13 Things Dollar Tree Employees Wish Customers Would Stop Doing

Dollar Tree is a one-stop shop to save money on everyday essentials, from snacks and silverware to decorative vases and body wash. While the low prices and wide range of products should create a positive shopping environment, some Dollar Tree employees feel that it does not.

Here are 15 things Dollar Tree employees wish customers would stop doing to make their jobs easier.

Topping the list of things Dollar Tree employees wish customers would stop doing is placing products everywhere except where they belong.

"Please put it back," said a Dollar Tree employee from Lockport, New York. "It doesn't make sense just to throw things on the floor. I mean, the shelf is right there. We have to stay so many hours after closing just to clean. We want to go home, too."

According to Market Watch, Dollar Tree made the decision to increase its prices from $1.00 to $1.25 as part of a transformation plan. Customers were clearly upset and voiced their frustrations to employees.

"I get SOOOOO many customers who are surprised that items aren't actually a dollar," said one Dollar Tree employee and Reddit user. "I get customers who say, 'This is a $1.25, I guess it's not the Dollar Tree anymore, all the time."

Dollar Tree employees are frustrated by customers who want to pay for their entire transaction in pennies.

One employee took to Reddit, stating, "Three people came in to pay an over $5 bill, all in pennies. It got so bad that when a fourth guy came in, I had to politely tell him to take his pennies to the US bank... as my till was overflowing with pennies. He got irate with me and stormed out."

Employees at a Houston, Texas, Dollar Tree are often frustrated by customers yelling at them for refusing to price match larger stores.

"Our prices are already low enough to just about keep the store running and our paychecks coming. But some customers want us to price-match items on sale at Walmart or other big-box stores. We just can't do it."

"I don't choose to stock during the day. It's my job. But of course, I get yelled at by customers since I'm in their way." Unfortunately, according to this manager, it isn't uncommon for boxes to jam up the aisles, frustrating customers who struggle to find what they need.

"After receiving a generic reply to their complaints online," she adds, "the frustration grows, and they shout at us."

Unfortunately, the rise of 'flip it' channels on YouTube and TikTok has led to customers hoarding items at Dollar Tree and reselling them online, and employees are fed up.

"At my store," an employee on Reddit says, "We hold stock that is popular like this... We put out a little bit of the whole collection. Once it sells out or gets low, we add more. It's the one way we can make it fair for everyone."

It isn't uncommon to receive a tarnished coin or two in your return change. Most just put it away and move on, but some Dollar Tree employees are shamed for dirty change.

One employee shared, "They say the quarter I gave them was too dirty, so they want another one. I had to call my manager to open the till and hand them another one before they would leave."

Dollar Tree employees wish customers would pay attention to pricing, as not everything in the store costs $1.25.

As one employee puts it, "We've had that happen so many times with the batteries, now I always ask them if they know it's $5 before scanning it to save me an item void. Half of the people get mad that I dare ask, like I'm suggesting they can't afford it."

Returning open goods is nothing new to Dollar Tree employees, but one item they wish customers would stop bringing back is gift cards.

"We allow customers to exchange items without receipts, but we can't do that for gift cards. We tell them when they buy them. But they come back wanting a refund and just yell and yell, hoping we'll cave. We don't." As the employee puts it, "we don't make the rules."

"A customer purchases one or two items, but leaves with multiple stuffed in their pockets. We can't do anything about it. We just have to let them go and call the police," said a frustrated manager at Dollar Tree. "The annoying thing is when they come back saying they purchased the items and demand a refund with no receipt."

According to NewsNation, the company began locking up more stock after reporting growing theft, a move that hasn't helped much.

"I spend the majority of my day removing opened, used, and disassembled goods throughout the store that can't be resold," says an anonymous Dollar Tree employee. She adds, "I wish customers would just buy them and try them."

This aligns with surveys, which revealed 57% of consumers want to see, touch, and feel products before purchasing them.

Although people are free to leave negative reviews online for poor customer service or store issues, Dollar Tree has become the target of negative reviews for reasons beyond poor service, much to the annoyance of its employees.

According to a Dollar Tree employee on Reddit, a customer left a 1-star review because they "'overheard' (eavesdropped) staff and didn't like what they were hearing."

"There's nothing that irritates me more than a customer accusing me of hiding products for myself when they just can't accept that they are simply out of stock."

Unfortunately, this Brooklyn, New York, Dollar Tree employee, like many others, has fallen victim to the dishonest practices of a few who were caught hiding items in a viral video posted by a TikTok user.

Dollar Tree offers staple goods at affordable prices. However, these bad consumer habits can result in fewer store locations and future price increases, which could make it harder for you to stretch your shopping budget by taking advantage of dollar store prices.

To buy Dollar Tree products in bulk or find items that are out of stock in your local store, order online. They often have plentiful inventory, especially for those in need of a large volume.