I don’t know how many of you take time to read comments on the blog here, but if you do, you will see Dollar Tree is probably the hardest store to coupon at. I read forums, I have read comments on other blogs, I read their Facebook page all the time. A lot of it is related to couponing, as many stores who don’t have good management seem to think they can make up their own rules, or they just plain and simple don’t understand couponing. But, I think the issue goes deeper than that. I expected that it would be hard in the very beginning to use coupons as there was a learning curve with the cashiers, but the problems don’t really seem to be about couponing as much as they do about customer service. Here is my theory:
In the 1800′s, most people lived on farms and grew their own food. As time went on, and cities became more appealing, less and less people were self sufficient and farmed and relied on going to the store in town for their necessities. Those stores were run by the local grocer, butcher, tailor, etc. Instead of one large chain of stores found in every city, each town had their own family run store, with an owner who could make all the choices about what happened in their store. It used to be “The Customer is Always Right.” Stores knew their patrons had choices, and they made every effort to keep their customers happy. They could do that. There weren’t any giant corporations with policies, it was what the owner said. And they knew if they wanted business they had to keep their customers happy. Some store owners were really, really good at what they did. They had the best, cleanest store with the best prices and options. People chose their store over the others, and in the “survival of the fittest” manner, the best stores grew and opened new locations, and the other stores faded out. In a way, this is a good thing. Companies like McDonalds, Wal Mart, and GE started this way. They all have one original location where it all started. Then they just did everything better than the competition and grew their business.
I feel like that while this is good, it has hurt customer service. Instead of the owner being there at the store and available to talk to, you get a manager. And depending on that managers personality depends on whether or not they care how you are treated. Now, corporate would want their employees to be decent people, but they’re not the ones hiring and interviewing. So, while they sit there in their offices and pretend they have 100% customer satisfaction, they don’t actually see what is happening on a daily basis.
The whole point of this mini novel is to just be empathetic to everyone who shops at Dollar Tree. I will be honest, I have never seen such a lack of care for customers as I have in that store. My phone service is with Verizon (who used to have the worst rated customer service), and I have HORROR stories from doing my wedding registry at Target, and I will still say Dollar Tree is the store with the worst customer service I have been to. Both in store, and with corporate. At least at other stores when you call corporate they pretend to care and try to make it right, but at Dollar Tree you just get voice mails and a phone tree that doesn’t go anywhere. There is such an attitude of, “You are lucky to be shopping in my store.” The real attitude should be “I realize you have options, and we are glad you are here. If you weren’t here, I wouldn’t have a paycheck.” Instead, if an employee treats you like crap, and you tell the manager, more than likely the manager is going to treat you the same way and ask you to leave the store, too. In one extreme case, the manager punched a couponing customer in the face, and as far as I have seen, no one seems to know how that has been resolved. I don’t know why Dollar Tree allows managers and employees to treat their customers so badly. I see it all the time though in comments and occasionally with my own eyes. In the last month, I have been in 5 different states and visited Dollar Trees in all of them, and I am getting the same feel and seeing what many of you are talking about. Most employees of Dollar Tree do not care about the customers. Now, there are exceptions of course, but the overall attitude of Dollar Tree is that they simply just do not care.
I am sorry that so many of you have such rough experiences. It is hard. And I don’t blame you for your frustration and lost desire for shopping at their store. There are just a couple solutions I have for you:
- Call your regional managers (Dollar Tree Contact Info).
- Call corporate and share your stories 1-877-530-TREE (8733).
- Leave comments on their Facebook wall.
- Most of all, make sure you are an ethical couponer. By that I mean make sure YOU know the policy and are following it, your coupon is for the correct item, and that you are always polite.
I love Dollar Tree. I love their prices, I love the deals I get there. And I am not saying that EVERY single store and employee is this way. I am just so sad that the general feel is that they don’t seem to care about their customers, and it makes me even sadder to hear so many stories about how people have been mistreated. I feel like it is one thing to not accept a coupon, but it’s another thing to have managers and cashiers say nasty things. Maybe if they get enough phone calls dealing with customer service they will acknowledge that this is no way to run a business or to treat their customers. I know it’s possible to change, and I just hope they can see this is a problem and it needs to be fixed.
Do not bother with the 1-800-530-TREE number. Best way to contact them is to have a catchy subject line like: PLEASE READ AND RESPOND and send it to customerservice@dollartree DOT com or customerinquiries@dollartree DOT com OR send a message on Facebook.
Their contact info is also put together nicely here: http://www.weusecoupons.com/upload/dollar-tree/323077-dollar-tree-information-spot.html
Including a better phone number, snail mail, Facebook, and twitter account links. HTH
I agree. Their customer service is terrible. I called the TREE number five times, used the web contact us form five times and emailed the CS email twice. I only got responses when I contacted their Facebook page and put my email subject as PLEASE READ AND RESPOND. I think you should post a link to this blog entry on their Facebook page. They need to get serious and address the lack of CS that’s endemic to their stores.
Coupons or not, I don’t need free and I’d gladly pay a bit more for a smile at my local grocery store. Half the time I go to their stores I buy crap I didn’t really need. It’s an impulse buy trap – “It’s only a dollar!” Sure it is, but when you buy 10 things for only $1 it adds up and ends up in a landfill after it’s broke!
I would have to agree with you I called the # 5 times to complain and purchase a ite, wholesale to no avail on the phone. Then I emailed them that same night which was about 3 weeks ago; finally yesterday I get a response in my email asking me for further info about the product which was given in the original e-mail. There was no apology for the way I was treated in two of the three stores I had visited. If I have to travel further to get the customer service that’s deserved I will.
I’ll just add that I have a “hunch” (and it is only that, I have no proof) that after my store discovers an item that either I or someone else has used a coupon on to get it for free or really cheap, they pull that product from the shelves until the coupon expires. Now, again, I have no proof, but if I get a coupon in my Wednesday insert that comes in the mail and go use it, then get more of it on the following Sunday – ALL of that item is gone regardless of the stock they had on hand. It’s happened more than once, and I just think they are pulling the products until the coupon is no longer good. Some examples: Efferdent, 4oz Colgate toothpaste, Planters Nut-Trition PB. If it’s not intentional, it’s really coincidental!
Joanne,
I believe this to be some what of the truth. I have seen the “Dollar Tree” right around the corner from me hold out on all of the Nivea chapsticks. When I requested to have 6 the lady told me theres a recall; I explained to her that Walmart, Walgreens, CVS etc… are all selling the same merchendise and have yet to pull them for a recall. I then proceed to bring up Nivea site and show her no proof of a recall. This week I walk in and guess whats out by the registers? The damn chapstick; this burns my buttons whats so wrong with saving money for your family in these days and times?
So as you said there is no solid proof but the theory is on the right track.
I have had issues with almost every single Dollar Tree I have gone to. I have no luck with customer service numbers, customer service emails, or even regional managers. The regional manager in my area ignored me, never returned phone calls, and was blatantly wasting my time. The only time I ever got any kind of response is when I left comments and questions on their Facebook page. They have horrible customer service. It is quite ridiculous. I just know that I am following the rules and using the correct coupons in the correct way. That’s all I can do for now. Hopefully things get better.
is this on your facebook page? i would love to share this!
i agree with this post 1000 % – dollar tree has horrible customer service & you would think that after that whole incident happened with the customer getting punched that the employees of dollar tree would be just a little bit nicer to customers in general
After my friend and I’s first bad experience at Dollar Tree with coupons, we were given the district manager’s direct cell phone number. We both still have it now and we don’t hesitate to call her when we have a problem or even just a question.
Dollar Tree needs to send a mass email to their employees explaining the difference between one per purchase and one per transaction. That seems to be my biggest frustration there. If I’m buying multiples of something I’m constantly told “you can’t do that”. Yes. I. Can. Ugh! I have explained the difference between a purchase and a transaction to multiple cashiers and managers. I had a manager threaten to call corporate and ACTED like she was on the phone with them (yes, I knew she was acting) while I showed her a coupon that said “one per purchase, limit of 4 like coupons in the same transaction”. After I showed her that, and she realized I was correct about the difference between a transaction and a purchase, she hung up the phone (without saying goodbye or anything which is how I knew she was acting) and told the cashier “just do whatever she wants. I’m done with this”. She couldn’t even admit she was wrong or apologize.
Some of my experiences have been very good but I always get an eyeroll or a sigh when I pull out the coupons at one particular store. One might tell me to go to a different store…after all, we have 4 of them near me. Nope. I’m not going to let them intimidate me or quit using coupons there. I’m using them correctly and I’m going to KEEP using them at their store no matter how rude they are to me. And if it bugs them that I get stuff free, well that’s just too darn bad.
I also agree with someone above who said they think the store pulls items when a coupon makes them free. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone back for more of something (within a day or two) and the items are completely gone when there was a crazy stock of them a day or 2 before. And the items magically come back in stock after my coupons expire.
Lyn,
I have had Dollar tree workers fight over whos going to take me while shopping in the store I oveheard the workers say “Damn the B**ch is back with her Damn coupons again”. I have waited on a line for 20 min before being serviced. When I do dollar tree I tend to bring my husband, mom or sister for back up. I tend to shop when some of the less moody workers are on or when fellow couponers (employees) are working. I have never felt so ashamed to use coupons in any other store except dollar tree.
I also agree with this posting 1000 % – Dollar Tree has horrible customer service. I have a store less than five minutes from my house and everytime I get excited to go in with a few legit coupons, the managament just isnt friendly at ALL and takes forever to process just 1 coupon to go thru. I think these people are just jealous and dont like to see us hard working couponers get a good deal or a free deal! Yes I would love to coupon like crazy here, but anymore I hate even going in to use a coupon anymore. They are VERY RUDE! I have even took a copy of the coupon policy and they will say “How do we know its real” LOL UNREAL these cashiers are! I have never met such rude cashiers at any store in my life, then whats at Dollar Tree Stores! I also notice nothing is in stock as well when I have the coupons, but the minute the coupon expires, then the item always appears! Crazyness
We have two stores nearby. One is great to work with and the cashiers are friendly and nice about coupons. The other store not so much but that one is farther from my house so I just don’t use it. From the sounds of it guess I’m blessed to have the store we have.
I have to agree that I must be lucky. I go to different dollar Tree stores all within a 60 mile radius from my house and have never had a problem with coupons. Yes, sometimes they arent happy looking with smiles, but never rude or downright mean like the comments on here.
Publix on the other hand, makes me loose my patients in almost all the same towns on a monthly basis.
Well, I guess my Dollar Tree (Walmart Plaza off of State Road 31, Greenwood/Indianapolis, IN) deserves a HUGE round of applause. The staff there has been un-believably helpful with my couponing effort. I simply stopped one of the cashiers and asked her for the coupon policy. Not only was she dead-on accurate, but she even pulled a few items off of the shelf and used them as examples with copies of voided coupons they had on hand. HATS OFF to this Dollar Tree and it’s Management Staff!!! Sadly, most of the items they have on the shelves are generic and not name-brand. I rarely find any of the deals that are posted. They simply do not carry the items. Now if I could just get some of the staff at my local Dollar General, Kroger, Wal-Mart, Walgreens and CVS to learn their own coupon policy, I would have it made. Amen to the “who’s training these people”??????????????????
These are the stories I love to hear. I was just in the Conroe, TX store and had the same kind of service. I get a lot of help here in my local stores, too. They know their policy. I think a lot of stores need to train their employees on the coupon policies, but my big focus here is the attitude in general of the employees. I was in a VA store and asked if they had coffee filters (the store was VERY small) and the girl stocking items, who was also on her cell phone, looked at me like I was stupid and told me they were “in the back.” I never found them. I was so irritate she couldn’t bother to get off her phone to help me find them that I left my cart and went to Wal Mart. I know it’s not every store, but they have a major problem with customer service.
Same with my local DT store here in Middle TN. I guess they see me so much, they know me, plus it helps if you are friendly to people, especially folks who don’t make much per hour. They have always been pleasant and I have personally seen customers get nasty with them for no reason at all. So, kudos to my local DT employees. I always have problems with Wal-Mart staff and quit going there.
I work for dollar tree and not all of the cashiers are rude or stuck up I always help my fellow couponers when the come thur my line needless to say they almost always have the wrong item but still I try to help them out by finding to right product
We need more people like you! Thank you for helping others!
I had a bad experience just two nights ago at my Dollar Tree in Texas City, Texas. I went in to buy the Planters Peanut Butter with a $.75 coupon that I had printed from the internet. When I got to the cashier and presented the coupon, she stated that they don’t take internet coupons. I explained that their corporate policy stated that they accept one per transaction and she proceeded to call the manager (acting like I was bothering her or wasting her time). The manager tried to say the same thing; they only accept “regular” coupons. I told her that their corporate policy said otherwise and I pulled out my printed copy of their policy. She finally accepted the coupon but stated to her cashier that she wished that “they” would make up their mind. One minute they take them and the next, they don’t. Sounds to me that company-wide, “they” cannot get their act together. I agree that Dollar Tree needs alot of training in the customer service area.
The key words in Melisaa bracco’s comments are “my fellow couponers”. Since she seems to be a person who uses coupons, she is one of the few employees who goes out of her way to help others who are trying to use coupons. Most of the employees in the SJersey Dollar Trees seem to be very young. I would guess that most of them are still living at home and have not experienced the real need to save money.
I shop at the Dollar Tree in Slidell, Louisiana just outside New Orleans. I have had no real “big deal” complaints on my local store, they have been friendly about the coupons. I DID notice too that after I found a good freebie from the store, they are GONE and stay GONE. Example, the 4 oz toothpastes, the Colgate for sensitive teeth, they do not carry the peanut butter currently advertised, i did however get four packs of the Hormel pepperoni for 2 bucks today with 2 internet coupons, however i did have to do it in 2 seperate transactions. I enjoy our store and will continue to shop there and continue to use my coupons there.
Long story short, my stomach sinks when I realize I have to go to Dollar Tree. I love the deals that I score, but their customer service is about the worst I’ve ever experienced. But what takes the cake is what happened to my aunt last week. The both of us generally go to Dollar Tree together because of the frequent problems we encounter. It’s easier to have that back-up and support. I’m really shy, so I feel more confident when I have a fellow couponer there and ready to back me up. Anyway, we were ready to check out. My transaction went mostly smoothly. The cashier made a big deal about not knowing how to deal with coupons valued over a dollar, but the manager told her what to do, and she did it. So yay for small mercies. The real problem came when my aunt went to check out. She had more items and coupons than I did. The cashier looks at her and goes, “You really had to make my day difficult, didn’t you?” I kid you not. My aunt responds, “Well, you have to save money wherever you can.” The cashier never says another word. It’s radio silence as the transaction is completed. She doesn’t even say “have a nice day” or anything. Needless to say, I was shocked! Truly abysmal customer service. I’ve never seen anything like this in my life, and I don’t understand why all of these folks working at my local Dollar Tree have such a problem doing their job.
I go to the Dollar Tree in Granbury, TX and I have not had problems using coupons. The employees are friendly and while there is the occasional “I have to ask the manager” I dont have many complaints. I can understand in this time and age that no matter where you work you wouldnt want to lose your job. So I can understand if they want to double check since there are alot of dummies out there scamming with coupons. The only employee I do not care much for is the manager and that is only because she seems not to want anything to do with customers. She will not help on registers and does not like to be called out of the office for any reason. She does however know the policy and doesnt give couponers any grief. The thing to remember and maybe even help them remember is that the little paper your handing them is money. They make even more on coupons than they do on a cash sale. I believe its usually 8 cents a coupon they are reimbursed by the manufacturer. As far as the products go I have noticed that they do not get items on a regular basis. Not just with coupon items either. Our store hardly has anything chocolate in the summer because their trucks are not refrigerated. Just keep your head up and know that you are doing what is best for you and your family by saving money and they are not losing in any way. I am more than happy these days to make any store employee take a few more minutes so that I can save money for my family. They can get over it because that is what they get a paycheck for.
Well said.
I am feeling super lucky. My Dollar Tree littleton , Colorado for the most part are very nice. I have however run into several stores in the metro area ( Denver) who can be nasty, bored by your questions, not helpful but mostly rude and bothered by any questions. I think a lot of the cashiers are young and haven’t been taught basic customer service skills and not paid very well. I take my teenagers with me often and stop and explain to cashiers why I feel the need to coupon, 5 kids and if they are nasty I kill them with kindness. Usually after a couple of visits they are nicer and asking me for tips on how to coupon.
I was thinking I had it pretty good with my Dollar Tree but then I remembered a while back I had a problem with being charged for something twice that I only bought one of. I went back it and told them and they told me they had no way to refund my dollar…and to just pick out something I wanted for a dollar. What other store does that??!! I should have complained to corporate but I had too much going on then.
After reading all this, I was not sure what to expect out of my first visit – so I went directly to the young ladies up front and said that I saw from their website that they accept manufacturer’s coupons, and they both smiled and said “Yes we do!” I did not find everything on my list, and I noticed she had to read each coupon and enter it, but it was a really good experience here in Merritt Island, FL! Thank you to that store team
I wish I heard more of these stores! I walked into my store the other night and noticed a new employee… she promptly greeted me and asked if I needed help with anything. So friendly!
Stay out of the Dollar Tree, you greedy pests. Seventy-five stupid coupons for things to supposedly feed your families. I feel sorry for the children who have to eat toothbrushes for dinner. Sick people. Go away.
i’m guessing you whiny stay at home moms have never worked a day in your life. some of us have real jobs and make an honest living, we all can’t sit around at home having babies and cutting coupons all day. what’s sad about people like you is that you talk down about dollar tree and their employees but yet you continue to shop there. work at dollar tree for a few months then you’ll understand why the cashiers have an attitude. especially if they have to deal with nagging women like you on a daily basis over some stupid coupons!
Morgan, it sounds like you work at the Dollar Tree. This is the exact reason that store has such horrible customer service.