GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. - Dollar General announced last week the opening of its 10,000th store, giving the retailer a coast-to-coast presence for the first time in the company??s history.

The landmark location is in Merced, Calif., which is one of the company??s first stores in the state, in addition to its 10,000th store nationwide. Since the first Dollar General store opened in Springfield, Kentucky, the discount retailer has grown to 10,000 stores in 39 states.

"Opening the doors of our 10,000th store is a meaningful day for all of us at Dollar General, and we are excited to celebrate the occasion in California," said Rick Dreiling, Dollar General??s chairman and CEO. "This milestone reiterates our commitment to bringing unmatched convenience and value to customers across the nation."

Meanwhile, North Carolina-based Family Dollar Stores announced last week that it plans to continue increasing the assortment of consumables at its stores to drive sales. The stores will also begin to sell cigarettes and other tobacco products in the next several months, according to the Huffington Post.

"Tobacco is about a $90 billion business that drives very frequent trips," said Michael K. Bloom, president and COO. "Our customer research tells us that Family Dollar customers overindex on cigarettes and tobacco products. Soon, our customers will be able to come to our stores for these products."