/jars with hand-written signs looking for donations generally appear when someone comes in asking for help – a fire in a home, extras for the Great Valley food pantry, etc. There is always a jar for the Ellicottville Food Pantry and Dale has created a personal relationship with Valerie who runs it as he turns over things she may request from the community donations in those jars.
Last Christmas, at the end of the season, Dale recognized an opportunity to help by personally purchasing what amounted to a carful of toys marked 90% off for clearance. He stored them in his family garage, then finally found a home for them with the Great Valley Food Pantry which gratefully accepted them and will distribute them this coming Christmas season along with food. Another time, the entire team at DG pitched in their own funds to purchase ten totes to give to a family that had experienced a house fire and had no place to put the things they retrieved. The Great Valley Fire Hall asked for donations for their basket raffle and again, they came to the right place for help.
Dale is quick to point out that most of the time, needs are covered by the generosity of community members who drop change or dollars into the asking cups. The thing is, he doesn’t say no. He finds a way to help and to involve you, the community. And that’s a good thing. When this writer asked Dale why he does this, his response was clean and simple – “it just feels good to do it.”
If you haven’t had too many opportunities to feel good lately, go on over to Dollar General and learn from a master how to feel good by simply emptying your pocket change in one of their ask jars. Check out their cold and frozen section while you are there.
Many thanks to the several citizens who called The Villager’s attention to this Good Samaritan who lives and works among us.