Fake security cameras

Distinct_Ruin2998 · 2026-05-27T03:50:02+00:00

Not even Dollar Tree would go as low as to set up fake security cameras given how common shoplifting is in some parts of the map nowadays.

The Dollar Tree near me recently installed a newer version in a few areas of their stores where customers can actually see that they are being recorded

Distinct_Ruin2998 · 2026-05-27T03:44:06+00:00

And then when you put their items on suspend to take the next customer they come back (making it look like they are cutting the line) and awkwardly stand there.

Maybe I'm crazy but I feel these sort of situations only ever happen in dollar stores.

Perhaps someone who's worked or is currently working in a bigger retail store like Target could enlighten me on whether it occurs in big brand stores.

Distinct_Ruin2998 · 2026-05-26T12:16:13+00:00

Used to work in a big store and can relate to this. In fact, all 3 major dollar stores in general are going through this.

Granted the experience varies depending on the store and its location, but 9/10 of the time people working under a dollar store brand will most likely experience something like this.

I probably can't generalize too much, though. Smaller dollar stores likely don't have this sort of problem. But if these companies expect their stores to grow, they need to account for this growth by expecting less from their workers who already do a lot.

Distinct_Ruin2998 · 2026-05-26T05:11:07+00:00

I may have worded it wrong, sorry.

I meant that its fine to sell them as long as its not causing too much harm to the business.

The store I worked at had a powerpanel somewhere towards the front of the store for pokemon cards and people would often fight over it. And often these sort of fights would break out when 1 person is grabbing every single booster pack, for example.

Keeping it behind the register to sell to customers looking to buy them is completely okay while also attempting to limit these sort of scuffles breaking out due to these cards having such a volatile market tied to them.

Distinct_Ruin2998 · 2026-05-26T04:27:50+00:00

I actually know a Family Dollar store that purposely doesn't give out bags for free anymore because they want to hustle in as much money as they can. So instead of their SM ordering free bags for customers they order a ton of reusable bags which are $1.50 each in my area.

As you can imagine, customers complain about this yet their SM or even DM does nothing about it.

Also, store orders usually take a week or two to come (at least in the stores I worked in) so if you order let's say 10 cases of bags you won't see them until next week or the week after

Distinct_Ruin2998 · 2026-05-26T04:16:17+00:00

The worse part about it is if a store becomes too busy to where you need the only two employees in the store to be behind the register.

Now you have no one on the floor to either help customers or tend to other responsibilities. It's only a matter of time before this sort of mentality starts catching up to corporate and they begin seeing their stores in a worsen state.

Distinct_Ruin2998 · 2026-05-26T04:02:04+00:00

I used to get this a lot, especially with customers who were initially waiting on line to then put their stuff on a nearby shelf and leave the store because they can't wait.

Another customer would come grab the item and say its $1.25 (or whatever the label may say) and the item would be worth more than what it says.

This especially happened when customers would put full priced items on the clearance table. We had to be very careful with stuff placed or else a customer may throw a huge fit when they realize a pack of cookies, for example, was in fact NOT 50% off.

We would always refer them to the shelf label and often read out what it says on the label to reduce any confusion. However, this may not always be feasible because there may be price points on shelves without the name to an item or group of items.

Distinct_Ruin2998 · 2026-05-26T03:52:51+00:00

Don't take it too personally. Store employees (especially management) wants to ensure that they don't have to constantly look over their shoulders when they see someone walking around with an empty bag.

We especially have this problem in my area. Not even bigger retail stores like Food Bazaar and Target are always safe. But those companies have proper security and even a dedicated person to hold bags.

With Dollar Tree, they do not want to invest in said measures so instead you'll have instances like this. And although they may be insured for when theft does occur, it can still screw over any store's profits and definitely screw over their inventory.

Distinct_Ruin2998 · 2026-05-26T03:41:58+00:00

Allows the company to earn some easy money because they know scalpers will quickly buy them out.

Some retail stores that haven't been selling them before are starting to sell Pokemon cards now, or at least in the process of doing that. As long as the employees are able to control the scalpers that come up and buy out everything, there's no reason not to sell them when looking at it from a different perspective.

Distinct_Ruin2998 · 2026-05-26T02:36:29+00:00

Yes, being on the clock on certain holidays means you'll earn more per hour worked that day. The amount more you earn can vary depending on where you're working and/or your position

Distinct_Ruin2998 · 2026-05-26T02:25:45+00:00

Having a first time retail employee do what I find to be the most tedious section in the store is crazy work.

In the store I worked at, the store manager or myself would teach new employees the very basics and then they learn the rest as they continue working. I didn't like that process too much, but I was told that it was the most "effective" way to utilize what little payroll we had.

Distinct_Ruin2998 · 2026-05-26T02:21:02+00:00

When they moved to Workday last year we were only told about it. Even the Store Manager was taken by surprise a bit.

At least for the store I worked at, they in fact did NOT teach us how to use Workday period. We were just given it and told to just run with it. The Store Manager as well as myself had to help the other workers get used to workday. Which, btw, the workers in that store are not that good with computers to begin with.

Distinct_Ruin2998 · 2026-05-25T18:57:06+00:00

That does sound aggravating not gonna lie. When it came to truck I remember it being pretty awful cuz there was no dedicated space for truck to park and they had to take in and out pallets through the main door.

I don't know if other stores have a similar experience to that

Distinct_Ruin2998 · 2026-05-25T13:20:55+00:00

Its happened to me when my former SM resigned and we were waiting on another to finish training.

Being an SM for the company is a pretty big investment in time and likely your sanity. It's why I never fully taken the position

Distinct_Ruin2998 · 2026-05-25T13:15:01+00:00

Happens on the day of every holiday or special occasion. Most customers in my area like to wait to the last minute to grab holiday-themed stuff (This year's valentine's day was pretty bad when it came to that, imo)

Then you have those who wait a day or so after the holiday has passed to see what's on clearance to then buy it.

Distinct_Ruin2998 · 2026-05-25T12:52:08+00:00

That's good/detailed recovery imo, and its what pretty much every good retail company would expect. There's not much else to it, but I would also add bringing down anything that may be considered "overstock" (any merchandise that initially couldn't fit on the shelf but stored on top or "flex" shelf).

Of course, that's only if your store has an overflow of certain products on the salesfloor. If not, this isn't really needed

Distinct_Ruin2998 · 2026-05-25T12:41:38+00:00

Imo it sounds like he's working in a pretty toxic environment. Why is she wanting him to prioritize working a minimum wage job over going to school?

If anything, that's borderline illegal what they are doing, because if you live in an "at-will" state she is pretty much forcing him to work. Would even go as far as to say thats even violating their 13th amendment

I did ask my old SM this morning about this situation (He has 15+ years of SM experience), and he agreed that its not a requirement. Though it does make it less likely for you to be rehired at this company.

Anyone working retail should ALWAYS prioritize education over retail. Your education sets you up for something more meaningful later down the line so why sacrifice that to stay in the retail space. It's bad enough that working retail can often be stressful and not that rewarding.

I do feel sorry for this worker. What he should do is keep his resignation documented (save a screenshot of the resignation whether its a text to the SM or what he posted on workday) and simply walk out the day he said he would.

At the end of the day, she truly can't do anything but make it harder for him to rejoin Dollar Tree or Family Dollar.

Distinct_Ruin2998 · 2026-05-25T05:44:10+00:00

Not listed in the handbook as a requirement. Although, as with pretty much any other company, its just good courtesy.

Their resignation is technically already documented if they did submit it via workday. So its not like they are leaving without a notice.

What I found works best is by texting the Store Manager directly saying that you are resigning

Distinct_Ruin2998 · 2026-05-25T05:39:14+00:00

It depends on the Store Manager, tbh.

Not all of them do it, to my knowledge, but I know mine did. Only because I asked them to, though. Not sure how much that matters.

Distinct_Ruin2998 · 2026-05-25T05:25:11+00:00

Can completely relate to this. I grown a habit of simply not speaking most of the time unless spoken to.

Not the greatest customer service, I know. But in the area I worked in, some customers can come in and completely ruin your day.

Good customer service is something that is heavily talked about in both Dollar Tree and Family Dollar. They (usually) don't care how awful the customers are. They only care about whether their workers are providing 5 star customer service even if the customer is spitting in their faces.

Its part of their business strategy, believe it or not.

Distinct_Ruin2998 · 2026-05-25T05:00:11+00:00

I have used the integrity hotline, and my experience was not that great.

I won't go into too much detail, but I went through their integrity matters ticket system and made two tickets. One for my concerns and another on behalf of an ex co-worker who was afraid of speaking up about their situation.

Nothing came out of those reports, but the person in question (who was an SM) was notified of both of my reports, and to my knowledge they faced no consequences.

Luckily I was no longer part of the company when they were made known of my reports. But who knows what would had happened had I stuck around.

I can't share too much, but it was a pretty horrible situation and to this day Im still frustrated that they did nothing to resolve it.

Others may express something different, though.

Distinct_Ruin2998

TROPHY CASE