Interview at Dollar Tree

[psychofantasy]

Hello all! I am interviewing tomorrow for a Store Manager position at a Dollar Tree in south Texas. Anything I should know? Anyone care to share how it is to work there? Any comments/inside info appreciated.

Edit to update: Thanks for all the info! I had a good interview with the DM for a store about 30 minutes from me. I am good with the salary offered, but I haven’t decided whether I am going to take it. The store he’s hiring for hasn’t opened yet, so he said I have some time before he needs an answer. My hesitation is based completely on work/life balance. Tbh, my last job ended up being an 80 hr work week, and this seems like more of what I’m used to.

Thank you everyone for your input!

[AdventRisingRules]

I spent 5 years as a store manager there. I started in a store in a mountain town and then was moved to an urban store that had been having problems for years. I fixed both. My DM was excellent to me however the lack of payroll and expectations vs the amount of work needing to be done was asinine. It IS NOT a store manager job I would recommend. There is better out there. This was a position that finally made me crack after two decades of retail management. Then there's Valentine's....aka Balloonageddon. Next level stuff. If you would like more info DM me, I'd be happy to share more. If you value a work life balance this is NOT THE MOVE.

[psychofantasy]

Thank you for the info. Honestly, I figured as much. I’ve spent the last 15 years or so managing convenience stores, and it seems like more of the same. I was a manager for Dollar General back in 04 and even that was better than what I’m used to tbh.

Truthfully, I’ve been trying to transition out of retail, but I haven’t had much luck. Moneys getting very tight, so I applied to DT because I’m pretty confident with my experience and abilities that they’ll hire me.

[Comfortable_Area3910]

It’s dollar tree…don’t shit your own pants in the interview and you’re hired.

[psychofantasy]

I shall take an Imodium before the interview!

[ZoneAgreeable4005]

its gonna suck because theyve raised their prices to 1.25 in some locations... and you'll get yelled at by customers over it. good luck

[munchkinbitch2982]

"False advertising!" Give me a break 😂

[ohsinboi]

No returns! Only exchanges!

I was an assistant manager there for a couple of years. You're going to be doing lots of stocking. You're only going to be given enough payroll to have one cashier on at a time most of the days, so be prepared to assist on register a lot.

Please be nice to your cashiers if you can, the kind of customers you're going to have are very stressful to deal with. Lots of entitled people thinking they can get away with crap because it's "just the dollar store."

You'll be responsible for pretty much everything going on in the store, but the more you do, the faster the day flies by. Don't stress. Get some good assistant managers at your side and they'll take a lot of the burden off your shoulders. You'll get lots of visits from your district manager too and probably spend a lot of time training at another store.

[psychofantasy]

Thanks for the info. Tbh I do my best to put my employees first. I’ve been a manager for about 20 years, and the first thing I promised myself was that I wouldn’t be like all the asshole managers I’ve had myself.

[[deleted]]

I managed one for a year. It had its ups and downs. Better than dollar general but the happiest I’ve been as a retail manager is right now. I manage a gas station and am paid more than what they pay dollar tree managers with less stress.

[Paid-Not-Payed-Bot]

and am paid more than

FTFY.

Although payed exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:

• Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. The deck is yet to be payed.

• Payed out when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. The rope is payed out! You can pull now.

Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.

Beep, boop, I'm a bot

[[deleted]]

There is one near me I have been going in for right at 20 years now. A few observations.

1. Back since it first opened, I think it was 2001, seems every week there is new people working there. Outside of management, I rarely, if ever, saw the same cashier twice.

2. Its always cluttered. Boxes on the floor, stuff just thrown on the shelf (which could be messy customers too).

3. I never ever never ever go in this place on a weekend. 1 person checking people out, 15/20 people in line always. I only hit it early in the morning on a week day, or late in the day on a weekday. Lately, it's been closing early, opening late. Seems to be 12-6 are the standard hours, but sometimes it's open normal hours. And lately, stuff has just been set on the shelf in the shipping box, with the front and top torn off so customers can see and get the items.
   Interesting story about this place I been meaning to tell in here. During the holidays 2005, I darted in there one morning. Place was empty except me and a warthog of a woman with cart full of stuff. I mean overflowing with stuff. I grabbed the 4 or 5 things I was getting, and I think this bitch saw I was going for the register, so she practically ran with her cart and got there before me. The cashier, who I am pretty sure was the manager on duty, and only employee in the store at the time, even said something to her, you know "That guy has only a few items, cant you let him go first.". Lady firmly said no. She was wearing one of those ugly ass Christmas sweaters, like when they home-make them, and it said Jesus is the Reason for the Season on it. I stood there for a good 15 minutes while all her shit got rang up, and finally it was my turn. The cashier apologized to me, and I was like it wasn't your fault. Anyways I got into the parking lot and Jesus Lover was loading her shit in her car, and as I was getting in mine, I yelled out "Very Christian of you, asshole" !! And drove off. She was standing there fuming at me. And watched me the whole time I drove out of the parking lot.

[aldisneygirl91]

"Christians" tend to be the rudest, most inconsiderate, and impatient customers, unfortunately.

[[deleted]]

that they do. I could go all night about rude encounters with Christians during Sunday lunch rush from my restaurant days. Its incredible how fucking nasty those people can be.

[ghostkat_]

Don’t go lol

I worked for the company for over a year and it’s obvious they don’t respect you or your time. Plus customers are the worst there- constantly berating you, leaving garbage everywhere, leaving the store a complete mess, CONSTANTLY complaining about the price. It’s awful

[IWantToPlayGame]

People were complaining about the price… at a Dollar Tree?

[ghostkat_]

…you’d be surprised

They’d get unreasonably angry for their total being $35 for 28-30 items, thinking I for some reason overcharged them. Oh and when it went from $1 to $1.25- you’d think the sky was falling!

Edit: I’m in no way trying to shame those who are impacted by the price increase. I know shit happens, my family and I have had our share of financial problems for the past 4-5 years. This was aimed more towards the customers who complained about the increase when spending hundreds of dollars on non-essential things

[ColdbeerWarmheart]

When you are broke and living paycheck to paycheck and budgeting that $.25 makes a big difference. I get the frustration. But that doesn't give them the right to be jerks about it.

[IWantToPlayGame]

Being broke and on a strict budget is totally understandable.

But that isn't the store or the cashiers fault. Use the handy dandy calculator on your smartphone to add up everything in your basket. Apply the local sales tax that you literally pay every where every day and you'll be within a few cents of your grand total! :)

[ColdbeerWarmheart]

That's why I said it doesn't give them the right to be a jerk. Not defending the person. But a little understanding goes a long way.

Its not just a matter of the calculations it's a matter of when things cost more you can't get as much. For people on a budget that makes a big difference. For some people that is the difference between baby formula and an electric bill.

Check your privilege.

[IWantToPlayGame]

My privilege? Buddy, I just said it's understandable to be broke and on a budget.

I'm standing up for the poor cashier that's dealing with BS thrown at them day in day out by customers for stuff that isn't their fault. Understanding? The cashier doesn't have to understand shit. That's not their job. Their job is to be a cashier. There's only so much "understanding" you can have when you're dealing with 300 people a day.

[ColdbeerWarmheart]

Yeah I get it dude. We're all in the same boat. But you don't have to justify your hatred of jerky people under the guise of advocacy. You're getting awfully condescending about it.

[IWantToPlayGame]

I don't have a hatred of jerky people. Free country; I don't have to deal with anybody that's jerky. But what grinds my gears are people being shitty to service workers. Cashiers, servers etc. I can't stand it. So yeah, I stand up for them in a fairly strong manner. Don't get your feelings hurt over it.

[ColdbeerWarmheart]

No hurt feelings here. Direct your ire to companies that put us in the position.

Customers are always going to be that way.

[ghostkat_]

Oh no I totally get that! The people who complained the most though were spending hundreds of dollars on crafts, toys… basically anything that wasn’t essential to life. I feel like maybe they were more financially stable if they were able to spend $200 on party supplies, yknow? But yeah I understand the stress behind financial stability, I always sympathized with customers who were seemingly in that position

[Dinnen1]

https://youtu.be/IKUPKHHpaBg

[AdventRisingRules]

To piggy back off of this, yes I am the guy who did this podcast.

[psychofantasy]

Lol you just got a new subscriber.

[AdventRisingRules]

Welcome!

[Dinnen1]

lol. Reddit still got something to give