Staff of Dollar General store quit together mentioning they were 'overworked and underpaid'

Employees nowadays know their rights and when they are over-exploited at their workplaces, they prefer to quit instead of continuing to be mistreated. It not only makes the bosses realize their mistake but also brings light to the issues in the larger context. An entire staff of Dollar General in Mineral Point, Wisconsin, is functioning without any of its permanent staff after they all quit at the same time on March 8, Friday, per Spectrum News1.

The store was closed for a short time during the weekend because all six employees walked out of their shifts, reports WKOW 27 News. The store had two big notes that read, "We QUIT! Thank you to our amazing customers. We love you and will miss you!" and "The store is CLOSED. The whole team has walked away due to a lack of appreciation and being overworked and underpaid." Trina Tribolet, Former Store Manager, said, "They really need to do better. They need to do better by their employees, by their customers and the community that they built their stores in."

Tribolet said that she's been working seven days a week for months because as the manager, she was only allotted so many paid hours to give to her staff. She revealed that if there was more work to be done and did not have the money to pay for it, she was the one who used to fill that gap. "Until Friday night when we walked away, this weekend was my first time off since Christmas," Tribolet said.

None of them came to open the store on Saturday morning. From Monday, the store was apparently operating with new or transplanted staff. "At Dollar General, we are committed to providing an environment where employees can grow their careers and where they feel valued and heard. We apologize for any inconvenience our customers experienced during the three hours the Mineral Point store was closed this past weekend. The store reopened at 11 a.m. on Saturday morning to serve the community," said a company's spokesperson in a statement. 

Tribolet said she would take a mental break before deciding the next steps, meanwhile, all five employees lined up other jobs before quitting. However, there were other issues that the employees spoke about. Caitlin Margan, former store assistant manager and Tribolet, said they did not agree with the company's donation policy, which made them throw away products that were not on the company's donation list. "There was stuff that was totally useable," shared Margan. So, for months, the employees donated the things to local charities they were asked to throw away. Tribolet said that it is violating the policy to donate things, but that's why she wrote in her letter that "they need to change their policies." 

Eventually, the staff were asked to stop donating things. "They are going to do what they feel they need to do for their company and their bottom line, but unfortunately, it doesn't help the communities that they are building these stores in," shared Tribolet. "We're throwing away coffee that's not expired, but it's close. Or you're throwing out a box of Lucky Charms that you know there's a whole world of kids, who would love to eat. But you can't donate them out because you're supposed to throw them away."

Dollar General's public relations team said they follow Feeding America donation guidelines. "The Mineral Point Dollar General store has donated nearly 7,500 pounds of food to local food banks such as Second Harvest Food Bank of Southern Wisconsin over the past twelve months. Food safety is a top priority for Dollar General and Feeding America members, therefore, DG stores are required to follow Feeding America donation policies," a company spokesperson said in a statement. Feeding America's corporate donation guidelines specify that "food approaching expiration" is welcome and the website also lists canned goods as great donations, which Tribolet claims were thrown away at the store.