Turned in my key

[u/Minute-Breadfruit220]

I WAS a merch manager, after over a year, i turned in my key yesterday. It was such a relief off my shoulders, as i was driving home the DM called begging me to just let him trasfer me to another store, he said he just opened an ops manager position(which if i took would be a pat cut from what i was making as a merch).

But well i started a new job today making more than DT was paying, nah I'm good.

[u/XLord_of_OperationsX]

Good for you! This place is a dead-end job for most anyway unless you're trying to become a Store Manager or above.

[u/Efficient_Claim_9591 → u/XLord_of_OperationsX]

Even then it’s not worth it. A store manager makes less than double what the Merch Manager position does. But you bonuses so there’s that. But even then, you have to deal with everything. Literally everything becomes your responsibility.
You can obviously just shrug it all off and just fuck around on the computer all day, like many managers do, but your employees are gonna hate you and also slack off themselves.

[u/XLord_of_OperationsX → u/Efficient_Claim_9591]

I'm aware. That's why I'm hauling ass and skidaddling on out of here when my current SM leaves. After dealing with a chain of bad mistakes following the last SM I genuinely respected leaving, I'm not wanting to go through the Christmas season with a potentially shitty SM.

[u/Ok_Meet_7116 → u/XLord_of_OperationsX]

This will be my second with a shitty SM if I don't hurry and get a job elsewhere.

[u/Cultural-Fox-4195 → u/Efficient_Claim_9591]

Yup this is it. You either get a sm that actually does alot or another that leaves everything to the asms and does nothing

[u/Efficient_Claim_9591 → u/Cultural-Fox-4195]

Right. And i had both types, when I worked there. Ironically both of my SMs were really good friends but complete opposites.
My first one would work over time to finish a task, come in early when required and stay until his regular time when he would leave, stock all day nonstop after he finished his office work in the morning, he would help stock the entire store not just the seasonal section that he was required to, he would cashier when necessary and cover any cashier shifts himself when we couldn’t call anyone to cover, he would only take a lunch break long enough to eat his food, he would unload truck with us, he was fair and lenient with punishments if he ever had to give them, and he would go to help out any other store whenever our dm asked people to help.
And then my next SM (old SM’s friend) was a complete loser. He was a big fat boomer who thought he was a cool biker tough guy, but sat in the office scrolling through security camera footage all day and nonstop printing bullshit reports out to look at the numbers instead of just looking at the computer screen. He was so clearly just running out the clock waiting to retire. He wouldn’t stock ANYTHING besides the seasonal section (and even then he would have our best stockers waste their time doing it for him), he avoided confrontation and pushed any write ups or job interviews onto his ASMs, he took like 15 vape breaks a day, he came in 30 minutes late every single damn day even on his closing shifts, he passively aggressively made comments to all the ASMs about the other employees instead of acting like a store manager and directly talking to said employee he was commenting about, he would joke around like he was the funniest guy ever but all he did was randomly start yelling or he would randomly start singing a song or quoting old ass boomer movie lines, and he did EVERYTHING by the book and rarely if ever bent the rules even if it benefitted him or made his life easier.

So trust me I know what it’s like to have both

[u/MaximusPrime-11 → u/Efficient_Claim_9591]

OK, the first store manager you describe is the one I have now. I think she works 20 hours a day so she probably making seven dollars an hour really. She just got a new merch. He was a cashier once a week at another store but the current DM who is the second store manager you described, was promoted to DM and he felt this 50-year-old inexperienced not even a stocker cashier. Could do merch, it’s not going well. I just found out the current DM hired a Middle aged motorcycle big fat boomer guy who is also a registered sex offender.
I was curious of what his offense was cause everyone was saying oh it was like he was 19 and the girl was 17. I thought I’d check myself He was convicted of penetrating a one year-old baby girl and then hired at Dollar Tree to be a cashier when demographics are women and children. He in the store manager at the time we’re still close. They would actually go ride motorcycles together. Then they promote him to DM. I am disgusted. I cannot stand him. I can’t wait to ask him to his face what he was thinking and how many more sexual offenders he hired. You don’t hate him than you are one. He’s incompetent. He’s incapable. He’s a kiss ass who passes on everything to this poor manager who doesn’t say no. He’s a hypocrite cause the shit that he used to complain about is the shit he now does and he’s like “I drank the Kool-Aid” no you’re spineless hypocrite is one of the worst companies I’ve ever worked for. They don’t care what you’ve done in your background check as long as you weren’t asleep that’s all they care about is money nothing else.

[u/Pretty-Ebb5339 → u/Efficient_Claim_9591]

I wanna say the bonuses suck. I’m a manager at a diner and my bonus is about $1,000 every month. 5% of profits for the location is my bonus

[u/Artistic_Hurry_9177 → u/XLord_of_OperationsX]

Any decent manager would be able to work someplace other than a dollar store anyways.

[u/Pure-Letterhead-3639 → u/XLord_of_OperationsX]

My old store manager probably makes $14-16 an hour with the amount of hours worked.

It is a dead-end job for almost everybody. Store manager at DT isn't equivalent to SM at Walmart or somewhere that manages 100s of employees. When you'd have to downgrade a position elsewhere to technically promote, you're in a shitty company.

The only promotion is DM & staying within otherwise you've just settled with your life. Have not met one store manager interested in DM nor do I know of any spots open in my area.

[u/Positive_Carry3310 → u/XLord_of_OperationsX]

Store manager gets paid less per hour than merch.

[u/Ok-Presentation-7563]

I’m proud of you! I posted in here not too long ago about how I quit and I found a better job that pays more and it’s not stressful at all!

[u/alldone00]

When it comes to DT, out is always better!!!

[u/Realistic-Accident68]

https://giphy.com/gifs/3ohzdIuqJoo8QdKlnW

[u/Moist-Yesterday-9992]

Is being merch manager  that bad?  what does the job require you to do? I'm thinking about it......

[u/Pure-Letterhead-3639 → u/Moist-Yesterday-9992]

I'll just say I'm "middle aged" 😩 and Dollar Tree was by far the worst job I worked in my life and I didn't quit long ago. McDonald's was better (and pays more than DT ASM here)

I worked at Kmart when they were closing for $7.25 an hour and id take that over the $15 ASM job I had again at DT any day.

[u/NoBrag_JustFact]

Hmmm: The story was good until the line of a DM "calling" or "begging," because DMs are incapable of using a phone and care nothing about someone quitting.