LA GRANGE — Out with the old and in with the new.
A new Family Dollar store opened Monday at 223 E. Washington St. in La Grange, replacing the former smaller store just blocks away.
A grand opening runs through Saturday with sale prices on specified products, said Jackie Kashner, a store manager from Mount Olive who was helping prepare the store for the event on Wednesday.
On Saturday, the store will feature face paintings and a dunking cage, Kashner said.
Chrisanna Mooring is the new store manager. A native and resident of Pikesville, Mooring said she transferred from the New Hope store where she was manager.
“We’ve got a bigger store … cleaner and we’ve got a lot more variety,” she said. “There are spin racks in the bagging area.”
The new store is about 8,500 square feet, compared to the former location at about 6,500 square feet.
“We’ll have new things, too, come in,” Mooring said. “Every month, we’re getting new things coming in.”
Construction began on the store in early May, Kashner said.
“It was on schedule,” she said.
Mooring said the store is manned with the former employees, and may possibly hire more people in the future.
The first Family Dollar store was opened in 1959 in Charlotte by Leon Levine, who wanted to offer quality items for discount prices in low- to middle-income communities. Today, there are more than 7,600 stores across the nation.
Family Dollar has a corporate giving program for nonprofit events or programs that provide basic necessities, including food, clothing and shelter, for low- to middle-income families, including senior citizens, minorities and at-risk youth, primarily in neighborhoods where the Company operates, according to its website.
Family Dollar in La Grange is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
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RetailMeNot.com, a digital coupon website, released its findings this month from a recent back-to-school survey on the upcoming school year.
The survey was conducted from May 22-28 among 306 U.S. parents of children in grades K–12 using an email invitation and online survey.
Of the parents surveyed, 95 percent said they will have to buy or contribute to their child’s classroom because of their school’s budget cuts.
Nearly half of the parents will have to supply their kids with basic cleaning supplies, such as paper towels, and 47 percent said they will supply their own antibacterial products.
When their children in grades K–12 return to class this fall, it is estimated the average parent, in addition to tuition costs, will spend another $285 per child on school-related costs. And more than 1 in 5, 21 percent, figure they will have to invest more than $300 per child on additional school related costs.
Fathers calculate about $333 per child, while mothers estimate the cost per child at $247.
At the same time, school revenues have decreased and teachers are funding more of the educational costs out of their own pockets.
If you know a teacher who’s in need of supplies, you can nominate that teacher by creating a YouTube video. RetailMeNot will reward a three-minute Costco shopping spree for the best video submission. For official rules and contest details, visit retailmenot.com/blog/2013-teacher-nomination-contest.html to submit your nomination. Contest ends Aug. 30.
Margaret Fisher can be reached at 252-559-1082 or Margaret.Fisher@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @MargaretFishr.
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Do you have a new retail business or one that’s undergone a significant change? The Free Press would like to hear about it. Contact Margaret Fisher at 252-559-1082 or Margaret.Fisher@Kinston.com.