Dollar Tree likes what it is seeing in cage-free egg signage pilot

Dollar Tree is currently engaged in a pilot looking at how shoppers respond to in-store signage and messaging regarding cage-free eggs, and the test will be expanded in 2024.

In 2023, signage was used in the refrigerated section in 63 Family Dollar stores letting shoppers know which eggs were from cage-free hens and which were from caged.

After experiencing positive results with the initial wave of testing, Dollar Tree, headquartered in Chesapeake, Va., will expand the pilot this year to hundreds of stores based on product availability, affordability, and customer response.

According to Dollar Tree, results of the pilot were measured based on sales and customer interest, and the test also included supplemental in-store messaging and in-aisle labeling informing shoppers of the difference between cage-free and caged eggs. Questions about the pilot were also supposed to be included in surveys to shoppers to further understand the perception of cage-free options.

Back in 2016, Dollar Tree said its goal was to offer only cage-free eggs by 2025 based on available supply, affordability, and shopper demand.

More information on the pilot will be included in Dollar Tree’s 2024 corporate sustainability report, which will be available this spring.

Meanwhile, Dollar Tree competitor Dollar General has made a complete reversal regarding its commitment to cage-free eggs.

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After looking at the current macroeconomic environment, the state of the egg production industry, and the affordability needs of customers, who are either unable or unwilling to pay a higher price for cage-free eggs if there is a lower price alternative, the Goodlettsville, Tenn.-based retailer decided in December 2023 it would no longer try to transition offering only cage-free eggs at its locations.

“Customer needs and preferences for lower-priced conventional eggs versus higher-priced cage-free eggs, as well as supply availability for cage-free eggs, remain significant considerations,” Dollar General said. “While we are hopeful that, with the passage of time, the price of cage-free in-shell eggs will decline so that cage-free eggs become a viable, equally affordable option, our responsibility remains oriented towards our customers and shareholders.”

Like Dollar Tree, Dollar General also made the commitment in 2016 that it would offer cage-free eggs at 100% of its locations by 2025.