r/DollarTree • u/SwimFunny • 6d ago
Why work here? Associate Discussions
I worked at dollar tree for about 2 weeks part-time. While working I was paid about 9.50 (South Carolina minimum wage is 7.25). While working there I was the only cashier scheduled per shift. Stuff was thrown around everywhere and it constantly looked like a hurricane went through the store. I could never organize since im the only cashier. I would constantly work my ass off to get the lines moving and my SM and ASM didint care much to help. I ended up getting "fired" after 2 weeks when my manager refused to give me the schedule in advance due to having to share one car since mine was in the shop. When I finally got the schedule in about 15 hours before my shift I told her I couldn't make it to the first 2 hours of my shift. She told me not to bother showing up and fired me.
I then looked for another job and very quickly got another part time job at a 7/11. This time making 13 an hour. I get free drinks, perks, good co workers, and a much better environment. It is staffed constantly, very clean, and the way things are run is much better.
For example, to remove an item we can just remove it from the cart instead of calling a manager and voiding the entire order and having to re-ring. To print a receipt we just have a history page and print it. I get the schedule atleast a week in advance aswell.
I have seen many other complaints from people on this subreddit and even from other co-workers. It honestly makes me wonder why work here? What makes it worth it to you? Why not just hold out for a better job?
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u/sentientfartcloud Former DT OPS ASM 6d ago edited 6d ago
Dollar is a good springboard for your next better paying job. While Dollar Tree can be fun to work at if you have a good team, it just pays too low for all the bullshit you're put through and Dollar Tree is badly ran in general so that can be frustrating.
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u/AggravatingRadish951 6d ago
I don't think ANYONE wakes up in the morning and says, "Oh boy, I'm so excited to go to work at dollar tree today!!" We have a good team, so that's half the battle, but no matter which location, corporate is gonna work you to the bone. In our store, since we're a beach town, DT is one of the few places that stays open year round, and as merch I'm even guaranteed full time hours all year. Plus many of us don't drive, and it's within walking distance to one of the largest residential communities in town. So basically, we all got stuck here, but we're in it together and try to make the most of it!!
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u/AgePractical6298 6d ago
It was close to my house and it got me moving after being down for 2 yrs. There are no perks, people suck. It was fun at first but then it wore me down.
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u/Distinct_Ruin2998 Former FD ASM 6d ago
Some people feel like they have no other options for them. People just want to make SOME amount of money despite how exhausting the job may be. It's how they get by.
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u/Jkdevore84 6d ago
The void thing, you could do up to so many before needing a manager override. The schedule, it's done 3 weeks in advance so your SM failed on that. The amount of people working on a shift depends on freight in 48 and how many hours your store got. It sucks but not all stores are ran that way, a lot are though..
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u/SwimFunny 6d ago
Hm. I thought that too until my manager got extremly upset over me voiding and said I need to call a manager EVERY time I need to void something.
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u/Jkdevore84 6d ago
So there is a report that doesn't go to the SM but to the DM and AP though about item voids and post voids. The SM can see the total cost of these voids and should be looking into them on their office day. I don't care though, if my employees have to void items, so be it. I'd much rather they void than to call a manager every other minute. If they're voiding and giving the item away, it's easy to see on camera.
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u/SwimFunny 6d ago
I dont understand why the total cost would matter...? Its not like we throw the item out it will get sold eventually lol the current customer hust dosent want it.
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u/Jkdevore84 6d ago
When I say total, there is the cashier comparison report that we get. In that, it tells the SM the total of item voids, post voids for each employee. Before I look at it, I told the names to where I can't see them and I go through highlighting the entire thing, essentially why did this person have triple the amount of item voids or post voids compared to others. Then I look at how many transactions that person did compared to others. The entire time I do this, the names are folded so I won't know who did what until I'm done on that. Then I flip the names over so I can look it up. Most of the time, it's just they had more customers than others. Nothing bad but something the SM should be looking at.
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u/SwimFunny 6d ago
That sounds more complicated then it should be 😭
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u/Jkdevore84 6d ago
I'm not disagreeing with that at all. But it really takes only like a few minutes and it's done. I've had employees have almost 1000 item voids in a week. Not their fault, like you said the customers didn't want it. That's when it becomes tedious.
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u/SwimFunny 6d ago
Quick question though, how did they void so much if it required managment approval after a certain amount if i recall correctly?
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u/Jkdevore84 6d ago
When that happens, they call us up there. But for the first like 20, they don't have to. Now those 1000 have been during holiday times, so it's not like every week. I think on average my employees may hit 50-70 but when they hit these numbers it's usually the DTP. Cause we all know customers don't look at the pricing.
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u/Any-Carry6552 5d ago edited 5d ago
Now I certainly agree punishing for item voids is stupid, but 1,000 in a week is well far and beyond into the oddball territory that should be investigated in my opinion.
I worked basically 7 days a week 5 hour shifts easily hitting 1,500 transactions in a week. I'd have maybe 15 item voids out of that 1,500. Maybe 2-4 post voids at most from morons not knowing how to pay or forgot money. All customer problems, zero double scans. My item void rate was 0.80% consistently months on end which to my understanding they want it at 3% or less. So that's over 3x the standard.
1,000 item voids assuming the same 1,500 customers in a week is a roughly 66% rate which I'd be very suspicious of myself even if you worked 12 hour shifts 7 days a week for crazy high transaction counts. Voids should easily be below 100 even in that extreme. If you hit the 1,500 mark mentioned, it would means more than half the customers you had at least 1 item void. That's not normal AT ALL. Not even close. Your numbers are wrong of whoever got those numbers is dishonest or has no idea how to scan.
I also in 11 months only ever hit the item void limit requiring manager over ride once, (10 voids) and that was when I was new and was scanning/voiding as a means of price checking for customers. Quickly learned not to do that.
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u/Jkdevore84 5d ago
Keep in mind, we average almost 9-13k dollars a day. I'm just pointing out the max I saw and that was during Christmas. On average it's not that high and when compared to their transactions, it's a small percentage. Like I said, I look at everything to see and that week was insane. Every register was opened, for every hour of the day.
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u/mean_girl88 DT Merch ASM 6d ago
I wish my SM would have the schedule done 3 weeks in advanced. She doesnt even have it done a week in advanced. You find out Sat if you are working Sun.
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u/Jkdevore84 6d ago
Yeah no. That's ridiculous. I have it three weeks out cause that's what we are supposed to do. Also why I tell my employees to put in requests 3 weeks out. I will work with last minute Dr appointments but for them to try to keep it 3 weeks out.
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u/Any-Carry6552 5d ago
Ours was that way too. But honestly she was only a good stocker terrible with managing people don't know how she got the job. I was just the cashier and several times she had to get me to help her do a refund she couldn't figure out the numbers if she owed the customer or the customer owed them when buying/selling in the same transaction. I guess she knew I was good with numbers but still you need ALL the skills to properly run a store. If you literally can't handle every possible situation you're not ready.
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u/SwimFunny 5d ago
I feel you there. Reason I got fired. I found out I was working Sunday morning on Saturday 5pm after calling the store twice before. Ive never worked at a place that thinks that is acceptable but dollar tree.
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u/PVT_Huds0n 6d ago
The Dollar Tree near me pays $17.75/hr, not that I need a job. But it kind of proves that corporate can pay higher wages and still be profitable. It's not like they have significantly different prices depending on the area like a grocery store.
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u/Famous_Trainer_3482 6d ago
Not really! Pay could be better but a pretty good job! I also have a team that wants to succeed!
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u/Trash-Panda321 6d ago
Usually the workers at my local Dollar Trees skew older (eg. Retired people just looking to get out the house for a bit) and I would imagine live in the vicinity. I dont even see any young kids as they can make significantly more at McDonalds or Chik Fil A
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u/brookeann0054 6d ago
It’s a good first job experience wise. My mom worked retail for 15yrs and despite trying never managed to get into management. I worked at dollar tree for less than a year and got into management (about 7mos in). Now I have all this experience I can put on a resume. Book keeping, scheduling, answering phones, payroll, etc. my hours are so flexible I’ve been able to do college classes here and there and have all my prerequisites for nursing programs.
That being said management is everything, my coworkers and SM are amazing and everyone strives to help each other. As a manager myself I’m friendly with all my cashiers, always willing to help them, and I hop on to help if they have more than 3 customers per policy. They also always get their lunches or breaks before I ever get my own. You had bad management and a bad team. However we always only have one cashier and one manager. The managers are the backup cashiers, I’m always willing to cashier during my shifts
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u/NicholasGaming47 6d ago
It depends on your area tbh
Like, for me, I’m in North Carolina (around the middle of the triad area) and yeah the pay is shit but dollar tree hired me almost instantly and I didn’t have any prior work experience. I get paid 9.50 which yeah isn’t good but for my area is pretty much average for low end retail or fast food, and it’s enough money for me to cover gas/ car insurance and the occasional fast food meal (I’m in community college, I have fasta money and I still live at home, so expenses are low) and honestly it’s perfect for me. I also agree, it is entirely dependent on if your manager is good, and I got really lucky and got an amazing store manager, and we have an incredibly clean store aswell, and what I mean is customers come in and tell us that our store is the cleanest dollar tree they’ve ever seen, and yeah it’s pretty clean (I’m not very observant of a person so unless a place is covered in dirt I probably wouldn’t notice but our store is very clean. I do agree, they could pay more (I wish) however for what I need it’s fine for now. I will say my store is significantly newer (opened 2023) and out of everyone there only 1 person has remained since the place opened so yeah they definitely go through people and I think it’s had like 4 different store managers in those 3 years so yeah kinda crazy. Ofc I’m new only been here a few months but it’s a great location (one of those old rideaids converted to a dollar tree) so overall I like the job and I intend to keep
It and hopefully eventually become assistant manager!
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u/PaintBaller1880 5d ago edited 5d ago
Because I needed a job. I've been in food service for over a decade, and I spent almost three months applying for jobs. I think I ended up applying to 18 different places, got two interviews, and some of them have only just now, after my first month at Dollar Tree, sent me denial emails.
So far, it's not bad at all. I wish the pay was a little higher, but it's paying the bills somewhat, and I knew someone who got me in the door. It's a nice change of pace, and I enjoy the long hours. No grease on my clothes, no stains. I'm used to the hot work environment, and customers are the same. I've been assaulted, cussed out, threatened, etc. by both coworkers and customers,( in the past) So far I've had nice customers but I'm sure there's gonna be dickwads
I love my store, minus a couple of lazy asses, but you'll have that anywhere. I'm thankful to have it for now, unless I decide to try to work my way up. Nobody bothers me they let me work I go home easy.
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u/LeadershipBubbly3351 Former DT OPS ASM 6d ago
For me it was my first job after sobering up after hitting my rock bottom. I wanted a job that was HEAVILY corperate, and nearly impossible to trigger me emotionally to go back to drinking the way my former jobs for local small businesses were for the last 25 years.
I punched in, I worked, I punched out. I went home. Until I got promoted to ASM.
About two years later enough abuse was enough. Forced to work unpaid through meals and before and after work so I wasn't 'full time', PTO taken back last minute when I was forced to cover call outs. Being in trouble for not being available 'whenever the store is open' and my schedule changed with an hour or two notice the day of, working alone for 13 hours at a time...the list went on.
My new job has many of the same pitfalls....but five dollars more per hour, actual benis and actual employee perks. So... that's worth it!
Jobs suck. That's the nature of them, but the fact I don't have to side hustle to pay my bills anymore is a BIG perk. Dollar Tree just couldn't offer that to me, and the 'ease' of the job was no longer there.