h volume, low profit operating model are more prone to endangering the safety of their staff and customers.  Since 2017, Dollar General has faced over US$21 million in reported fines from over 240 inspections. According to the US Department of Labor, the chain was hit with US$9 million in fines across its Alabama, Florida and Georgia store network, for violations found to have occurred between February 2022 and April 2023.  These violations come as the variety chain is in the midst of a rapid expansion. It has grown to over 19,000 locations across the United States and Mexico, with its store count increasing by almost 1,000 between April 2022 and May 2023. The retail giant – which has been accused by staff of low wages and poor worker conditions beyond its safety hazards – also reported a 6.8 per cent increase in annual net sales in Q1 this year. Reputational damage While the alleged safety breaches by the Dollar Store are extensive – they are by no means exclusive to this particular chain, confined to the United States, or limited to budget retailers alone.  In Australia, the Reject Shop and Dusk were fined A$240,000 by the Australian Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission (ACCC) for selling potentially lethal button batteries. French sporting chain Decathlon was fined A$1.5 million in 2021 for selling more than 400 unsafe basketball rings and backboards and over 300 portable pools. These products didn’t include relevant safety labelling, or installation and use instructions, thus constituting a failure to meet mandatory safety standards.  Meanwhile, Japanese discount franchiser Daiso was fined A$1 million in 2017 for contravening ACCC laws. This included selling dangerous toys, and incorrectly or insufficiently labelling products including its sunglasses, cosmetics and luggage straps.  Responding to The Iconic staff underpayments last year, professor of marketing and consumer behaviour at Macquarie University, Jana Bowden told Inside Retail that brand transgressions loom large in the minds of employees and customers.  Deeper societal challenges As for whether discount retailers are more prone to violating workplace safety laws, national secretary of the SDA – the union for retail, fast food, warehouse and online retail workers – Gerard Dwyer told Inside Retail that they don’t have access to data that disaggregates discount retail and retail-at-large with regard to worker safety. However, he said that discount retailers may have more stringent cost restraints which might affect decisions around preventing or managing worker safety.   National Retail Association CEO Greg Griffith added that all retailers are expected to comply with work health and safety standards – otherwise, they risk facing significant fines from state and territory regulators.   For instance, under the model WHS Act, corporations can be fined up to A$3 million by the Commonwealth, and between A$3-$3.5 million across the states and territories, for a category one violation.  This category relates to a duty holder without reasonable excuse engaging in conduct of gross negligence, or who are reckless and cause risk to an individual of death or serious injury or illness. Not afraid of boycotting Griffith told Inside Retail that workers were entitled to feel safe at work, and that the onus was on employees to ensure that reasonable steps were taken to address hazards in the workplace.   “Australia’s regulatory bodies are certainly effective in upholding the compliance standards of employers,” he said. “Whether you are a discount retailer or luxury retailer [any] compromise to worker safety can be met with significant fines.” He maintained that any cost advantage to retail operations must not come at the expense of employee safety – with brands risking extreme penalties if they don’t effectively prioritise worker safety.  Griffith added that the risk to retail worker health and safety can also be driven by external factors, such as aggressive customers and retail crime, which present deeper societal challenges. Meanwhile, he believes consumers are increasingly choosing to align their purchases with their personal values. “They are not afraid of boycotting retailers they deem to be unethical,” he said.