‘The employees are keeping those for ourselves’: Dollar Tree customer asks worker for new product. Then she learns the workers are ‘hoarding’ them
This Dollar Tree customer thinks workers are mishandling their advantage over the viral products. She's not wrong.
Many stores have a limit on how many units you can buy for popular and in-demand items, which can be anything from a water bottle in a limited edition color to air conditioners in the summer.
But when some people don't have to play by the same rules as the public, it can get pretty frustrating.
Dollar Tree customer caught workers hoarding
In a trending video with more than 170,000 views, bargain shopper @tiktocksister shares the surprising thing she learned on her most recent trip to Dollar Tree.
"I have a little bit of a bone to pick with this place," @tiktocksister says.
@tiktocksister explains that she was looking for a specific item that she posted about, and her comments were filled with people saying that it's been impossible to find it at their location.
The Dollar Tree shopper has seen people, often the same few, going into the store and buying full boxes of products, not leaving any behind for other shoppers. She overheard one person tell an employee that she buys that many because she resells them.
With this in mind, @tiktocksister already wasn't too hopeful about her chances of finding the item she wanted, but she asked an employee about it anyway.
"Those are in the back, but those aren't going out because the employees are keeping those for ourselves," the woman admitted casually.
She went on to say that no stock would be put on the floor since there was so much demand among employees.
It adds up
"So between the people who have no limits on what they buy, the resellers who buy everything all at once, and between the employees who are like hoarding all of this stuff, I can understand why everybody is so frustrated and can't find anything," @tiktocksister says in the clip.
The hunt is not only not fun anymore, she adds, but it's also actively disappointing knowing almost certainly that you won't be able to find a product.
In an ideal world, regular customers would be able to buy one or two of the items they're searching for without a problem, instead of wondering if they'll even see the item on the floor.
"It's frustrating for people who go to the Dollar Tree and legitimately just want one of something," @tiktocksister says.
"Do not try and make excuses for yourself or other people that are going into the Dollar Trees and buying the full shelf of product. Why do people have to be so inconsiderate?" @tiktocksister says.
She adds that in the case of the workers, she just wants them to put whatever stock they don't buy with their dibs out on the shelf.
@tiktocksister did note that she sympathizes with the Dollar Tree employees, who she knows are understaffed and underpaid.
Does this happen at other stores?
Yes, employees at other retailers have been called out for hoarding products that have gone viral.
A notable instance was with the Hello Kitty resurgence last year. One shopper confronted a Burlington Coat Factory worker who tried to hoard the branded blankets for themselves.
However, plenty of stores have policies to prevent employees or individuals from stockpiling items.
For example, Target has been known to limit purchases, like for limited edition Stanley cups, to just a few per person. These rules often apply to employees, too.
Refusing Dollar Tree resellers
"I refuse to buy from a reseller for a dollar tree item," a top comment read.
"DT store manager here. I had a customer buy $410 worth of deodorant and body wash. After that, I put a limit on how many they can purchase, which is 5. I despise people who intentionally clear shelves its not fair to other customers. the employees need to stop hiding products in the back. they never end up buying it," a person wrote.
"Dollar tree is a place for people that can't shop outside their means and need cheap but good quality alternatives. Resellers are making it extremely difficult for the sole purpose of dollar tree," another added.
@tiktocksister Dollar Tree Trip Gone Wrong ????♀️ How would you react? #dollartree #fyp #drama #storytime #gossip ♬ original sound - YourTikTokSister
The Daily Dot reached out to @tiktocksister for comment via email and TikTok direct message and to Dollar Tree via email.
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