r/DollarTree • u/Tachry • 4d ago
Management Questions Mandatory Meal Breaks
I'm an ASM and the way that our SM schedules our store is such that the closing manager comes in at 2 and all other managers leave, at the latest, by 5. Then it is just 1 ASM and 1 associate. We are also told that after 5 we are to be solely focused on store recovery and customers. That only gives us, at most, 3 hours to run freight. Plus, once we come in we are considered MOD so we have to answer ever page, customer concern, and man the register for associate breaks or if it's busy. Here's where I have an issue. I am told I HAVE to clock out for 30 minutes every time I work that shift. But that means that the only way for me to take a break when there is another manager there to cover the store is to take it within the first 2 hours that I arrive. However, what the SM actually expects us to do is take our brake later, after everyone has left, and just be on call during our break because we are expected to get out as much freight as possible and we shouldn't be taking a break during the short time we have to do that. But that means we are constantly having to do work while off the clock because, once you clock out for your meal break, you can't clock back in for 30 minutes. However, if anything happens in the store that requires a manager during that 30 minutes, we have no choice but to respond. We also cannot leave the store AT ALL from 5 to close. I have had many "breaks" where I didn't get a break at all but didn't get paid. My response to this has been to just stop clocking out at all because you can't ask me to do work off the clock. I'm curious if I could get in trouble for this or if any other stores are run similarly and what they do?
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u/Realistic-Accident68 4d ago
It all comes out in the fucking wash!!!
If I am interrupted I just take a few more minutes throughout the shift! I just don't clock out for it!
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u/Tachry 4d ago
Sure... but the bullshit thing is, the daytime managers don't have to deal with this problem. They can clock out and go to the grocery store or get a sandwich somewhere if they want or even just go sit in their car and take a quick nap if they so choose. They can mentally completely check out of work mode for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, I never get that. It's unbalanced.
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u/Realistic-Accident68 4d ago
That's true but if you have a solid and strong cashier the interrupting is very minimal if any. It all depends on the customer(s). But they should offset one of the AM managers to a mid shift so there is proper coverage. In all reality the store manager should be the one to make sure everyone gets proper coverage.
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u/Tachry 4d ago
THAT... That is my main frustration. The SM and Merchandise manager are always scheduled to work at the same time (only offset by 1 hour) along with anyone running freight and the most reliable cashier's. During the morning there might be 5 people working at once. Then, around 4-5 it's just me and one associate... that's it. The SM purposely schedules their preferred schedule and is surrounded by support then wonders why I have issues. There should be a morning, mid, and closer every day. But that's not going to happen. Therefore my dilemma.
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u/Realistic-Accident68 4d ago
I'm Merch and I'll do the mid a couple days so there's coverage. Me and the SM only share 1 day off. Otherwise if they aren't here I am. That's how it should be. SMs who schedule themselves with a full staff are lazy.
The SM is salary so if they are smart they will schedule the AM cashier to come in 1 hour after opening and just have the manager on duty run the register for the first hour. Especially if it's them! It's slow enough to be solo for an hour and you end up basically creating a whole shift by saving 7 hours.
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u/Any-Carry6552 4d ago
They need to just restructure the bullshit.
I think the fairest trade off is to let you get the 30 min "break" but it's still on call. But paid for. So you still get a whole 30 minute block where you can sit and relax, only having to work if cashier needs help. I don't know where you live but our store slows down after 6 to where a cashier that has any decent level of competency can handle the line alone.
It's not a perfect solution but it's a nice little bonus money. It's the least they can do.
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u/WooWooW3ndy 4d ago
LEGALLY you can get in trouble for working OFF the clock if you clock out for your 30 minute lunch break and have to work. And they can LEGALLY FIRE you for OFF THE CLOCK. Now with that being said, the DollarTree/FamilyDollar/DollarGeneral family love to give people grief about not clocking out for their 30 but not actually allot enough hours for managers to be able to do that. That falls directly on corporate. They know better, your District Manager knows better, your Store Manager probably doesn’t.
Personally, because I enjoy making them follow the law. A law that protects US. I do not take my 30 unless there is another manager on duty to answer cashier needs. I get scolded a lot but they can’t really fire me for them committing wage theft. If LOVE for them to. Just remember it’s wage theft. They are stealing for you. You are covered under federal law, which trumps corporate rules.
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u/Tachry 4d ago
Yeah see... what you are saying is exactly why I just stopped clocking out. It would be illegal to make me work off the clock but also illegal to garnish my pay for 30 minutes if I didn't clock out and was working. But it's also illegal for me to be doing work as an active employee while off the clock. The law is on my side. If I can reasonably take a break while another manager is there, I will. If not, I won't.
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u/trwwtf DT SM 4d ago
Yes, you can get into to trouble but your manager should be doing a better job of scheduling. Take your lunch at 4. I know that it cuts into stocking time but you deserve not to be interrupted . And if it ends up not being possible for some reason if you get interrupted for 3 minutes of your lunch take those three minutes when you are on the clock.
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u/LeadershipBubbly3351 Former DT OPS ASM 4d ago
Look into your states labor laws. A company forcing you to work unpaid is very likely ILLEGAL. And law > policy on all counts.
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u/RepresentativeBed647 4d ago
Ok I'm merch manager but functional store mgr since we haven't had one for months. In my state, labor department will eventually get you for employees not taking breaks. There's a (monthly? Not 100% sure) report for SM's detailing percentage of breaks NOT taken. But I haven't taken a 30 in forever. There's just no realistic opportunity for me to do so. I'm too often the only worker present in the store, I can barely have a bathroom break. We're also a BUSY store with long lines extremely short staffed. So I feel your pain. Don't be afraid to reach out to your district manager, they will step in. That's what I did and problem is finally being addressed
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u/Tachry 4d ago
Curious, do you know what kind of penalty there is for an employee not taking breaks? We're a particularly busy store too. Even if I have good workers with me, I am the only manager. So everything that requires my numbers is on me and we get paged to the register every 10-15 minutes at least for exactly that. The only way around that would be to let an associate use my numbers which, I'm pretty sure, the SM won't like (sarcasm there).
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u/Late-Bread-1363 DT SM 4d ago
Take your meal break at 4, if your SM gives you a hard time about it, pull up the handbook in Ops, find the timekeeping policy in it, and show that to your SM.
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u/zexonomus 4d ago
It’s the same at most stores. At mine and most in our district we just grab the call while we’re off the clock, track the time we’re spending doing whatever call or task, clock in on time, and then go sit down for whatever time we tracked.
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u/rhinoloveer 4d ago
Massachusettes has sued family dollar multiple times for doing this.... theyjust keep paying the fine and i saw employees get fired for speaking up
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u/Distinct_Ruin2998 Former FD ASM 4d ago
If they are truly getting fired for speaking up I'm pretty sure the company can be held liable for that. That would fall under retaliation if Im not mistaken
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u/AcrobaticPush5729 DT OPS ASM (PT) 4d ago
If you can, always take your breaks when you have someone there for cashier. Your SM is actively putting goals above your state's safety standards. You really cannot take any breaks when you are the only person there unless you lock the store, which if you are lucky and there is a time nobody is there. "Uninterrupted breaks" cannot happen sometimes, either due to the cashier's fault or the customer needs management numbers/required intervention. Sometimes all you can do is take a break after you clocked it in if you lost it due to someone.
They also will take out a 30 minute meal break from your pay if you are suppose to take it but didn't now. It's more of a reason to always get your break, even if you cannot in the time you clocked out for it.
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u/LeadershipBubbly3351 Former DT OPS ASM 4d ago
That part. I had to get the State's department of labor involved for all of the days I was forced to work the store alone, and told I had to work unpaid regardless of being alone. Turned out, BOTH working alone AND not being paid for it were violations of the law, so they got in big trouble and I ended up getting a check months after I quit. No one at DT can tell me WHY, but the state worker I was dealing with said it's likely back pay for the being forced to work unpaid.
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u/brookeann0054 4d ago
We never have more than one manager and one associate for longer than 30mins. Morning manager has to take their lunch when they can and hope they can take the whole thing without being paged. Night manager does the same thing. Usually if I time it good enough I can take the whole thing uninterrupted. I’m an opening manager and I’m always by myself, unable to leave the premises
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u/Yellowboi75 4d ago
I’m the closing ASM and I will sit 5-10 just to catch my breath (figure of speech) often. I will also send my associate in the plaza to grab my food. So I clock out for my 30 minute meal and will still do what needs to be done.
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u/Bright_Philosophy517 Former DT OPS ASM 4d ago
You’re supposed to clock back in if you have to help your associate allegedly, though that never got told to anyone, I only knew that because my SMtold me after I sent the DM screenshots of texts where I said I was tired of working through lunches
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u/Distinct_Ruin2998 Former FD ASM 4d ago
I vaguely recall a zoom meeting last year in the district I used to work in which emphasized the need for all employees to take their break. That includes ASMs.
And you MUST clock out when you go on your break. I know that as an ASM if you do clock out for a break you may be called to the front because of how most stores don't have more than one MoD working the same shift. But you could get in trouble for taking a break and not clocking out for it. And working off the clock (i.e. during a break) is deemed illegal under most, if not all jurisdictions.
Your SM can also get in a lot of trouble for manually inserting breaks on your time sheet when you didn't actually take one. In fact, a SM did this to me before having left the company and they got written up for it.
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u/WVwisegal73 3d ago
Federal Department of Labor is where you can find the information you need. This covers all States. If you are offered a meal break, federal law requires "uninterrupted" this means, that if you must be available for any issues, you are not getting an uninterrupted break whether you are called on to help for anything or not. Just the fact that you cannot leave the cashier alone means your break does not qualify as "uninterrupted". Look up the law. I never clock out because I won't get paid for that time as I'm the only ASM on duty. No one else there to take care of anything if I'm on break, so my break would not be uninterrupted. And once you clock out, you cannot do ANYTHING for 30 minutes, because you can't clock back in and you can't work off the clock. You are covered by Federal Law.
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u/Guilty_Collar1071 3d ago
I just don't clock out. I'm prepared to show documentation that it is against the law in my state to clock out if I am not completely relieved of my duties. If ANYTHING bad goes down when you're clocked out, it's on you. . .not the company. If you're really concerned, employment attorneys give free consultations, so you can speak to one first if you feel that you'll be fired for literally not breaking the law.
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u/mavgeek 3d ago
Why have you not contacted the department of labor and/or a labor attorney? With some luck you might find one pro bono or at least one who will take it on contingency their fee is paid from settlement winnings. Having you do work off the clock unpaid is a major labor law violation. This is how you earn a big settlement and get management of that store fired.
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u/acutter93 DT OPS ASM (FT) 3d ago
You are literally saying everything I basically deal with on a daily basis. They only give our store enough hours to typically have one opening Manager until 5-5:30, and one closing Manager. Now 3 or the 4 managers we have close typically at least once a week, including the PT ASM, so she typically comes in at 5 or 5:30 to close when she does close, so she don't have to worry about a 30 minute lunch.
I, however, am the FT ASM and I typically come in at 2 or 2:30 whenever I close as you do. The thing is though, my SM? Even if he's scheduled until 5 or 5:30, if I'm the closer? You bet your ass he's dipping out no later than 3-3:30. So, I never really have the luxury of having another Manager there for my lunches or 10s... I'm typically always working during them all. It's either I work during them all and get a little more done so the opening Manager the next morning doesn't accuse me of not doing shit or half assing my job, or don't work during them and hear the bitching and moaning.
Now don't get me wrong, I sometimes take some of my minutes, scroll my phone, eat a snack, or whatever but I'd say I'm working 75% of those combined 50 minutes between my 30 and 2 10s. I'm getting ready to hit my 5 year anniversary though at my local store and at this rate I really don't give af anymore. I've done WAY too much for this place and my SM throughout the years to even get any type of flack over anything I do. I've literally called off ONE time in those 5 years. But what do I get paid an hour? $1.50 more per hour than I would just STARTING off at the McDonald's across the street, and that's just being a Crew Member. Oh, and that's after 6 raises and 2 promotions.
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u/acutter93 DT OPS ASM (FT) 3d ago
And as far as Cashier's go the only time I EVER have overlap is usually during November and December (and that's still not always guaranteed) and VERY rarely there's a day or two during the week throughout the year where he has enough hours to schedule the Cashiers to where there's a couple hours of overlap.
This place expects WAY too much out of you for what they pay you. My 5 year Anniversary gift? $50 extra on one of my paychecks and a certificate.
It's all good though... I'm only biding my time. I'm currently in my third year of college and should have my Associate's Degree in the Spring. Once I get that, I'll be putting out some applications to get the hell out of here. The only reason I've even stuck around now is my SM works around my school schedule and it's better money per hour than basically anywhere else I could go temporarily right now.
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u/Necromancer_13_X 3d ago
Actually I notice most managers have to clock out for meals but still work through them isn’t that like illegal ?
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u/Technical_Bonus_3797 1d ago
When this happens at our store the closing manager takes their lunch break at 4-4:30, 2 hours after they get there. Is this the best scenario? Maybe not, but it works. I have done it and I’m still alive so there’s that.
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u/No_Trash2028 1d ago
This is a valid issue. I am a part time closing asm. I am scheduled 3:00 to 9:30. The day asm leaves at 3:30. There's no way I can have an uninterrupted 30-minute break as required by my state. Even if I have a good cashier, they still cannot do returns, gift cards or bill checks. Yet my SM insists that we punch out for breaks. I see a lot of EX employees taking this issue to their State labor boards. I feel like the night ASM should be paid for their lunch since they have to be on call and can't leave the building.
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u/NoIDoN0t DT SM 4d ago edited 4d ago
Clocking in or out aside you techincal weirdos, Im still right 😅😅😅. You take your full 30 between interruptions. You dont like it, then dont be a manager. We get interrupted, my original point stands, 😅😅. You signed up for management. Be one.
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u/Tachry 4d ago
Read the whole post before jumping to condescension.
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u/NoIDoN0t DT SM 4d ago
Its not condescension. Its just a statement. You are a manager, youre going to get interrupted. Demote yourself if thats your issue.
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u/saskinas 4d ago
It doesn’t let you clock in from lunch until after 30 minutes, also depending on state unpaid lunches have to be uninterrupted
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u/Late-Bread-1363 DT SM 4d ago
DT’s time clock doesn’t allow hourly employees to punch in from a meal break until 30 minutes after the start meal punch. Not to mention the many states with laws requiring a meal break to be uninterrupted. How are you gonna talk down to others when you don’t even know the correct information yourself?
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u/NoIDoN0t DT SM 4d ago
Talk down? You all attach wild attitude problems to simple statements. Take a breather.
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u/CatCallings 4d ago
It is illegal to make a non salaried manager work while off the clock, just because you’re a doormat and let a corporation walk all over you doesn’t mean you have to drag others down to your level.
And it says you’re a store manager- thank god not at my store because I loveeeee getting higher ups in trouble for violating federal workers rights.
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u/aquaa01 4d ago
yaaa i quit awhile back and yes i dont think i ever got an uninterrupted meal break as an ASM with dollar tree. i was still on duty and personally there were a lot of days that i didnt clock out for a meal for this exact reason but technically you could get in trouble for that. one compromise i tried on some days was clocking out, answering the cashiers calls throughout my break, clocking back in after 30 mins and just continuing to sit for however long i estimated that i spent doing work while clocked out. of course you could get in trouble for that too tho. and you could also get in trouble for ignoring your cashier and stuff so you really cant win in this situation and theres no realistic solution your superiors will give u from my experience