Complaint Review: Family Dollar Stores - Mineapolis Area Minnesota

I've worked for Family Dollar for almost 2 years as a Store Manager. In the beginning I was told by the CTM that hired me that there was great potential for advancement in the company. I had 5 years of retail management experience, and an additional 8 years of management/supervisory experience. I was an Assistant Manager/Manager trainee and the company I was with closed the stores in my division. Family Dollar, for all appearances, looked like what I was looking for, stability and phenomimnal growth.

I was hired as an Assistant Manager in June '04, and for health reasons the Store Manager left in Sept '04. This was a new store opening. I had 1 week of training with the CTM, and my Store manager was also training with me, he started 1 week before me. We then were told to hire and put the store together for grand opening on July 28,2004. We did all of the work, put racking together, setting schematics, unloading trucks (8 52foot trailers in 4 days full)and stocking and pricing. I took over the store in Sept '04, the back room filled to the roof with stock from grand opening, and was now getting auto shipements for the holiday seansons that were coming.

I was told that they were paying me the top pay for Assistant managers because I was so experienced, $10/hr, and when I was told they were making me Store manager, that I was being fairly compensated per my experience with $650/week salary. I was told I had to work a minimum of 52 hours a week, sounded fair.

I went from 6 employees to 4 going into the holiday season, this store is $1.20 millon/year. I NEVER went over payroll the first year. I worked with what I had. Hiring was hard cause no one in the area could pass the ever wonderful "Stanton Survey". You don't pass you don't get hired.

Theft in the store was unreal, caught 4 employees in the first 6 months stealing both cash and merch, and tried to keep the customer theft down. No cameras, if I wanted them I had to buy them myself out of my own pocket(no reimbersement), no security, EAS tag system - but we couldn't stop anyone and Family Dollar dosen't prosecute so the police are unwilling to come in a timely manner when called.

Most of the time there was only 1 or 2 employees, how safe is that? We have never be held up,but they are robbing us blind. I told the DM and emailed Loss prevention, thay were all aware of the issue, did all that we could at store level. At my last inventory we had 6.7% shrink, some of which was from employee theft at the beginning of the year the rest was customer theft.

My DM was fired on the same day of my inventory, and I was let go 1 week later, the reason given was they felt I was overwhelmed and this was a "good business decision". At that time I never had an anytime 5 under 2 and I had the lowest turnover rate in the district, dropped the payroll from 10.8% to 8.1%, had an average increase in sales of 10%, #4 out of 12 in district in sales, never been written up or repremanded.

I find out after the fact that every male Store managers in this region made more that I did. I was at $670/wk(after one raise)and they were starting males at $700 - $800 with little or no retail experience, sound fair. They offered my Assistant manager $500/wk to be Store manager, unreal.

When I went for unemployement they appealed it saying I was fired because of "Failure to protect Company Assets", at the hearing the Judge found in favor of me and stated that they did not show gross misconduct on my part or indiference.

There is so much I can say about Family Dollar, but the most imporant is:

DO NOT WORK FOR THEM, THEY ARE NOT FAIR, THEY WILL USE THEIR EMPLOYEES UP AND THEN DUMP THEM.

Melissa

Coon Rapids, Minnesota
U.S.A.