The victim’s family share their relief that an arrest has been made, LIVE on Channel 2 Action News at 4:00 p.m.
Investigators have been searching for Justin Hodges since Scott Melton was shot and killed on Christmas Eve.
Fulton County Jail records show Hodges was booked early Thursday on charges of murder, aggravated assault, battery and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
A $10,000 reward has been issued for the arrest of Justin Hodges.
The shooting happened at the Family Dollar store on Headland Drive. Police say Melton and Hodges got into some type of disagreement. Hodges was working security.
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“He didn’t formally work for the store; his girlfriend did. So, he kind of worked for her underneath the table security,” East Point Police Chief Shawn Buchanan told Channel 2’s Tom Jones.
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During the argument, police say surveillance video captured Hodges shooting Melton. Hodges then went on the run.
CrimeStoppers of Greater Atlanta offered a $10,000 reward for any information on his whereabouts. Now, Hodges is behind bars.
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WJW) – Cleveland police are investigating after a Family Dollar employee allegedly shot a person who refused to show a receipt.
According to officials, at about 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 18, officers were called to the 3100 block of W. 110th Street for a report of a 20-year-old man shot in the ankle.
Police say the suspect is an employee of a Family Dollar store located at 10820 Lorain Avenue, about a half-mile from where the victim was found.
Based on an initial investigation, police report, the suspect attempted to verify a receipt from the victim’s purchase and when the victim refused to show the receipt, the suspect followed the victim outside where they were involved in a physical altercation and the store employee shot the victim.
The victim was transported to a nearby hospital.
Police said the 41-year-old suspect was arrested. A name has not yet been released.
Officials note: “This information is preliminary and subject to change as the investigation evolves.“
The retail industry is going through a tough time as it copes with inflation-weary consumers and a rash of bankruptcies, prompting chains to announce the closures of almost 3,200 brick-and-mortar stores so far in 2024, according to a new analysis.
That’s a 24% increase from a year ago, according to a report from retail data provider CoreSight, which tracks store closures and openings across the U.S. Although some retailers are planning to expand this year, major chains have announced 4% fewer openings compared with a year earlier, the analysis found.
Blame changing consumer habits, as well as retailers’ management struggles and bankruptcies, with the latter impacting companies including Rite Aid and Rue21. The largest number of store closures stems from Dollar Tree’s announcement earlier this year that it plans to close more than 600 Family Dollar locations this year, with the discount store citing the impact of inflation on its customers as well as an increase in shoplifting.
“A lot of this year’s closures are related to bankruptcies of chains that have been in trouble for a while, like Rite Aid and Rue21,” Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData, told CBS Moneywatch. “We’re also seeing several retailers, like Family Dollar, take action to weed out unperforming locations.”
Although consumer spending has remained solid this year, there are “pockets of softness creeping in, and retailers want to ensure they are in good financial shape to weather any challenges” Saunders added. “That means optimizing store portfolios.”
Brick-and-mortar retailers are also struggling with ongoing competition from online rivals such as Amazon.com.
By contrast, some companies blundered strategically, such as Express, which filed for bankruptcy last month and announced plans to close 100 of its 500 locations. The clothing chain, known for its workplace fashion, failed to connect with consumers after the pandemic ushered in working from home, Saunders said.
That put the company “firmly on the wrong side of trends and, in our view, the chain made too little effort to adapt,” he said in a recent research note.
Are consumers cutting back?
Recent data shows that Americans are still opening their wallets. Consumer spending in March rose 0.8% (the most recent data available), which economists say represents solid growth.
But some signs consumers are starting to fade amid a modest economic slowdown. On Friday, the University of Michigan’s Surveys of Consumer sentiment index for May dropped to 67.4, the largest monthly decline since mid-2021. Confidence is dipping because of expectations for higher inflation and softer growth, said Jeffrey Roach, chief economist for LPL Financial, in an email.
“Uncertainty about the inflation path could suppress consumer spending in the coming months,” he noted.
Consumers have also spent down any remaining extra money they socked away during the pandemic, when federal stimulus checks and other benefits bolstered their bank accounts, Roach said in an earlier report.
“[T]here are potential risks to consumer spending,” he said. “When households exhaust these accumulated savings, it could lead to a decline in discretionary spending.”
Even so, some retailers are planning to open hundreds of new stores, CoreSight found. Dollar General, a rival of Dollar Tree, said it will add more than 800 locations this year, putting it at the top of the list of retailers opening new stores this year, according to the research firm.
In second place is 7-Eleven, which plans to open more than 270 U.S. locations this year, followed by discount store Five Below, with plans to open 227 outlets, the analysis found.
Aimee Picchi is the associate managing editor for CBS MoneyWatch, where she covers business and personal finance. She previously worked at Bloomberg News and has written for national news outlets including USA Today and Consumer Reports.
Since their beginnings in the 1950s, dollar stores have mushroomed across the U.S., sprouting up in urban and rural communities alike. But their rapid growth appears to be hitting a speed bump as their low-income customers struggle with inflation, cuts to government benefits and other problems.
Dollar Tree on Wednesday said it will shutter about 15% of its Family Dollar locations, leading to the closures of roughly 1,000 stores. It also plans to close about 30 of its own Dollar Tree-branded stores, with the company singling out unprofitable locations amid a hit to its customer base from inflation and cuts to food stamps.
Dollar Tree stores are grappling with consumers who are more likely to shop around for bargains after two years of at times bruising inflation, experts say.
“Over recent years, rates of shopping around have increased, and we believe that they will only increase further in the years ahead as other chains like Walmart, Aldi and Dollar General continue to expand,” noted Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData, in an email about Dollar Tree’s woes.
As recently as December 2023, Family Dollar had planned to open more than 300 stores, according to retail data provider Coresight. But Family Dollar customers are spending less at its stores, and shoplifting is accelerating in some locations, company executives said on Wednesday when they announced the closures.
Recent cuts to the food-stamp program, called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, have also drained dollars from their customers’ wallets, putting them under even more pressure to find bargains. At the same time the cost of groceries has gone up by 25% since the start of the pandemic.
“[T]his inflationary environment we’ve lived in for the last couple years has been a shock” for customers, Dollar General CEO Todd Vasos said in a Thursday conference call.
“White flag of surrender”
The challenges at Dollar Tree, which bought Family Dollar in 2015 for $8.5 billion, come after Family Dollar has struggled to convince shoppers to remain loyal, noted Saunders.
Family Dollar has also had some headline-grabbing problems, such as its rat-infested warehouse that prompted the Department of Justice to fine it $42 million. Unsavory problems at the warehouse ranged from “four rat carcasses on the conveyor belt” to rodent droppings “too numerous to count,” a Food and Drug Administration report found.
With the stores not particularly appealing to consumers, it wasn’t able to build a loyal customer base, Saunders noted.
The closures are “effectively Family Dollar running up the white flag of surrender in the value grocery battle,” he said. “Despite some recent investments in price and attempts to make stores more pleasant places to shop, Family Dollar remains a laggard in the value segment.”
Dollar General to limit self-checkout
At the same time, rival Dollar General is reducing self-checkout at thousands of its stores in order to improve service for its customers, who are feeling the impact of two years of high inflation, the company said on Thursday. The chain will remove self-checkouts entirely at 300 stores that are most impacted by shoplifting, CEO Vasos said.
Despite its shoppers’ struggles, Dollar General appears to be outperforming its rivals. The retailer plans to open 800 stores this year, bringing its total number of locations to almost 20,000, according to a March report from Coresight.
Dollar Tree to add $7 items
Even at a time when shoppers are feeling pinched, Dollar Tree said it’s experimenting with a broader price range. The company said it will introduce products that cost as much as $7 each at its stores this year, according to CEO Richard Dreiling on a Wednesday conference call.
The plan is to add 300 new items at prices ranging from $1.50 to $7 to Dollar Tree’s 3,000 stores, he added. Still, most products will remain at the entry price point of $1.25, he added.
“We are continuously working on new ways to deliver value, while expanding our assortment across a wider range of price points,” Dreiling said.
Aimee Picchi is the associate managing editor for CBS MoneyWatch, where she covers business and personal finance. She previously worked at Bloomberg News and has written for national news outlets including USA Today and Consumer Reports.
This is a roundup of news and other interesting pieces that I’ve come across over the last few days. I thought they are worth sharing so I hope you enjoy reading them.
Booking Cottages.com via Wyndham Rewards
Though not often discussed, Wyndham also has a couple of other vacation rental partners in Cottages.com and Landal Greenparks. Cottages.com presents ample opportunity for very good value for points given that it has long been possible (and will continue to be possible!) to book Cottages.com vacation rentals for 15,000 points per bedroom per night. ➡️ Read more
Quadruple Stack On HBO Max Membership Purchase
There’s currently a quadruple stack on HMO Max annual membership that includes a promotion from MAX, Amex Offer, shopping portals and a 15% discount for Sam’s Club members. ➡️ Read more
Qatar Airways Plans Two New Qsuites Business Class Seats
Qatar Airways is known for its Qsuites business class. This is one of the world’s best business class experiences, between an excellent soft and hard product. Nearly seven years after the product was introduced, it’s available on most long haul aircraft, but not all. What many people don’t realize is that the airline is working on two additional new business class products, and one of these should be unveiled in the coming months. ➡️ Read more
Choice Hotels Bookings at Record Rate of 800% Compared to Last Year due to Eclipse
Choice Hotels has over 400 hotels in the path of the total solar eclipse taking place on April 8 that are being booked at an increased rate of 800% compared to the same date last year. The total eclipse will be visible along a narrow track stretching from Texas to Maine. More than 20% of American travelers say they are likely to take a trip to experience next month’s total eclipse. ➡️ Read more
How much money you need to ‘live comfortably’ in major cities
The research revealed that it takes the most money to live comfortably as a single person in New York City, requiring $66.62 in hourly wages, or an annual salary of $138,570. That’s more than $63,000 needed to sustain comfort in Houston, Texas, the lowest-ranking city on the list. New York’s also one of six U.S. cities where a family must make over $300k to raise two kids comfortably: $318,406, to be exact. ➡️ Read more
Nearly 1,000 Family Dollar stores are closing
Dollar Tree announced it will close nearly 1,000 of its Family Dollar stores after the stores experienced a significant underperformance in 2023, according to the press release by the company. During the fourth quarter of 2023, Dollar Tree underwent a review of its stores performance to identify locations to close, relocate or re-banner, the company said. ➡️ Read more
Guru’s Wrap-up
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Consumers should not purchase half a dozen ground cinnamon products sold by retailers including Family Dollar and Dollar Tree because they contain elevated levels of lead, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday in an public health alert.
The warning, which also urged folks to check their spice racks and throw out any of six items, comes after nationwide recalls of lead-tainted applesauce linked to 468 poisonings, mostly involving young children.
Amid the concern for lead toxicity in kids, the FDA initiated a targeted survey of ground cinnamon products from discount retail stores and analyzed the samples for lead and chromium. The agency found elevated levels of the metals in six brands:
La Fiesta, sold at La Superior and SuperMercados
Marcum, sold at Save A Lot
MTCI, sold at SF Supermarket
Swad, sold at Patel Brothers
Supreme Tradition, sold at Dollar Tree and Family Dollar
El Chilar, sold at La Joya Morelense
La Fiesta ground cinnamon is one of six cinnamon products found to contain high levels of lead.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Marcum ground cinnamon is one of six cinnamon products found to contain lead.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
MTCI cinnamon poweder is one of six cinnamon products found to contain high levels of lead.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Swad cinnamon powder is one of six cinnamon product found to contain high levels of lead.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Supreme Tradition round cinnamon is one of six products found to contain lead.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
El Chilar ground cinnamon is one of six cinnamon products found to contain high levels of lead.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
The FDA is recommending that the manufacturers of the products recall them, with the exception of MTCI cinnamon, as the agency has not been able to reach the company.
Shortly after the FDA issued its alert, two of the companies announced recalls. Colonna Brothers of North Bergen, N.J., is recalling 1.5-ounce Ground Cinnamon and 2.25-ounce Supreme Tradition Ground Cinnamon distributed nationwide and through mail order (See here for further details.) Colonna said it had ceased production and distribution of all cinnamon.
In addition, El Chilar Rodriguez of Apopka, Fla., is recalling 127 cases of El Chilar Ground Cinnamon “Canela Molida” sold in 1.25-ounce bags, distributed by La Raza of Forestville, Md., and sold at retail stores throughout Maryland.
One consumer advocacy group applauded the FDA for its investigation and for making its findings public, yet said the FDA announcement also sheds light on the agency’s limited power in protecting consumers.
“If we know that a food is making people sick, the FDA should be able to tell the company behind it to recall that product, rather than asking and waiting to see whether the company complies,” U.S. PIRG Education Fund’s Consumer Watchdog Teresa Murray stated.
“Time is our enemy when tainted food remains on store shelves, in kitchen cabinets and refrigerators,” said Murray, calling on Congress to give the agency the authority to recall potentially dangerous foods, with or without the manufacturer’s approval.
Most people do not show obvious immediate symptoms of lead exposure, but prolonged exposure to the metals could be unsafe.
Exposure to lead in utero, infancy and early childhood can lead to harmful neurological effects like learning and behavior disabilities and lowered IQ, according to the regulator. For adults, chronic lead exposure is linked to kidney dysfunction, hypertension and neurocognitive effects.
An early morning car crash in North Philadelphia left a fiery mess of debris in front of a Family Dollar store.
At 2:50 a.m. Tuesday, a Mercedes-Benz sedan collided with a Dodge tow truck at 22nd and Cambria streets, police said. The impact caused the car to knock down a light pole and a traffic light before it crashed into the Family Dollar and caught fire.
According to police, the sedan ran through a red light as it was traveling westbound on Cambria Street, striking the truck, which had been driving northbound on 22nd Street.
The crash damaged the metal gates of the grocery store and caused the sedan to catch fire, investigators said. The Family Dollar also was damaged by the fire, including its sign, which was charred.
The sedan and the tow truck ended up on the sidewalk in front of the store. The driver of the sedan, a 24-year-old man, was taken to Temple University Hospital for treatment and is in stable condition, police said. The truck driver was not injured.
