Goodlettsville-based Dollar General says it will not be following the lead of big-box discount retailer Walmart on its payment of employees. Walmart announced last month that it would start paying all employees at least $10 an hour as of next year, but Dollar General executives say they’re not planning to raise the wages of their lowest paid workers.
About 12 percent of Dollar General’s part-time employees are making the federal minimum wage — $7.25 an hour — according to CEO Rick Dreiling. He defended the company’s pay scale in a recent conference call with investors.
“We’re going to continue to monitor the landscape and we’ll assess and make any adjustments as we see fit,” Dreiling said. “But right now, in terms of what we’re paying our people, we feel comfortable that we’re there.”
Dreiling noted that store employees are eligible for a promotion after several months, which would raise their pay to about $9 an hour.
Dollar General employs more than 100,000 people, according to its website. Not all of those workers are part-time, and Dreiling said all full-time employees make more than minimum wage.
Meanwhile, the company announced successful earnings for 2014. It grew 8 percent last year to nearly $19 million in sales and plans build 730 new stores in 2015.
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