People living across Acadiana are now reacting after more than 400 Family Dollar stores were deemed "temporarily closed" over the weekend.
30 stores in Acadiana are among the closures after a rodent infestation was discovered at a distribution center in Arkansas.
Throughout the day, dozens of cars could be seen pulling up to the Family Dollar in Sunset, only for the drivers to get out of their cars and get right back in them — driving away frustrated.
In the small town, folks told KATC they rely on this store in particular.
"I was gonna stop and just grab a few toiletries and stuff, turn in the parking lot, and family dollar's closed," said Shonda Brooks, a regular Family Dollar customer from Lawtell, another affected location.
"If they had that many rats, I heard it was like 11 hundred, somebody had to see that," said Karia Broussard from Opelousas.
"It's just easy and convenient to come here," Desiree Calais from Cecilia, who stops by the Sunset location on the way home from work.
Daisha Kibodeaux shops at Family Dollar nearly every day.
"It's not very many options, to be honest," Kibodeaux said. "You know, it's only one Family Dollar in Sunset, the next one is in what, Carencro, Opelousas? And that's a ways — it's very important for it to stay open — we need the Family Dollar, period."
As mentioned, it's not just Sunset that's affected. Brooks told KATC this is part of a domino effect.
"They're placed in neighborhoods so that people can walk to them, and so when they close it creates a huge inconvenience so it leaves folks to have to maybe go to a convenient store where things aren't convenient because they're sometimes twice the price," Brooks said. "This didn't happen to whole foods this happened in communities where they're already struggling."
As for the discount store chain, Family Dollar released the following statement given the current circumstances, which can be found here.
Still, however, Brooks said this is part of a greater issue.
"I think it just goes to the bigger picture of what's going on in corporate America and not really caring about the little guy," Brooks said. "I hate to say it like that, but this is a big deal, it's affecting a lot of Family Dollars."
For a full list of the affected Family Dollar stores, click here.
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