Dollar general corporation was established as a family-owned business named J.L. Turner and Son in Scottsville, Kentucky, in 1939. Thus, the name we all know today was given to it. In 1955, and thereafter in 1968, the company went on to public listing on the New York Stock Exchange. As of 2020, the dollar general was spotted at 112 on Fortune 500. Dollar General is a chain of daily need stores with its headquarters in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, in America. Dollar General offers a wide range of daily need services such as clothing, cleaning, home decor, health and beauty, personal care, toys, pet necessary, grocery, and seasonal items. Dollar General has become one of the most popular and profit-earning general stores in the rural United States, recording around $27 billion and total assets of around $22,825 billion in 2019. In this article, we are going to discuss Dollar General Dress Code Policy for employees here.
With almost 17,000 operating stores in the continental United States as of January 2020, dollar general is the house to more than 143,000 employees. The employees at dollar general come from diverse cultures and backgrounds. However, dollar general has made arrangements for bringing uniformity among its employees and that in the form of a uniform dress code. Therefore, whosoever is the employee from any gender, race, class, or culture they have to follow the company’s dress code policy.
Why dress code?
The importance of a common dress code throughout the organization lies in the fact that it brings uniformity to the human resource of that organization. From whatever background you belong to, you have to wear that dress everyone wears on the job, so it makes you equal without any discrimination. Another fact behind the dress code is that it is easy to identify the employee in the crowd of customers from the uniform or the employee’s dress. So for the sake of identity, a dress code is prescribed for the employees.
Dollar General Dress Code
The dollar general dress code applies to more than 143,000 employees working in almost 17,000 stores throughout the American continent. Dollar General’s dress code policy allows its employees to wear black pants and a black polo shirt with a collar, with the dollar general logo featured on the shirt. In addition, dollar General employees must wear shoes that don’t slip because employees have to work for long hours, handling various work duties. So, the employees need to wear non-slippery shoes to avoid accidents and to ensure safety.
- DRESS
Dollar general prescribes black pants and a black polo shirt and a classic t-shirt with a collar as the dress. There should be a dollar general logo on the shirt. As a dollar general employee, you are not allowed to wear shorts. There is also a length prescribed for pants that is not shorter than three inches above the knee.
You are also not permitted to wear torn clothes as a dollar general employee, so the employees cannot wear ripped jeans and tops. Also, you cannot wear denim clothing as it would breach the dress code. Senior management considers denim clothing as appropriate, so even denim in the black color is not allowed. Only black pants are preferred that the dollar general dress code permits.
Exception – For the employees involved in distribution, there is an exception that they can wear sweatpants and sweatshirts as a part of their dress.
Dollar general provides uniforms to its employees, but they should purchase them. In addition, it provides a variety of polo shirts, t-shirts, hosiery, masks, windbreaker, jackets, sweaters, etc.
- HEAD COVERING, HATS, etc
Generally, the dollar general dress code policy does not permit its employees to wear head coverings. So hats, caps, beanies, etc. They are not allowed to be worn by dollar general employees.
Exception – There is an exception to the general rule of no head covering if it is for religious purposes. So if it is a religious trait to cover the head, employees are allowed to cover their heads. Head covering is required in religions such as Islam, Sikhism, etc. So hijab, Al-Amira, turban, kufi, etc. Are allowed being the religious practice.
- FOOTWEAR
Dollar General dress code handbook allows its employees to wear non-slip shoes. So you can wear any shoes that do not slip. It is because employees have to handle various tasks on the store floor. So to avoid accidents and to ensure safety and convenience of all, non-slip shoes are preferred. Otherwise, there is not any harsh restriction. You should also wear hosiery or socks with non-slip shoes. So dollar general employees are required to avoid wearing flip-flops, open-toe shoes, open heels shoes, or beach sandals as these types of footwear are against the dollar general dress code policy.
- HAIR
Generally, the dress code policy of the dollar general allows natural hair colors. So employees can go for natural color accompanying their hairs, but unnatural hair colors are considered inappropriate to be done in the professional environment. So employees are not allowed to do unnatural hair colors such as pink, blue, yellow: Green, or red as it would amount to a breach of the dollar general dress code.
- PIERCINGS
Apart from general ear piercing, any other visible body piercing is not allowed as per the dollar general dress code policy. So lips piercing, eyebrow piercing, chin, and tongue piercing are not permitted at the store.
Exception – General ear-piercing is allowed as most females do. Also, there is an exception for religious practice. So your religious practice allows you or makes it mandatory to have a piercing. You can wear it at dollar general as a religious practice.
- JEWELRY
Generally, jewelry is allowed to be worn by the dollar general employees so that it does not catch anywhere and cause accidents. So for safety purposes, minimum jewelry is advised, or wear it appropriately considering the nature of work and the safety and convenience to prevent from getting caught in machinery, especially if you are working in the distribution center.
Exception – Dollar General employees are permitted to only necessary jewelry for religious purposes. So if religious practice allows a certain type of jewelry, then it can be worn at dollar general.
- TATTOOS and BODY ART
According to the dollar general handbook, any visible tattoo or body art is considered inappropriate. So dollar general employees at any store are not permitted to carry any tattoo or body visible on the body. This is only for visible ones. However, you can have tattoos or body art on your body, which part is generally not visible. As that would be your private matter, it would not amount to a breach of the dollar policy.
Final Words
So if you are going to join the dollar general as an employee or thinking of joining it sometime in the future, go by the dollar general dress code policy and handbook, read and understand it. Black pants and a black shirt or t-shirt are what you are expected to be worn as a dollar general employee, which can be easily found at the Logowear website of the store. Unnatural hair colors are strictly prohibited. However, in piercing, tattoos, head covering, jewelry, there are certain exceptions, as already mentioned above.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Does dollar general provide uniforms to its employees? Yes, dollar general does provide uniforms to its employees, but employees have to buy them.
- Can Muslim women wear hijab at work at dollar general? Generally, head coverings are not allowed at dollar general, but there is an exception in the case of religious practices. Hijab is a part of the religious practice of Muslims, so can be worn at dollar general.
- Are Non-visible Tattoos and body piercing allowed? The restriction on tattoos, body art, and body piercing is only regarding the visible one. If it is not visible on the body then there is not a problem.
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