Those whose greenbacks feature George and Abe rather than Andrew and Ulysses may very well shop at Fred's. Generally serving customers with modest or fixed incomes, Fred's operates more than 650 discount stores in some 15 states, primarily in small towns in the Southeast. The stores carry more than 12,000 brand-name, off-brand, and private-label products, including pharmaceuticals, household goods, clothing and linens, food and tobacco items, health and beauty aids, and paper and cleaning supplies. About half of its stores have full-service pharmacies. The company also provides goods and services to some two dozen franchised Fred's stores. Fred's was founded in 1947.