Customers exit the parking lot at the Dollar General in Evensville, Tenn. Thursday, Nov. 16 2017. Dollar General has been opening stores in rural areas, particularly food deserts where residents usually within five miles will go to shop for their groceries. However the chain does not carry fresh fruits, vegetables or meats, leaving the communities they serves to choose from various processed foods.
George Beaty of Evensville, Tenn. fills his shopping cart with cream of chicken soup for his neighbor who was not feeling well at Dollar General in Evensville, Tenn. Thursday, Nov. 16 2017. Store manager Justin Ray said that although the store does not carry fresh produce, it is an important grocery source for the people in the surrounding community due to the lack of options.
Dalton Cranfield, 3, and his father David Cranfield decide which flavor of ice cream they will purchase at Dollar General in Evensville, Tenn. Thursday, Nov. 16 2017. David said they don’t shop at the store often, but when they do it is for the convenience.
George Beaty of Evensville, Tenn. scans the aisles for cream of chicken soup for his neighbor at Dollar General in Evensville, Tenn. Thursday, Nov. 16 2017. Beaty, a retired welder and plumber, said he usually stops by the store several times a week to pick up whatever he needs.
George Beaty, left, shakes the hand of Ed McClendon both of Evensville, Tenn. after running into each other at Dollar General in Evensville, Tenn. Thursday, Nov. 16 2017. Beaty said he has grown familiar with the staff at the store because he frequents it so often.
David Cranfield and his son Dalton, 3, pose for portrait at Dollar General in Evensville, Tenn. Thursday, Nov. 16 2017. CREDIT: Jessica Tezak for the Wall Street Journal
DOLLARGEN
Denise Marler of Evensville, Tenn. shops for a birthday card for her father’s 70th birthday at Dollar General in Evensville, Tenn. Thursday, Nov. 16 2017. Marler said she shops at the store two to three times a week.
Margie Bunch, left, and her grandson Jayden Wilson, 12, both of Dayton, Tenn. pose for a portrait during a shopping trip at Dollar General in Evensville, Tenn. Thursday, Nov. 16 2017. Bunch said she has been raising Wilson ever since her daughter passed away three years ago.
A “Pet Treat Launcher” sits on the shelf at Dollar General in Evensville, Tenn. Thursday, Nov. 16 2017.
Local business owner Leah O’Neill, left, shops for cat food with her daughters Elizabeth and Emily O’Neill, 4, all of Evensville at Dollar General in Evensville, Tenn. Thursday, Nov. 16 2017.
Karen Aikman of Dayton, Tenn. shops for Christmas presents for recipients of the “Angel Tree” at the Restoration Clinic in Decatur, Tenn. at Dollar General in Evensville, Tenn. Thursday, Nov. 16 2017.