EXHIBIT 10 (i)

AMENDMENT NO. FOUR
                                     TO THE
                                  FAMILY DOLLAR
                 EMPLOYEE SAVINGS AND RETIREMENT PLAN AND TRUST
                           AMENDED AND RESTATED AS OF
                                 JANUARY 1, 1987

THIS AMENDMENT, which is
effective as of April 1, 2001, is made and executed by and among Family Dollar
Stores, Inc. and Family Dollar, Inc., for themselves and their related
corporations and other entities which have joined or will join as participating
employers under this Plan as identified on new Appendix A to the Plan attached
hereto (collectively, the Employer);

WITNESSETH:

| | A. | The Employer previously adopted the Family Dollar Employee Savings and
Retirement Plan and Trust (the Plan) for the benefit of eligible
employees and has reserved the right to amend the same from time to time.
| | -- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| | B. | The Employer  desires to amend the Plan in the manner  hereinafter set
forth in connection with changes to the eligibility  requirements  for
Plan participation.
| | -- | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THEREFORE, the Plan is amended as follows:

| | 1. | Effective  as of April 1, 2001,  Section  2.1 (30) shall be amended to
read as follows:
| | -- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| | (30)
ENTRY DATE: The first practicable pay period on or after the date on which the
Employee has met the relevant eligibility requirements. Prior to April 1, 2001,
the Entry Date was January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1 of each Plan Year;
provided that prior to April 1, 1988, the Plans Entry Dates were only
April 1 and October 1 of each Plan Year, except that for the sole purpose of
determining Participation in the Plan under section 3.1 (and not for deferral
elections or changes under Article 4 or any other purpose under the Plan),
January 1 of each Plan Year also was an Entry Date.
| | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| | 2. | Effective as of April 1, 2001, Section 3.1 shall be amended to read as
follows:
| | -- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| |  | 3.1 | Participation:
| |  | --- | --------------

| |  |  | (a) | Pre-Effective Date Participants: An Employee who became a Participant under the
prior provisions of the Plan prior to April 1, 2001 shall continue to
participate in accordance with the provisions of this Plan.
| |  |  | --- | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| |  |  | (b) | Participation On and After April 1, 2001: Each Employee who is shown on the
Employers Plan records as a Regular Full-Time Associate shall be eligible
to participate in the Plan as of the first Entry Date on or after the date on
which he has both attained age eighteen and completed ninety (90) days of
employment for the Employer. Each Employee who is shown on the Employers
Plan records as a Part-Time Associate or as a Full-Time Temporary Associate
shall be eligible to participate in the Plan as of the first Entry Date on or
after the date on which he both attained age eighteen and completed one Year of
Service (provided he is still in the Service of the Employer on such date).
| |  |  | --- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| |  |  | (c) | Plan Administrators Rules and Procedures: The Plan Administrator shall
have rules and procedures for determining how individuals who change status
during a Plan Year will be classified, which rules and procedures (without
limitation) may include a provision that considers an Employees status as
that which he had as of a certain day in a Plan Year ((e. g. , April 1).
| |  |  | --- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

IN WITNESS  WHEREOF,  Family Dollar Stores,  Inc. and Family  Dollar,  Inc., for
themselves  and all other  Employers  listed on  Appendix  A,  have  caused  the
Amendment to be properly executed effective April 1, 2001.

| | FAMILY DOLLAR STORES, INC.
| | --------------------------

|(Corporate Seal)
|----------------

| | By:      /s/ C. Martin Sowers
            C. MARTIN SOWERS
Title:   Sr. Vice President-Finance
| | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

|Attest:

By:      /s/ Janice B. Burris
            JANICE B. BURRIS
Title:   Assistant Secretary
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| | FAMILY DOLLAR, INC.
| | -------------------

|(Corporate Seal)
|----------------

| | By:      /s/ C. Martin Sowers
            C. MARTIN SOWERS
Title:   Sr. Vice President-Finance
| | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

|Attest:
By:      /s/ Janice B. Burris
            JANICE B. BURRIS
Title:   Assistant Secretary
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

APPENDIX A
                           FAMILY DOLLAR STORES, INC.
                         Corporations and other Entities

Family Dollar Stores, Inc.
Family Dollar, Inc.
Family Dollar Holdings, Inc.
Family Dollar Services, Inc.
Family Dollar Operations, Inc.
Family Dollar Trucking, Inc.
Family Dollar Marketing, Inc.
Family Dollar Stores of Alabama, Inc.
Family Dollar Stores of Arkansas, Inc.
Family Dollar Stores of Colorado, Inc.
Family Dollar Stores of Connecticut, Inc.
Family Dollar Stores of Delaware, Inc.
Family Dollar Stores of D.C., Inc.
Family Dollar Stores of Florida, Inc.
Family Dollar Stores of Georgia, Inc.
Family Dollar Stores of Indiana, L.P.
Family Dollar Stores of Iowa, Inc.
Family Dollar Stores of Kentucky, Ltd.
Family Dollar Stores of Louisiana, Inc.
Family Dollar Stores of Maryland, Inc.
Family Dollar Stores of Massachusetts, Inc.
Family Dollar Stores of Michigan, Inc.
Family Dollar Stores of Mississippi, Inc.
Family Dollar Stores of Missouri, Inc.
Family Dollar Stores of New Jersey, Inc.
Family Dollar Stores of New Mexico, Inc.
Family Dollar Stores of New York, Inc.
Family Dollar Stores of North Carolina, Inc.
Family Dollar Stores of Ohio, Inc.
Family Dollar Stores of Oklahoma, Inc.
Family Dollar Stores of Pennsylvania, Inc.
Family Dollar Stores of Rhode Island, Inc.
Family Dollar Stores of South Carolina, Inc.
Family Dollar Stores of South Dakota, Inc.
Family Dollar Stores of Tennessee, Inc.
Family Dollar Stores of Texas, L.P.
Family Dollar Stores of Vermont, Inc.
Family Dollar Stores of Virginia, Inc.
Family Dollar Stores of West Virginia, Inc.
Family Dollar Stores of Wisconsin, Inc.