Woman Accuses Dollar Tree Employees of Hiding Popular Items From Customers

In a viral TikTok video garnering over 3.4 million views, user Laura (@lauracoblog) claims Dollar Tree employees are hiding popular items from customers. Laura alleges that during a recent visit to the discount store, she sought trendy hand sanitizers seen on TikTok, intending to gift them to teachers for appreciation.

However, upon arrival, Laura was dismayed to find the shelves devoid of sought-after sanitizers. Her disappointment turned to disbelief when she encountered another shopper clutching four bottles. "I’ve been looking for them everywhere," Laura exclaimed to the fortunate shopper. To her surprise, the woman revealed that the items were kept in the back by the manager. "I see this lady with her husband, and she has four of them in her hands. And I said, ‘Oh my goodness! Where did you get those? I’ve been looking for them everywhere to add to my little teacher appreciation gifts.’ And she said, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m doing the same thing.’”

Following the lead, Laura approached an employee who retrieved a full box of the coveted sanitizers from the store's backroom. However, her hopes were dashed when she was informed she could only purchase two bottles as the manager had already earmarked the rest for someone else. “I took the two—I mean, at least I get two, and not four, and I could just, like, figure out something different for the other two teachers, but I was like, ‘What the heck just happened?’” Laura expressed.

Consequently, Laura posted her experience on TikTok, prompting a flood of responses alleging similar experiences at Dollar Tree. It appeared that employees were hoarding desirable items for themselves rather than making them available to customers. Laura's suspicions were further fueled when she was informed that employees had been hiding items for their benefit.

“I don’t understand why they’re doing that,” she lamented. “If you’re looking for popular things around your Dollar Tree and you’re not finding them for some reason, that might be the reason why.” “I haven’t heard from Dollar Tree, and I wanted to add that I know it’s not every Dollar Tree that does this,” she wrote. “That’s why I purposely didn’t share the location of the store online—I don’t want people showing up or going off at innocent employees at that store that might have nothing to do with it.”

“I think this is something important to discuss because it’s not about hand sanitizer (it’s not about the pasta!!!) or a random Dollar Tree, it’s about customers not being able to find products they would like to purchase in stores—no matter what store, no matter what product, it shouldn’t be happening,” she added.

@Jennifer shared her perspective, stating, "I work at a Dollar Tree and we only got one box. It sold out in a matter of hours." @Kim advised against settling for cheaper alternatives, suggesting, "Don’t be the ‘cheap Mom’, get them the real thing from Ulta!!" @Laura defended her choice of the Dollar Tree dupe, mentioning, "It’s a super cute dupe that smells really good for $1.25 instead of $10 for ONE! With 4 teachers, $40 is a lot to spend on hand sanitizers when I’m putting together a bag full of goodies for them!" @Britt recounted her interaction with a Dollar Tree manager, stating, "The manager at the Dollar Tree near me told me herself they’re keeping the items in the back and they resell them online for higher prices." Finally, @Mrs Tomasa Miller clarified company policy, stating, "I am a former assistant manager at Dollar Tree. We’re not allowed to do that."

The allegations against Dollar Tree are not unique in the retail landscape. Similar accusations have surfaced in the past against other stores when popular items go out of stock mysteriously. Retailers like Marshalls and HomeGoods faced similar accusations during the viral Hello Kitty product frenzy on TikTok.

For more such content, you can follow @lauracoblog on TikTok.