Complaint Review: Family Dollar

I worked at Midway Family Dollar for ten months and it was ten months too long. A friend I worked with at another company was hired there and she loved it.
She was quickly promoted and received $2 in pay raises in 6 months. She told me this was the place I should work too. I was ready for a change and wanted to do less driving so I checked it out.

I passed the Stanton, which I believe most people don't pass because they have low reading comprehension skills. I passed the drug test which very few people in that area can do.It was May '08. From the beginning the manager N. wanted me to be an assistant. I said no let me see if I like it first.

From the beginning I hated it.
She stood with me about 5 minutes at the register. That was my training. The majority of the customers are awful, loud, child abusing, rude, shameless thieves.
I was threatened for speaking up about child abuse I witnessed. If you do it in a public place it's everybody's business.

I was threatened by shoplifters I had confronted.
I was threatened multiple times because I told people we did not have a public restroom. This store turns into a nut house from the 1st of month thru the 5th and around any holiday. According to company policy, the store is staffed with only 2 people.

The male a.m. I was usually stuck with would leave me at the register and dissapear into the back with his news paper. He said he had lots of paperwork to do. He perferred using the womens restroom. He was slow to respond to pages. I was left to deal with long lines of irritable, verbally abusive customers by myself.
But that was short lived because when inventory time came around the end of may, Manager and both a.m.s were fired.

We got a new Manager, S and a.m.It got better right away. S. is a hard worker and really cared about her store. If something had to be done she got to work and did it. She took over the bulk or stocking because the guy that was assigned that task was very slow. he also had and attitude with S. resentful that the other manager got fired.

Though the store improved I still did not enjoy my job.
The a.m. was caught stealing, and fired. I went to the office to give my notice in September. S and the district manager were there. They asked what could make me stay. I said take me off the register, let me merchandise. So we put slow guy on the register, which did not help his attitude.

I started unloading truck with S, and working on door to shelf. We quickly developed into a good team. She still wanted me to be an assistant but I need more flexibility. I started to really enjoy the job.
I am a hard worker, and I do my job if I am not standing around doing nothing and I hate to see pepole doing that. I think most people appreciate this about me.
another a.m. quit, he was just a kid and the people and shoplifthing really seemed to bother him.
We were with out a a.m.S. really busted her butt recovering and working open to closes for about a month. She found out she was pregnant and despite battling nausea and extreme fatigue, She did an awesome job, the store looked great, we were doing really good.

Until the next new a.m. C.M. came. She was all gung h*o at first. But right away the store was not being recovered. Stock was being put out in the wrong place. everything had to be redone all the time. We all told her how to do stuff right but she says "I know" and holds her hand up, or simply walks away.
She was letting customers use the bathroom. Her family visited frequently and shopped, C would set their stuff aside in black garbage bags before it was paid for.
When the greeting card discard was done and the rep told her to throw the cards out C said can't I just take them home?

The next day the box of cards was missing. and no cards were in the dumpster. We brought all this to the D.M. but he just told us to keep and eye on her. Meanwhile S starts getting written up for the store not being recovered and the bookwork not being done on C's shifts. S. told her over and over RECOVER the store, DO THE BOOKWORK, but C continually and willfully did not do it. She would punch in and wander the store doing nothing. Carrying on long conversations and sweeping the floor. We got another assistant but she ended up quitting. S. was told by her Dr. to go a little easier and limit her hours to no more than 40. this became a problem and the D.M. told her she may have to step down and or take a leave of absence.

On and off the store smells of sewer gas. it is due to a problem with the plumbing stack and venting. It is awful. We get lots of rude complaints about how the store smells like sh*t and it makes everyone feel sick.
I started getting calls on monday mornings to come in and help recover the store because over the weekend C did nothing.

Meanwhile we suspected C of stealing. and worse she was not doing her job, but blaming other workers for not pulling their weight. It was so frustrating. Especially when I would see her do something like stock stuff backwards, tell her to correct it and come back to find she only turned the front ones around.

No one wanted to work with her. She would come in and tell the cashier, I worked my butt off all week so I ain't doing nothing and you don't have to either. Then she disappears into the back.
Customers don't like her either, many comment on how she fishes the business phone out of her BRA when it rings.
Can things get worse? yes. our D.M. quit or got fired, we'll probably never know which.

Then S. was robbed on her way out the door with the bank deposit. Then a Loss Prevention investigation.
They visited then came back and interviewed everyone.
The investigator asked me how many people i thought were shoplifting i told him 7 out of 10. He went off on me!
But I truly believe it. If you had seen what I have you would too.He asked who I thought was responsible for theft in our store, I said C, and I know other people did too.

At the end of the day S was "suspended" and the keys were handed over to C. and I was told to settle my differences with her. I told her to her face what I have against her and what I have seen her doing and she denied it, She stood there and lied in front of the district manager, wide eyes rolling all around.
I was told to help her out. I agreed because I was told S was suspended, pendin further investigation. S is a good manager and a hard worker, and she is honest. I wanted to try to keep things together til she got back.
I told the D.M. she would not be able to handle the store.

Meanwhile I heard tell that C was glad I was staying "under" her wing and I could clean up the mess when I came back in.
The more I thought about it the more messed up it seemed that she was in charge. the whole store was a mess because of her and I was damned well not going to pick up after her.

Then they fired one cashier for "sliding" change. thousands of dollars worth of change! This boy is the sweetest most respectful boy I have seen in a long time, this little kid don't even know how to steal. they had to find something and someone to blame and they picked this one and I have a sick feeling why is the color of his skin.

the more I thought about it the more I knew I could not go back. I wrote my resignation and called the D.M. and asked him straight out is S suspended or fired? he said he couldn't answer. He told me just to do my job. I said I quit and he said fine and hung up. I went in the store. It was Truck day and I was expected to unload and stock. But instead I drop a short letter to Colleen on the desk telling her I did not want to work with her in any capacity. I kept it strictly business. She makes my skin crawl.

The best workers in that store are now gone, I feel bad for them and their families with how hard the economy is.
I doubt I will ever shop at F.D. ever again.
I feel so much better now that I quit. I strongly recommend you do too.

Anonymous
Saint Paul, Minnesota
U.S.A.

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