It's close to her home and offers good prices, but Isabel Garza said these days, a trip to the Dollar General store at 3007 Sugar Rd. in Edinburg, is a sweaty and uncomfortable one.
"I couldn’t stand to be inside the store,” Garza said. “It was hotter inside than outside, because outside there was a breeze and in (the store) there wasn't even a breeze - it was super hot."
Customers and employees tell Action 4 News the air conditioning unit has been broken for at least two weeks.
Employees said the store gets so hot, that they can’t concentrate. They said the heat has them drenched in sweat, feeling nauseous and some employees are even getting red rashes on their skin.
"(Someone) asked me ‘what’s wrong with your face?’” employee Maria Vega said about the rash on her cheek. “That's the way I get when it's too hot."
"Just the sweat! You can't stand the heat - I mean you can’t even focus on what you're doing,” fellow employee Gracie Martinez added.
Vega said it can get anywhere from 90 degrees to 102 degrees inside the store. it gets up to 90 to 102 degrees inside the store. She said management has called Dollar General's corporate offices urging them to fix the problem. However, nothing has been done.
"My God! I just came-in here 10 or 15 minutes and the workers are here all day - it's ridiculous," Garza said.
Faithful customer Javier Cabrera said he's been keeping his trips to the store short, but feels bad for the workers who have to bear the hot conditions.
"I feel sorry for them because they've been suffering just like anyone else coming into a hot place," Cabrera said.
Quitting is not an option for the employees, and said for now, they'll keep the fans running and chug cold water. They hope to have a more permanent solution soon.
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