The new staff at Niverville’s Great Canadian Dollar Store have been stocking shelves and learning the ropes before the store’s official grand opening, which will run from March 1–3. Owner Travis Neufeld of Steinbach says they are almost ready for the soft opening in the next day or two.
“All of our staff has been working for a month before store opening,” Neufeld says. “We have them working on learning the merchandising and the product [lines]… so that when we actually open they are very familiar with the store and where things are so they can help people when they come in. We want to focus on friendly service.”
Eleven staff members have been hired from the area, including four or five full-time employees, with the rest taking part-time positions. Local resident Wendy Jablonski has been hired and trained in the position of store manager.
Neufeld says that customers can expect to find a store layout and product lines that are very similar to all the other Great Canadian locations around the province. Some of the product lines will vary from location to location, as the company tries to cater to each community’s unique interests and needs. They also plan to be flexible enough that they can order and stock items on request, depending on availability.
The Niverville location will carry a vast array of items including housewares, glassware, cleaning supplies, party supplies, specialty balloons, toys, faith-based items, home décor, and snack foods. Neufeld says that this location will have the largest selection of greeting cards compared to any other location in Manitoba. They will also provide a customized stuffed-balloon service. Customers will be able order balloons filled with a variety of products of their choice.
“We’ll also offer bread for $1.25 per loaf,” Neufeld says. “It [comes from grocers like] Sobeys and there’s a few days left before it expires.”
A number of opening weekend specials are being planned, including six-packs of Pepsi products for just $3 and 25 percent off all Melissa and Doug toys. Customers are also reminded to take advantage of the $5-off coupon made available in the January print edition of The Citizen.
Niverville will be one of five Great Canadian locations owned by Neufeld and his three partners. Their other locations include Steinbach, Portage la Prairie, Morden, and an Altona store set to open in May of this year.
