They say competition is a good thing ... well, now there's even more competition with this…read moreweekend's opening of a Dollar General store in the Wizzy Wazzy (my wife's slang term for West Warwick, doncha know?). This marks three discount stores (which also include Family Dollar, and Dollar Tree) within very close proximity of each other, and just an easy walk from beautiful downtown West Warwick, a/k/a Artic, (I'm being a bit sarcastic, but it's okay, I live in the Wizzy Wazzy).
Unlike its neighbor, Family Dollar, which took a long time to build, this store, which is another metal building, went up much quicker, since it's on a more level site. Of the three stores, this one possesses the best parking situation. The parking lot is huge, and is easy to get in and out of, since it's not near an intersection.
Although there were a few big gaps in stock, I did not let that affect my rating, since they were probably rushing to meet opening deadline. Obviously, the store was neat and clean, and I give it props for having two bathrooms for customers.
In an apparent effort to compete with the other discount stores, I saw many $1 or $2 price tags, and prices throughout the store were mostly whole-dollar figures. It's a fairly small store, and while they have a good variety of 'departments' (I use that term loosely, since there were no signs delineating any departments), selection within each category of merchandise was very limited. While you will find much greater selection in a big store like Wal-Mart or Target, the downside is that you will not get in and out of a larger store as quickly as you will in a store like Dollar General or Family Dollar, so it's a trade-off.
Shopping at a discount store can be deceiving: I only paid $1 for a box of Glad zip-loc sandwich bags, but the box only contains 29 bags, while a box from a larger retailer might cost more, but contain 50 or 100 bags. A cheaper price does not always mean the best value, so you really have to know your prices. You may or may not get the best deal here, but you will at least get a good deal, and it's a lot more convenient to grab a few things if you're in a hurry.
Overall, I was less impressed with this store than I was with another General Dollar store on Park Avenue in Cranston.
The air conditioning in this store on Sunday afternoon was cranking, to the point that it felt like I was inside a walk-in cooler. Another customer commented it was too cold. Also, the sound system was wack: a local radio station was playing over two speakers in opposite corners of the store, but the volume was too loud, and the sound was scratchy. Between that and the overly-aggressive A/C, it made me want to shop as quickly as possible and get out (note to management - you might want to fix these things, as you want shoppers to stay in the store as long as possible).
Employees seemed a bit confused, but I won't count that against the rating, because it was probably only their first or second day on the job.
Another note to management: The store could benefit from some signage, because I had trouble finding nearly everything I went in there for.