Here’s what Family Dollar is giving away at new Atwater location

The new Family Dollar location in Atwater is planning special events and giveaways for the grand opening in the coming week, according to a spokesperson.

The store will give out Family Dollar gift cards to the first 50 customers to enter the store on Jan. 26, when the location opens at 8 a.m., according to Heather Briganti, a Family Dollar spokesperson.

The store at 451 Bellevue Road plans other giveaways and prizes, including reusable shopping bags, cookies and a gift basket raffle, according to a news release.

There are two locations in Merced.

The first Family Dollar opened in 1959 in North Carolina as a discount store for low- to middle-class neighborhoods. Family Dollar has more than 8,000 outlets across the country and sells items ranging from food to toys, bedding and personal hygiene items. It is not a store in which all items sell for a dollar or less.

Dollar Tree Inc. purchased the Family Dollar corporation in 2015.