A frustrated Dollar Tree customer put the store on blast after a negative experience in the checkout line.
Sandra Bassett (@sandrabassett) uploaded a video of herself at one of Dollar Tree’s locations in Phoenix, Arizona last week, standing towards the front of a line that appeared to contain around a dozen customers.
“Sitting here at Dollar Tree, we got a line halfway down the aisle, and people here in the store that won’t go and work a register, and are making us do a self-checkout,” she says. “So, the managers then went and hid into an office back there today.”
She then specifically calls out the store number, putting the location on blast.
Most people know the frustration of long retail lines, which can become even more exacerbating when it seems like employees are slacking off or refusing to do their jobs.
But just because something looks a certain way from the customer’s perspective doesn’t necessarily mean that’s how it really is.
“I was a manager at dollar tree,” wrote one commenter. “If we were on break or lunch we weren’t allowed to clock it out and go help regardless how big the line got and would only get 1 cashier.”
“Probably because they have to restock, change displays and do invoices by a certain time. It also doesn’t make sense to open 3/4 registers for a few customers,” another user pointed out.
Dollar Tree locations across the country have repeatedly been the subject of TikToks from both frustrated employees who don’t feel like they have enough help at their stores and customers who feel similarly.
“If the billion dollar company hired more people… it seems like that would cover the issue.” one viewer suggested on Bassett’s video.
@sandrabassett #selfservecheckout #dollartree #customerservicebelike ♬ original sound – Sandra Bassett
However, some expressed their opinion that this is simply the kind of customer experience they’ve come to expect at Dollar Tree.
“Usually that is how dollar tree is everywhere so I just expect it allot the time to be able to wait,” one commenter said, while another person added, “I love dollar tree, but when I go I know I will be in for a long wait. That’s the price to pay for cheap goods! Self checkout is great, just use it!”
Others took an entirely different message from the video, such as one commenter who wrote, “Dollar tree have self checkout???”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Bassett via TikTok comment and Dollar Tree via email.
