It’s 12:30 p.m. – friendly faces greet you, smiling from ear to ear upon walking inside. The aisles are clean and fully stocked with products ranging from cleaning supplies, art supplies, kitchen utensils, holiday decorations, snacks and much more. Dollar Tree was finally open again in Whitewater after nearly 20 years.
Rewind to a few hours before. It’s 10 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 2 – community members gather around for the grand opening. Despite a long game of cat-and-mouse leaving the community wondering when the store would actually open, the jangling of keys were heard making their way into the front door’s lock. It wouldn’t turn. It wouldn’t fit. The keys weren’t opening the store. A locksmith was called, and two and a half hours later, the store was officially open in Whitewater.
Everything was fine until the afternoon of Feb. 7 around 2:45 p.m., just five days after opening, the Wi-Fi was out. No WiFi means no sales because the registers wouldn’t work. After coming to this realization, the store was forced to close until the WiFi was fixed. Longtime Dollar Tree employee and store manager Jenny Reinfeldt was called to come in on her day off, and the store opened its doors an hour later.
Despite these setbacks, the employees are managing to keep smooth sailing.
“It was frustrating,” Reinfeldt said. “I wanted the store to be open at that time, gathering more sales and gaining more traction. But we got over it, it’s not the first time that this has happened to me, either. I’ve been with this company for 24 years.”
Longtime Whitewater residents recall the first and last time the company was in town – nearly 20 years ago. With $1 prices changing to $1.25 nationwide in 2021, along with additional items ranging from $3-$10, Whitewater’s community has responded well, causing sales to exceed forecast sales for the first week.
“The community has been great,” said assistant manager Crystal Johnson. “They’re very happy that we’re here after so long and seeing that the store is actually organized. Having hiccups are kind of expected when you are a new store and stuff, but at least the community was understanding.”
With Whitewater primarily being classified as a “college town,” the store provides cost-efficient and effective items, perfect for young adults who could be living on their own for the first time. Johnson also described that the incoming crowd also traveled from cities away to shop.
“We have different price points, which is more budget friendly to all community members, not just the students,” Johnson said. “Times are hard, so it’s a little bit easier on everybody.”
The atmosphere of the store radiates with friendliness and the employees seem to enjoy their job. Every customer is usually greeted with a smile and a wave. Friendly chatter between shoppers and employees are also heard throughout the store. The store’s management is hoping to hire more employees as time goes on.
“Right now, I’m fully staffed,” Reinfeldt said. “But as sales are improving, I’m going to be picking up extra hours, so I’m going to be hiring shortly.”
The new store is located at 1139 W. Main St., next door to Burtness Chrysler. Official store hours have not been posted online to the public, but have been posted outside of the entrance doors as Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m.to 8 p.m.
