By NANCY PIATT
Special to the Hays Post
VICTORIA — For Victoria residents, a long-awaited day has arrived. Officially on Tuesday at 5 p.m. the new Dollar General store opened its doors to the public.
The store’s grand opening will be on Friday. Hours for the new business are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. The only day the store is closed is Christmas Day.
Mike Rome, store manager, and some of his staff were ready to greet their customers and process their purchases. Rome left his prior position with FedEx explaining that this was a job opportunity he couldn’t pass up.
For the first few days, Zkhurran Asghar, the Dollar General regional manager from Oklahoma City, will be on-site to continue overseeing the details inherent to opening a new facility.
Also on hand to celebrate the occasion was community organizer Rose Anne Dreiling, who has been very instrumental in bringing Dollar General to Victoria.
“It has been my dream and passion to bring Dollar General to Victoria for over 20 years, but I failed the first time. So when the Victoria Community Coalition met in 2022 and 2023 and discussed ways to help our community grow, it lit a spark — rekindling that passion,” Dreiling said.
“After those meetings, it was full speed ahead. I made it my goal to see the project to completion.”
Dreiling said she was excited to be customer No. 1 for the staff to check out with her purchases.
Rome kept smiling as he discussed how he was hired for his position and proceeded through the process from number of interviews to on-the-job training. The store has hired an assistant manager and five sales associates, some full-time and others part-time. Rome said he expects to hire at least two more employees in the near future.
In discussing some of what he sees as priorities with his operation, Rome said his staff will be greeting customers and ensuring good service. The store has one cashier for those who want that personal service and two self-checkout stations as well: one for cards only and one for either cash or cards.
Keeping merchandise well stocked, maintaining clear aisles, and ensuring the store will be clean are some of Rome’s other goals.
Talking about the process from the beginning, Dreilng said, "Throughout the many stages, I have been checking on the progress of the store and want to commend the hard work and efforts of all involved, from digging the foundation, laying concrete, building and completing the structure inside and out, to stocking the shelves.
"Under the guidance of our local store manager, in addition to the other Dollar General district, corporate and surrounding area stores’ staff, the store went up in record time. Thanks also go to all those who made it possible to get water, gas and plumbing to the store in record time.
“There are some individuals who deserve special acknowledgment. First is Mr. Al Pfeifer, owner of Pfeifer’s Inc. who has always had a vision for the growth of Victoria and stepped forward when we needed him most by providing the land for Dollar General to build. Second is Mary Beth (Leiker) Fisher, a Victoria native, who wanted to see our community grow and succeed also. She attended meetings with me and provided her and advice when I needed it. Last but not least, the community of Victoria!”