By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

Construction of a Family Dollar and Dollar Tree store in the 800 block of N. Roosevelt St. is complete, but shelves are empty and employees still are being sought.

Jennifer Slifer, district manager for the company, posted a photo on social media seeking employees for the store. Asked what hourly pay was offered, she said customer service representative would be paid $10.50 — half a dollar less than the wage advertised at a local convenience store.

A sign at Braum’s in McPherson offers $13 an hour for adults and $10 an hour for teens.

The store is expected to be open in a couple of weeks but needs a team to get the store ready.

Some people who replied to Slifer’s post complained that the store was so close to Marion’s Dollar General store that neither store would do well.

Another posted a link to an article about Family Dollar being fined $1.2 million in August for “flagrantly ignoring workplace safety regulations” at two Ohio stores.

In that article, Doug Parker, assistant secretary of labor for Occupational Safety and Health Administration, is quoted as saying:

“Family Dollar and Dollar Tree stores have a long and disturbing history of putting profits above employee safety. Time and time again, we find the same violations — blocked or obstructed emergency exits and aisles, boxes of merchandise stacked high or in front of electrical panels and fire extinguishers. Each hazard can lead to a tragedy.”